Database Users

Not available in your country - workarounds?

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

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

Sweet as, good to hear someone else is trying.

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

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

babijoee which country are you in?

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

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

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

Ahh that makes sense So activation isnt an issue

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

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

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

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

UK Nexus

Hi quick question,
I just managed to sell my htc hd2 for £390 so am about to order my nexus one! (im in the UK) other UK buyers can you tell me how much its all coming to roughly, i understand its about £340 on the credit card from google then probably about another £60 from DHL once they invoice you?
Also I heard that if we're importing a nexus to uk rather than waiting another month or so to get uk version sim free (i guess from google.co.uk?) that the updates/rom etc will be the US versions and we may not get certain benefits/updates/default functionality etc that a UK/european bought nexus will get - what these are I don't know thou!anyone know?
What i was mainly concerned with was that I did hear this may effect gps/maps and sat nav for uk users and that we may not be able to use turn by turn in uk? This may not be true, its just something i remmber reading on another forum?
any thoughts would be appreciated
cheers

Well I believe the UK Nexus will have multi-touch.
I have my Nexus already running Google Nav as it works as per the old method for Hero/Dream.
It depends if you're planning on rooting it or not, if you are then you'll be putting a custom ROM on anyway, which will probably have multi-touch..etc (Cyan is already working on it).
Also the UK will more than likely have a T-mobile brading...etc.
Your Choice.
I have had my DHL bill as yet but it was a tad shy of £355 I think (depends on the exchange rate at the time).

yeah i think by all sounds rooting seems to be the way to go once peeps have had time to iron it out. havent had android phone before but like all i hear, i had the htc hd2 for about 4 hours before i was convinced winmo was a pile of ****! i think i may take the plunge and go for it -my GF keeps saying why dont i just get an Iphone! i think i need this phone to show her why!

If the euro Nexus does have multitouch there's nothing to stop Google updating those US phones sold to UK users - the hardware will be identical.

How do I test multi touch as I thought Eclair supports it out the box? I tried multi touch paint from market and it seems to work fine.

Use Dolphin Browser, this supports multitouch.
We KNOW the phones support it, its just Google couldn't release to US handsets for some reason to do with Apple and copyright??? not entirely sure.

The UK Nexus One ordered from google.com/phone (currently the only place to order the device) does not have multi touch support in the preinstalled apps. The device itself has support, the built in apps do not (ie the built in Gallery app does not zoom when you pinch) That's why installing multitouch supported apps from the Market work.
You will need to install a custom version of Maps for Google Maps Navigation to work outside the US. Keep in mind there are some limitations. Search for the thread in the Dream Android Development forum to read how to install and what the limitations are.

yamanote said:
The UK Nexus One ordered from google.com/phone (currently the only place to order the device) does not have multi touch support in the preinstalled apps. The device itself has support, the built in apps do not (ie the built in Gallery app does not zoom when you pinch) That's why installing multitouch supported apps from the Market work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly what I thought. I prefer the double tap

There is, afaik, no "UK Nexus" and "US Nexus".
They're the same.
If the preinstalled apps in the version sold to US citizens don't have multitouch, the ones sold to Brits won't either.
Same hardware and software, only if you're having it sent to UK, you get the option of getting an adapter for you charger separately.
It's explained on the official support page, which I'm not allowed to link to.

Be very careful about importing any phone into different regions. All kinds of problems can result, including NOT GETTING 3G COVERAGE! If things don't work for you, can you return the phone without trouble? That's a lