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Hi,
Ordered a Vario 2 from a T-mobile store about 4 weeks ago - still out of stock. Tried to order on-line, order was processed successfully but then had a follow up call saying its out of stock.
I really need to get off my current tariff so hope they sort something soon!
Is anyone else in this position/has anyone else managed to obtain a phone in the last month? Any T-Mobile insiders have an idea when your getting some?
Thanks,
Paul
Yeah i have ordered one on monday. Still no news os still waiting. Let us know whey u receive one.
just to upset u all. i ordered mine online on last tuesday, and got it the next day been playing with it ever since.
Hi there, if it's t-mobile UK you are referring to I ordered mine 12 days ago online and received it the next day. I was told on two occassions when I called them that they were out of stock, but one day I rang they had 500 odd in stock. That is when I rushed my order through online.
This would mean I had mine when your order was waiting. I'd ring them and play hell if I were you.
Thanks for the tip off g00nerz. I guess there possibly working through a back log of orders, that said, I am not impressed at having to wait a month when other people have got one very quickly - I'm going to give them hell tomorrow!
Many Thanks.
I ordered my vario ii through t-mobile direct from my holiday in spain on monday 8th october and it arrived at my home in the uk the next day.....
these are rushing out of stock so fast, so it you can grab one, get it fast...
This has really annoyed me - thinking of choosing a different carrier - its ridiculous to wait 4 weeks for a phone - the store hasnt even given me a courtesy call. I know they're in short supply but I've ordered two in the last month and neither has been sent!
Thanks for letting me know the "state of play"
Hi All,
Rang Tmob this morning inquiring the status of my order and apprantly the update is that there are component shortages (did nto say what components) but the long and short of it it that the phone will now not be available until the end of the month !!!
So i guess we will still be waiting a while then !!
I spoke with T-Mobile yesterday as I was expecting a swap out unit today. It appears that the current batch they have in stock is being held back for quality checking. I had a problem with mine (another replacement received Monday) which indicated that the manufacturer (HTC) has not carried out the vendor specific setup properly (ie keeps asking for a network unlock code). I can only assume other stock units have got the same problem.
PaulB
Wow. Went to order mine today only to find that T-Mobile have completely removed the Vario 2 from their website.
Looking bad...
mr_Ray said:
Wow. Went to order mine today only to find that T-Mobile have completely removed the Vario 2 from their website.
Looking bad...
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Click to collapse
On t-mobile.nl it's stil availlable! (with pop-up: long delivery time)
Forget T-mob NL, I ordered mine on Oct 3, 2006 and no delivery until now.
smarty77 said:
On t-mobile.nl it's stil availlable! (with pop-up: long delivery time)
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mr_Ray said:
Wow. Went to order mine today only to find that T-Mobile have completely removed the Vario 2 from their website.
Looking bad...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldnt worry about that, it disappears and re-appears all the time! When I went to sign up for a web and walk tarriff the other week the only phone it would offer me (and put in the basket!) was a v3 razr - in pink! Phoned customer services and they said that the website was in the process of an overhaul and hence it was in error.
Tell a lie, just checked my e-mail and its been dispatched -- hoorah! Should be here before 1 tomorrow apparently.
Maybe the MD of T-Mobile reads the Hermes message board?!
mr_Ray said:
Wow. Went to order mine today only to find that T-Mobile have completely removed the Vario 2 from their website.
Looking bad...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since T-mobile introduced the new WebnWalk tariffs on Oct 1st 2006, the Vario2 has flown off the shelves becuase the handset doubles as a USB modem for laptops and the WNWPlus is a better package than anything Vodafone or Orange offer with their data cards. This is why I bought one to try out for my company, I know of another company that bought 31 for their sales staff in one hit and more of my customers are doing the same having been pleased with what I've told them already.
T Mobile takes the phone off the website when they sell out which accounts for its dissappearance. I must say though as a business customer the service is fantastic, everytime I have called CS I have got through in under 2 mins usually it takes a few rings once I have got through the menu system to the right department and am very pleased with it. I've got my TT6 installed with my GPS236Slim receiver, can take calls whilst its plugged in to my laptop as a modem and Remote Access (Terminal Server) is usuable even when not in a 3G cell so I'm in heaven and it works on the norfolk broads of all places!!!!!
Ah that's not so bad, then. Never having used T-M before I didn't expect that. I would have thought that just marking it as not currently in stock would be a better option that pulling it, but maybe that's just me.
I guess I just check the site to see when it reappears, then!
Awesome. I just had a call from T-mobile UK. The Vario 2 is now in stock and I can order one for delivery tomorrow.
I had to check on some things so called back, spoke to someone else, and suddenly they've not been in stock today and won't be available until next week.
Mr. left hand and Mr. right hand need to get talking, I think.
T-mobile told me that they'l have them in stock this week when rang them last week. I've just come off the phone from t-mobile and they've just told me they had no idea when they'l have them in stock and to try next week...... wtf cant they get their act together. I've never known anything like it... if only orange or vodafone matched the web n walk tariff then i'd be off like a shot!!! (i think its ony a matter of time) if anyone from T-Mobile is reading this "this get your act together".
Just rang T Mob again and this time not end of the month but "we have no clue when they will get them in." So my response well for the inconvience are you willing to throw in a free SD card or something else ? Oh No sir we are not allowed to do that. Ok then thanks for your call !!
WTF!! what do they mean no clue. Why accept orders when u know you can fulfill them ??
Anyway just an update for you folks! Dont except the vairo II anytime soon. (I hope i am wrong) !
oac966 said:
Just rang T Mob again and this time not end of the month but "we have no clue when they will get them in." So my response well for the inconvience are you willing to throw in a free SD card or something else ? Oh No sir we are not allowed to do that. Ok then thanks for your call !!
WTF!! what do they mean no clue. Why accept orders when u know you can fulfill them ??
Anyway just an update for you folks! Dont except the vairo II anytime soon. (I hope i am wrong) !
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My vario comes tomorrow... I live in The Netherlands.
T-Mobile in the netherlands had also problems with the vario II stock. But after 2 weeks its solved and they do delivery's from monday!
hi all
just received an email from t-mobile uk saying that have no plans to release the wm6 rom. Does this mean were are cursed or will we be able to use the HTC version when it comes out. is it just a case of losing branding and the cab files with the gprs settings etc???
cheers
Yeah i know, i got the same reply by email at weekend. you think that with the unit being so high spec that they would want to upgrade to WM6 for customer satisfaction
Disgraceful! Let's hope someone cracks the CID protection soon so we can use the HTC ROM when it is released!
Not good news. Let's all sign a petition and get it over to T-Mobile.
-Krip
yea, not happy about this at all, been with t-mobile for 8 years now, theyve had a **** load of money off of me. let me know if you start a petition
Since WM6 isn't an upgrade for any Advantage yet, is it really likely their emaildrone is going to know about it really?
Yes, we should petition them. But in context. "When WM6 is shipping on the Advantage please make it available for Ameo"
I second that, we need to make sure they know how not realising an operating system upgrade as big as WM6 would nark us Ameo owners off. (to put it nicely!)
Don't get upset..we'll get it anyway
Sorry guys I'm in disagreement with you on this one. I agree that a device as new and feature rich as the Ameo should definitely come with WM6, but it was never promised or even mentioned to the best of my recollection prior to and after the Ameo was released. Therefore we all knew what we were getting before we shelled out, even though we all held out hope that an official T-mobile WM6 upgrade would be available.
I'm quite happy to wait until CID unlocking has been cracked and an official WM6 ROM is available for the Dopod or Advantage version.
Let's face it people, we'll get there in the end anyway, wether they want us too or not.
CID is already available through imei-check, but they cant do it over-the-air. I emailed them about CID/SIM unlocking and this is their reply.....
Hello,
>>we can unlock it, but remote is not possible right now. If you want you can send the device to us for unlock. Special delivery is ok. The unlock is 20 GBP + 7 gbp to ship it back to you. Please send it to:
MIGsofT LTD FAO:Florin Mandache 19 Cowan Road Balloch Glasgow G68 9BX. Send just the handset + battery. >Regards, > >IMEI-CHECK Team >
I was very unsure sending the unit and needed reassurance so i replied.....
Thanks for your reply, but could you supply me with a contact number(landline) to help keep track of my unit, and so i can make payment by card. Your website doesn't contain any contact info which makes me a little uneasy.
And this is the reply i got back.....
Hello,
You can call me on my mobile : +44795*******.
The payment it will be done via paypal or direct bank deposit after we received the device and we unlocked it.
As you might guess, i'm still wary of sending it off so i guess i'll sit and wait until another option is available.
i was checking via STREETMAP, the postcode for imei-check (look at my post above) and i found this........http://www.myhouseprice.com/HousePr...imeframe=1&timeframemonth=99&timeframeyear=99
CHECK THE FIFTH HOUSE DOWN THE LIST! Its the same address and postcode for IMEI-CHECK, and it went up for sale on 23/03/07. Now i definately aint sending my unit through the post, to dodgy!
neildunne said:
Please send it to:
MIGsofT LTD FAO:Florin Mandache 19 Cowan Road Balloch Glasgow G68 9BX.
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Excellent! I'm just down the road (for a certain value of "down the road", being a two hour drive but one I do frequently) from them.
Wonder if they'll do it whilst I wait
Richard
mackaby007 said:
Sorry guys I'm in disagreement with you on this one. I agree that a device as new and feature rich as the Ameo should definitely come with WM6, but it was never promised or even mentioned to the best of my recollection prior to and after the Ameo was released. Therefore we all knew what we were getting before we shelled out, even though we all held out hope that an official T-mobile WM6 upgrade would be available.
I'm quite happy to wait until CID unlocking has been cracked and an official WM6 ROM is available for the Dopod or Advantage version.
Let's face it people, we'll get there in the end anyway, wether they want us too or not.
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Click to collapse
i agree with you here, T-mobile has never promise WM6 update, so if they decide not to offer it, it's no problem, you just need the CID tool, and you can install the DOPOD or HTC one.
Whilst i accept that we were never promised an upgrade i consider that most of the Ameo owners believed that an upgrade would be in the pipe line.
By using unauthorised upgrade methods are we not invalidating our warranties and risking the chance of removal of technical support from t-mobile?
Perhaps there are associated overhead costs for T-mobile with regard to supporting another operating system but there are already phones in their range that use wm6. We are not asking them to support *nix.
I rang t-mobile last week regarding a phone problem last week (unable to make/receive calls). i was told that nobody on their thd had an Ameo manual (in the end the problem was 3g network related rather than a fault with the phone).
To date T-mobile have no publicly available rom versions (at all) which leads me to think that they are not yet up to speed wrt support for this unit anyway.
I have been a T-mobile customer for 10 years and have been out of contract for the last 3 until selling my soul for 18 months to get this Ameo. T-mobile cannot provide me adequate support at the moment and HTC will not because it is not their phone.
At a minimum i cannot see why we can not be offered this upgrade as a gesture of goodwill.
If it is a question of HTC (or microsoft) charging too much for the upgrade then perhaps they should consider how few units would have been sold without the t-mobile branding/subsidy.
i for one would be happy to petition T-mobile and will put my money where my mouth is later this weekend and start a site for the petition.
Lips tightly zipped.
But don't worry.
That's all I'm saying.
Slave1 said:
Lips tightly zipped.
But don't worry.
That's all I'm saying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That'll do then. Thanks.
imaginarynumber said:
Whilst i accept that we were never promised an upgrade i consider that most of the Ameo owners believed that an upgrade would be in the pipe line.
By using unauthorised upgrade methods are we not invalidating our warranties and risking the chance of removal of technical support from t-mobile?
Perhaps there are associated overhead costs for T-mobile with regard to supporting another operating system but there are already phones in their range that use wm6. We are not asking them to support *nix.
I rang t-mobile last week regarding a phone problem last week (unable to make/receive calls). i was told that nobody on their thd had an Ameo manual (in the end the problem was 3g network related rather than a fault with the phone).
To date T-mobile have no publicly available rom versions (at all) which leads me to think that they are not yet up to speed wrt support for this unit anyway.
I have been a T-mobile customer for 10 years and have been out of contract for the last 3 until selling my soul for 18 months to get this Ameo. T-mobile cannot provide me adequate support at the moment and HTC will not because it is not their phone.
At a minimum i cannot see why we can not be offered this upgrade as a gesture of goodwill.
If it is a question of HTC (or microsoft) charging too much for the upgrade then perhaps they should consider how few units would have been sold without the t-mobile branding/subsidy.
i for one would be happy to petition T-mobile and will put my money where my mouth is later this weekend and start a site for the petition.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If everyone thinks the same with you, then all T-mobile PDA user will be asking wm6 update (T-mobile MDA,MDA PRO.....). The things is it cost nothing to buy the upgrade, Microsft does not charge anything for it, but in order to publish the update, service provider will needs to run testing on it to make sure it's stable, it's nothing to do with HTC here as well, HTC offer the basic ROM, then T-mobile will needs to finish it, so it will takes them a while to make it stable, this is where you see the advantage of each different ROM, they are not all done by HTC, they are done by the service provider. And when you say WM6 device is already available on T-mobile, which one are you talking about? i don't seems to remember any of them.
Another important issue, you are going to see less and less HTC product on T-mobile, and any other provider too, HTC is now changing their company structure, they are trying to be like Nokia, so you won't see T-mobile mark or branding on HTC device in the future. So you already notice, T-mobile is the only one selling HTC advantage in UK, and it could be the last one, (or the very last few). In the future, you will see only HTC brand. So because of this, T-mobile has a very good reason not to be bother with WM6 update, i believe they are due to the end of the contract with HTC, and really, i don't think T-mobile care too much about Ameo, you don't see it advertise anywhere....
The bottom line is, even T-mobile release official WM6 update, i don't think it's going to be as stable as the DOPOD one or HTC one, they are already in the testing stage, and beta version will be release for tester next month. So all we need is the CID unlock, then you can choose the best ROM to upgrade.
Owners of the dash have been offered upgrades to wm6
And i go back to my point about not being offered support (understandably) for unauthorised upgrades. Surely if you know that the majority of owners of a particular phone are going to follow this path (ie unofficial upgrades) it will be cheaper (in the long run) to aid them and ensure that they have a phone that works. Otherwise you also run the risk of them blaming the network when it is in fact their phone that is not working.
With regard to your assertion that "t-mobile don't care about the ameo" the argument doesn't hold much water as it would imply that they don't care much about their customers- hence we return to the crux of this thread.
I cannot go out and buy a copy of wm6 and install it myself. if i purchased a copy of vista and discovered that it would not be possible to legitimately upgrade (purchase) to it's replacement (bar hardware issues) i would not purchase vista. It is now a given with phones of this form that we expect software/os improvements to compliment the hardware.
not every one is aware of these types of forums and would benefit from the upgrades and the ensuing improvements. It is through T-mobile that awareness would be increased (with the greatest respect to this site).
I do not doubt that you are more savy than me but if that implies an "i'm alright Jack" mentality then I personally prefer to be ignorant (it is after all blissful)
When sms was rolled out did you sit there and say "oh i don't expect to be able to use that because I signed up when vox was the only option"- i think not.
imaginarynumber said:
Owners of the dash have been offered upgrades to wm6
And i go back to my point about not being offered support (understandably) for unauthorised upgrades. Surely if you know that the majority of owners of a particular phone are going to follow this path (ie unofficial upgrades) it will be cheaper (in the long run) to aid them and ensure that they have a phone that works. Otherwise you also run the risk of them blaming the network when it is in fact their phone that is not working.
With regard to your assertion that "t-mobile don't care about the ameo" the argument doesn't hold much water as it would imply that they don't care much about their customers- hence we return to the crux of this thread.
I cannot go out and buy a copy of wm6 and install it myself. if i purchased a copy of vista and discovered that it would not be possible to legitimately upgrade (purchase) to it's replacement (bar hardware issues) i would not purchase vista. It is now a given with phones of this form that we expect software/os improvements to compliment the hardware.
not every one is aware of these types of forums and would benefit from the upgrades and the ensuing improvements. It is through T-mobile that awareness would be increased (with the greatest respect to this site).
I do not doubt that you are more savy than me but if that implies an "i'm alright Jack" mentality then I personally prefer to be ignorant (it is after all blissful)
When sms was rolled out did you sit there and say "oh i don't expect to be able to use that because I signed up when vox was the only option"- i think not.
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Click to collapse
i understand your point there, but if you stand at the T-mobile side and think about it, then maybe you will understand if they decide not to offer wm6 update. It cost them time and money to release, it's pruely a bonus for T-mobile customer if they offer it. So do you think T-mobile MDA PRO should be offer WM6 as well? since it's the second most expensive PDA that T-mobile offer.
Anyway, what i am saying here is we are not suppose to flash un-official ROM, it has already bought this site trouble. I know lots of people (including me still do it anyway). I guess time will tell whether T-mobile will lunch WM6 update or not, but if they decide not to, don't be surprise, they have perfectly good reason for it.
Sorry WU
this was not intended to be a snipe at you but i believe in fair play and think that you are wrong.
with regard to a petition i will hold off given that Slave1 seems to know something and others respect his opinion, unless i am convinced otherwise
imaginarynumber said:
Sorry WU
this was not intended to be a snipe at you but i believe in fair play and think that you are wrong.
with regard to a petition i will hold off given that Slave1 seems to know something and others respect his opinion, unless i am convinced otherwise
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
let's all hope the upgrade will comes out from T-mobile, yes you are right, i don't know about T-mobile, and i have no contact inside this company too, all I know is when i went to the 3GSM this year, they did say something about the WM6 update but they are not sure which machine to offer by that time.
So hopefully they will release it, if not, we just need to hope a CID tools then all Ameo user can then flash HTC, DOPOD rom.
where to buy HTC dream? i came thru few online stores but the rate differs a lot between these stores. is it really trust worthy to buy from these stores? please help
$459.99
http://www.expansys-usa.com/d.aspx?i=175897
$409.95 USD
http://www.timtechs.com/htc_g1_unlocked_phone_prd621.html
$409.95 USD
http://www.plemix.com/phone-htc-g1-phone
$385.50
http://www.negrielectronics.com/tmobile-unlocked-black-p-1767.html
$379.50
http://www.negrielectronics.com/p4550-kaiser-tytn-unlocked-p-103.html
$384.99
http://www.wiredia.com/htc-g1-black.html
$459.99
http://www.importgsm.com/product.php?productid=515&cat=0&page=1
$429.98
http://www.selectgsm.com/htc-g1-google-unlocked-phone-mobile-phone-pr-16822.html
$449.99
http://www.mobilecityonline.com/wireless/store/basket.asp
www.criagslist.org
http://developer.android.com/guide/developing/device.html
Look under "Android Dev Phone 1". This IS an HTC Dream, and it ships with the engineering bootloader and a root-enabled system image. It also comes from a reputable source, AND Google is itself on-the-line for it.
Or you could always order the android dev phone from google/brightstar.
lbcoder said:
AND Google is itself on-the-line for it.
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Technically Brightstar. I would actually be a little more worried about a return or repair with Brightstar as compared to T-Mobile, as T-Mo probably has the better repair infrastructure in place, given its volume.
By the way, for purchasers outside the United States, you should also consider the possibility that your country's customs office may levy an additional import tariff, because Brightstar will mark the package as a billed/sold good. IIRC i've read some anecdotal reports of this being as high as a few hundred bucks. Check with your customs office.
If you are planning on using it in the US AND you want to have 3G access, might as well just sign up with T-Mo for a new plan. Subsidized phone prices are under $100 now, I believe. Or if you look around you can find ways to get a 1-year contract. Alternately, you can probably also find G1s being unloaded on eBay in the coming weeks as some owners upgrade to the myTouch.
Just some thoughts.
No, NOT technically brightstar. Technically GOOGLE, since YOUR contract is with google. They've just contracted it off to brightstar, but they are still on the line.
lbcoder said:
No, NOT technically brightstar. Technically GOOGLE, since YOUR contract is with google. They've just contracted it off to brightstar, but they are still on the line.
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Click to collapse
Your contract may be with Google (or it may not be, I have no idea since I have not bought an ADP1) but when it comes down to the actual nitty gritty of return and rma work, it seems to be all Brightstar:
What is your return policy and process?
Android Dev Phone 1 devices are NOT returnable unless the product is damaged or defective, "dead on arrival" or otherwise has a hardware issue not related to software you may have manipulated. If you believe your Android Dev Phone 1 device has arrived damaged or defective, please contact Brightstar support to set up a return or exchange. Contact us:
By Email: [email protected]
By Phone: +1-877-727-9789 (from USA) or +1-847-573-5171 (outside the USA)
Our call center is available from 9am - 5pm CST, Monday through Friday excluding major US holidays.
If your device is determined to be in warranty and returnable, our processing center will provide you with an RMA tracking number, return instructions and an address for you to return the device. DO NOT return your device without obtaining an RMA number. Items returned without prior authorization via an assigned RMA number may not be accepted.
Contact Information
If you have a question related to your order or return, please contact us:
By Email: [email protected]
By Phone: +1-877-727-9789 (from USA) or +1-847-573-5171 (outside the USA)
Our call center is available from 9am - 5pm CST, Monday through Friday excluding major US holidays.
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hi friends, any other link... coz i cannot find purchase option in none of your links. what i need is a unlocked g1 and i live in us. One more question, is the GPS in G1 is a real gps or will it work only with google maps?
The link I gave you is the correct one. It has instructions on it, you should go back and read it.
You will not get a G1 (which is a nonsense name given for a LOCKED tmobile branded HTC DREAM), you will get an ADP1 HTC Dream with engineering bootloader (and therefore can't be OS-locked) and free of simlocks.
You are required to register for a google developer's account ($25), from which you will be given an order link for the ADP1.
I live in Taiwan, and despite HTC making the Leo here, it still seems impossible to buy one in English without going to either Hong Kong or Singapore, or having one shipped in (which carries a reasonably hefty import tax).
This is the most stupid situation i have ever come across!! Especially as there are HTC shops all over the place. Even they can't get me one in English! Nevertheless, that is what we have to deal with.
This has never been a problem in the past with my X1 for example, because i have always purchased a chinese model and re-flashed. As there is no hardSPl available yet for the leo, is it possible to re-flash or convert to English any other way? I am happy to have a retail ROM, but i don't want to shell out for a Chinese model, to find there is no way to convert it to English until hardSPL comes out.
If you can get your hands on a demo in the shops, perhaps you can work out if you can change the language en WWE?
Else, wait until the HardSPL gets released and buy one cheaper then.
English HTC HD2 in Taiwan
Last week HTC and Taiwan Mobile announced that Taiwan Mobile would be selling the HD2 in Taiwan. In the past I have gone into Taiwan Mobile's Myfone shops and asked if they could procure an English version of several of HTC's PDA phones. They assured me it was possible. If you are a Taiwan Mobile subscriber you might check this out as you could get the HD2 at a subsidized price. Also I read once on the Forumosa website that one fellow called HTC's headquarters in Taoyuan and through persistence talked them into selling him an English version of the phone he wanted, and had it delivered to him by the next day! Hope this helps.
rlydiard said:
Last week HTC and Taiwan Mobile announced that Taiwan Mobile would be selling the HD2 in Taiwan. In the past I have gone into Taiwan Mobile's Myfone shops and asked if they could procure an English version of several of HTC's PDA phones. They assured me it was possible. If you are a Taiwan Mobile subscriber you might check this out as you could get the HD2 at a subsidized price. Also I read once on the Forumosa website that one fellow called HTC's headquarters in Taoyuan and through persistence talked them into selling him an English version of the phone he wanted, and had it delivered to him by the next day! Hope this helps.
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Click to collapse
I checked a MyFone shop yesterday, and they didnt even realise it was out!! Though I may try calling HTC in Taoyuan and see what they can do! Hopefully HardSPL will be out soon, and i can just buy a chinese one and reflash.
ddevey said:
I checked a MyFone shop yesterday, and they didnt even realise it was out!! Though I may try calling HTC in Taoyuan and see what they can do! Hopefully HardSPL will be out soon, and i can just buy a chinese one and reflash.
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Click to collapse
Good luck with the headquarters in Taoyuan. Let us know how it goes. Also, next time you go to a Myfone shop, just print out the HTC Chinese press release (http://www.htc.com/tw/press.aspx?id=115674&lang=1028) and show it to them. Launch date with Taiwan Mobile is set for mid November, so that is still a few days to go.
No joy with HTC in Taoyuan. Spent a while on the phone and talked to a couple of people who both said (from what i understand - my chinese sucks!!) that microsoft only licences windows in chinese for taiwan, and therefore i would have to purchase one from a different country!!!
Sounds really stupid to me, but i guess i am left with either trying to import one (expensive) or i'll have to wait for HardSPL. Lets hope its not too long! I'm almost tempted to buy one in chinese and manage with it till HSPL is available. But if i do that i run the risk of it not coming out for months and months. Decisions decisions.......
ddevey said:
No joy with HTC in Taoyuan. Spent a while on the phone and talked to a couple of people who both said (from what i understand - my chinese sucks!!) that microsoft only licences windows in chinese for taiwan, and therefore i would have to purchase one from a different country!!!
Sounds really stupid to me, but i guess i am left with either trying to import one (expensive) or i'll have to wait for HardSPL. Lets hope its not too long! I'm almost tempted to buy one in chinese and manage with it till HSPL is available. But if i do that i run the risk of it not coming out for months and months. Decisions decisions.......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya, it sounds really stupid. As far as I know the license fee for Windows Mobile is a charge per phone to use the OS on that phone. I wonder why several Myfone shops before told me they could get an HTC PDA phone in English. I have a feeling that the reason it is hard to get an English phone here is not really licensing, but the after service for an English phone! Years ago I inquired about importing an HTC phone, when it was still called Dopod, and the disadvantage to that is that it would have to be sent back to the country of purchase for servicing.
Well, now you have my interest piqued on this. I work part time with a PR company that handles Microsoft accounts, including Windows Mobile. On Monday I will make inquiries about the actual licensing situation. Nothing like going straight to the horse's mouth for an answer.
Last night I got an advertising email from HTC, and it very clearly showed the HTC HD2 as being carried by Taiwan Mobile. If you have any interest in that, I could arrange to forward that email to you. I think you could manage quite well using a Chinese phone until the XDA guys come up with the tools needed to flash into English. The disadvantage in that is of course you would have to flash back to Chinese if you had a need to use your warranty.
I am in a similar situation, as I am a (more or less) English speaking person living and working in Japan.
In the past, I ordered my HTC devices from UK or NL and brought them over to Japan on business trips.
But then, if a hardware problem occurs (which seems to get standard for HTC launches, as I experienced on my TP, and now read in other threads about the LEO), I have to send it back for warranty to the place I bought it from, or pay HTC global repair in Taiwan an unbelieveable hight amount to repair it.
Not only does HTC global repair ask 30USD just for handling charge of pverseas purchased phones, but also du they make you to pay both way shipping, which is my case was 12USD from Japan to Taiwan by Japanese post, and then (you better sit down now) 109USD for Taiwan to Japan by DHL (which HTC chose, and I had no influnce on). This 109USD is only shipping, not import tax or such sort of things. The bill for that came two weeks later, which I of course refused to pay, as I already own the device, so it has no commercial value anymore.
Well, I am still undecided when and where to get my HD2.
I was thinking to order it from UK or NL again to coworkers in Germany, and then bring it over to Japan in December, but I am scared of getting the volume up button hardware problem and having to send it back to UK or NL for replacement, for which I have to wait until my next business trip to pick it up.
Why is HTC always making it so difficult for us. I mean we just want to spend our money on their products, should they make this easy for us!?
aro said:
But then, if a hardware problem occurs (which seems to get standard for HTC launches, as I experienced on my TP, and now read in other threads about the LEO), I have to send it back for warranty to the place I bought it from, or pay HTC global repair in Taiwan an unbelieveable hight amount to repair it.
Not only does HTC global repair ask 30USD just for handling charge of pverseas purchased phones, but also du they make you to pay both way shipping, which is my case was 12USD from Japan to Taiwan by Japanese post, and then (you better sit down now) 109USD for Taiwan to Japan by DHL (which HTC chose, and I had no influnce on). This 109USD is only shipping, not import tax or such sort of things. The bill for that came two weeks later, which I of course refused to pay, as I already own the device, so it has no commercial value anymore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same problem with my old HTC C500 when i first got here. I had a blad flash and bricked it, and when i went into the HTC shop here, they told me i had to send it back to HTC Europe, or Orange UK to get the thing fixed! Stupid Stupid policy!!!
On the flip side, i went into a shop on Bade Lu last week to ask about an english Leo, and they told me if i waited till wednesday next week they would be able to change it to english for me. Dont know if that means they know something about HardSPL coming out that people here dont, or whether they are talking rubbish but then i'm not hopefull. Like the MyFone shops also saying they can get them in english - that turned out to be complete bull when i was trying to get an X1.
Though on a side note, not ever having purchased a HTC phone as early as this, it is starting to worry me hearing some of the faults that seem to be developing and hearing that the first batches of HTC devices seem to be problematic in various ways. Should i wait for the later batches?
ddevey said:
I had the same problem with my old HTC C500 when i first got here. I had a blad flash and bricked it, and when i went into the HTC shop here, they told me i had to send it back to HTC Europe, or Orange UK to get the thing fixed! Stupid Stupid policy!!!
On the flip side, i went into a shop on Bade Lu last week to ask about an english Leo, and they told me if i waited till wednesday next week they would be able to change it to english for me. Dont know if that means they know something about HardSPL coming out that people here dont, or whether they are talking rubbish but then i'm not hopefull. Like the MyFone shops also saying they can get them in english - that turned out to be complete bull when i was trying to get an X1.
Though on a side note, not ever having purchased a HTC phone as early as this, it is starting to worry me hearing some of the faults that seem to be developing and hearing that the first batches of HTC devices seem to be problematic in various ways. Should i wait for the later batches?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably the Bade Road people were telling you the truth, but I do not think they have any esoteric knowledge of HardSPL. I was given an old O2 branded Himalaya with the Chinese version of Windows Mobile 20003 on it. The original owner had it on contract with CHT. It was originally sold CID unlocked so I was able to flash it into Windows Mobile 6.1, then 6.5. I also know a fellow here who has a CHT HTC Touch that came with Windows Mobile 6.1. Neither CHT nor HTC issued an official update, but he was able to flash it to 6.5, and as far as I know, he did not use HardSPL. It is my understanding that many of the phones sold here come CID unlocked, and that is more than likely what you would get from the Bade Road people, especially if you are not buying it on contract with any of the cell phone carriers here.
Waiting for a later batch certainly would not hurt. Did you ask about the exchange policy of the store on Bade Road in the event that you got a defective model?
So basically you are saying that if it is CID unlocked you can flash with custom roms without hardSPL or more likely, i can flash with official HTC english rom without hardSPL or it saying "this phones IMEI is not registered for this upgrade....bla bla"
I'm probably gonna head down to the shop on wednesday after work when they said they could sell me an english one and see if i can actually get one first!! They said 1 hour to change, so if they can indeed do that, that that would be great. I didnt ask about returns, as i would like to be sure they can get me one in english first. If they said i had to return it to HTC instead of them, then i think that would probably be a deal breaker given previous experience.......
ddevey said:
So basically you are saying that if it is CID unlocked you can flash with custom roms without hardSPL or more likely, i can flash with official HTC english rom without hardSPL or it saying "this phones IMEI is not registered for this upgrade....bla bla"
I'm probably gonna head down to the shop on wednesday after work when they said they could sell me an english one and see if i can actually get one first!! They said 1 hour to change, so if they can indeed do that, that that would be great. I didnt ask about returns, as i would like to be sure they can get me one in english first. If they said i had to return it to HTC instead of them, then i think that would probably be a deal breaker given previous experience.......
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Click to collapse
As far as my experience goes, with a CID unlocked phone, you should encounter no problems such as IMEI, etc., unless some new protection scheme has been inaugurated in the HD2. (If I am wrong here, I hope someone will correct me.) For returns, or repairs, of course the phone would have to be flashed back first to the original Chinese ROM, but that sure is better than sending it overseas to be repaired or replaced! HTC's local service is not really that bad.
Keep us updated on what you find. Since I am a Taiwan Mobile subscriber I am thinking of getting the phone through them. The cost going through TWN is 新台幣25,900元.
WWE Rom
You would be after something like this?
RUU_Leo_HTC_WWE_1.43.405.1_Radio_Signed_15.26.50.07U_2.04.50_22_2_Ship.exe
ddevey said:
I live in Taiwan, and despite HTC making the Leo here, it still seems impossible to buy one in English without going to either Hong Kong or Singapore, or having one shipped in (which carries a reasonably hefty import tax).
This is the most stupid situation i have ever come across!! Especially as there are HTC shops all over the place. Even they can't get me one in English! Nevertheless, that is what we have to deal with.
This has never been a problem in the past with my X1 for example, because i have always purchased a chinese model and re-flashed. As there is no hardSPl available yet for the leo, is it possible to re-flash or convert to English any other way? I am happy to have a retail ROM, but i don't want to shell out for a Chinese model, to find there is no way to convert it to English until hardSPL comes out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Freakin'awsome. If i can do that, i may head down tomorrow and see if i can get one!
I never understand these taiwan service providers charges for phones. 25k is what they cost to buy outright. They were like that with the x1. MyFone were asking more with a 12 month contract, than buying it outright from a store less than 30 feet away round the corner. Where's the insentive?
To save yourself from frustration, make sure that the phone you get is actually a CID unlocked version! I think the only incentives for buying with a carrier here is that the payments are spread over time and it usually comes with an unlimited data plan at minimal monthly costs, but is also requires a two year contract. (No problem for me, I have been with TWN since the late 1990's.)
I look forward to hearing if you do decide to buy, and how the flashing goes. Good luck!
HD2 in TW
Good luck.
Let me know if you have trouble locating the rom and I'll upload it somewhere.
I believe HTC are a bit annoyed about it being posted.
ddevey said:
Freakin'awsome. If i can do that, i may head down tomorrow and see if i can get one!
I never understand these taiwan service providers charges for phones. 25k is what they cost to buy outright. They were like that with the x1. MyFone were asking more with a 12 month contract, than buying it outright from a store less than 30 feet away round the corner. Where's the insentive?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No dice.....cant even buy a chinese one yet! 1 guy says next week, another says next month. Bummer. How can europe get these things first, and taiwan: the place that designs and manufactures them doesnt get them till after. Go figure!
ddevey said:
No dice.....cant even buy a chinese one yet! 1 guy says next week, another says next month. Bummer. How can europe get these things first, and taiwan: the place that designs and manufactures them doesnt get them till after. Go figure!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually there is a reason for that. HTC was at one time strictly an OEM supplier, and their major customers (such as 02) were in Europe. I suspect delivery first to Europe stems from this history. It was not until later they started to develop a brand name, and at first that name was Dopod (a name that was ridiculed in some western quarters). HTC later absorbed Dopod (that was not difficult as it was essentially a family affair). For sure you must have been noticing their efforts in the last couple of years to develop brand awareness in the NA market.
Now, what you will find is that in Taiwan marketing it is the designated distributors (in this case, Taiwan Mobile) who will get the first batches of phones on the local market. Time varies from one to two weeks all the way to a month before the shops can get their hands on the new models. Taiwan Mobile now is showing the HTC HD2 on their website.
It is just the way it is that things work in Taiwan. But, at least that time delay increases your chances of getting a phone that comes from a batch that does not have defects that have been surfacing.
Sorry if I bored you with all of the above. I used to work with the Taipei Computer Association and my job was pretty much reporting new Taiwan IT products to the world through a website (connected to Computex Taipei) and an email newsletter, so I carry around in my head a lot of rather trivial information on the history of Taiwan's IT industry.
When you do get the phone, let us know how the flashing goes. As I recall there are two types of flash programs, and one allows you to easily flash a phone to another language, the other results in not being able to flash due to language incompatibilities. If you search the XDA archives I think you can find the information on that if you run into that problem. I am too tired tonight to re-research that for you.
rlydiard said:
But, at least that time delay increases your chances of getting a phone that comes from a batch that does not have defects that have been surfacing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lets just hope its not like the launch of the Xperia X1 with the cracked cases for week 44 models.
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Taiwan IT
I am sure your knowledge of the history of IT mfg in Taiwan is very interesting. I have a huge admiration for Taiwans It industry.
They have given the world high quality low cost technology that is truly astonishing. I have been building my own pc' for 13 years and thanks to TW IT, I, (we all) get amazing bangs for bucks. I am a huge fan of HTC for this reason.
rlydiard said:
Actually there is a reason for that. HTC was at one time strictly an OEM supplier, and their major customers (such as 02) were in Europe. I suspect delivery first to Europe stems from this history. It was not until later they started to develop a brand name, and at first that name was Dopod (a name that was ridiculed in some western quarters). HTC later absorbed Dopod (that was not difficult as it was essentially a family affair). For sure you must have been noticing their efforts in the last couple of years to develop brand awareness in the NA market.
Now, what you will find is that in Taiwan marketing it is the designated distributors (in this case, Taiwan Mobile) who will get the first batches of phones on the local market. Time varies from one to two weeks all the way to a month before the shops can get their hands on the new models. Taiwan Mobile now is showing the HTC HD2 on their website.
It is just the way it is that things work in Taiwan. But, at least that time delay increases your chances of getting a phone that comes from a batch that does not have defects that have been surfacing.
Sorry if I bored you with all of the above. I used to work with the Taipei Computer Association and my job was pretty much reporting new Taiwan IT products to the world through a website (connected to Computex Taipei) and an email newsletter, so I carry around in my head a lot of rather trivial information on the history of Taiwan's IT industry.
When you do get the phone, let us know how the flashing goes. As I recall there are two types of flash programs, and one allows you to easily flash a phone to another language, the other results in not being able to flash due to language incompatibilities. If you search the XDA archives I think you can find the information on that if you run into that problem. I am too tired tonight to re-research that for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
rather tha adding this to page 14+ of the existing thread I thought it was worth bringing it to frustrated Vodafone users.
Like most I was caught by VF pulling this device, so I tried the other networks, O2 no stock, Tmobile no stock, both unsure when. Tried 6 london O2 shops - no stock.
Rang HTC Europe and spoke to the VF account manager.
HTC line is :After discussions, VF are to contine supplying this phone. It may take until early next week for them to filter this fact down to all sales staff and shops but we should be seeing supplies comming in within the next week,
HTC sales manager asked me to phone if I still keep getting the 'we no longer supply' message from VF after monday next (21/12)
WATCH THIS SPACE
22/12/2009
I phoned VF upgrades up to see what the current VF line is.
Was informed that whilst retail customers will not be supplied the person thought that VF business customers will still be supplied!!!
Passed this on to HTC Europe VF account manager, who stated that this was incorrect and would follow this up with VF and get back to me.
Awaiting a call
Interesting... will definately be watching the Vodafone forums for this.
That could be interesting as there are reports that Vodafone maybe pulling it altogether from sale in favor of iPhone. Here is a original source
Not even on the business web site now was on there yesterday
http://www.vodafonebusinessshop.co.uk/PhonesViewAll.html
i still maintain, this is a poor move from VF
I was with vodafone, ordered the HD2 back in November when originally released on vodafone's website, kept on getting fobbed off with out of stock. Ordered with tmobile on the 1st, took delivery on the 12th. Not alot of stock is getting supplied to shops because they are selling out from the web sales.
Vodafone were a complete bunch of sh*ts. I was told "yes we have in stock right now", I pay for the upgrade and then "oh not in stock". A week later, "Yes in stock", "no not in stock", "General recall", "not selling anymore" ,"yes we are"
The way new customers and existing customers have been treated is disgusting. Have a look at there own forum!
I have to say that I'm proberly one of the few people who got the HD2 from Vodafone when it was launched. Then a fault developed with the screen, however I also got the run around from VF for about a month, with the same story. Finally today (16th December) my local store managed to get me replacement handset, they pulled alot of strings as I'm lead to believe, they also have been told that the phone is being discontinued. But no reason has been given. Also that if this phone goes bad within 28 days then no replacement though they will offer alternatives to the HD2, like what?!
I'm really annoyed by this. After being told by stores last week that retail shops would not sell them anymore, then getting teh email from the eForum mods to tell me that HD2s were no longer available I left Vodafone to join T-Mobile. It cost me two months line rental (£70) to end my contract and get my PAC.
Only today, one of my colleagues at work has had a phonecall from a Vodafone store to tell her that they just got 9 HD2s in!!
If Vodafone are going to re-supply then I've missed out on the free upgrade that I was offered and it's cost me £70. If this is the case I can safely that I'll never rerturn to them, regardless of the handset of deal they offer.
Have you still got the email that says it's no longer available? If so, you could always draft a nice whinge letter to Voda, enclose a print out of the email and ask them to refund the £70 as a "goodwill gesture"
They were telling me the 23rd of december this morning, upgraded and waiting now, did post but someone seems to have deleted that thread. lets hope for next week.
Well bought mine from mobiles.co.uk last week, arrived Tuesday - great device and even better it comes unlocked as well.
Its arrived time for a play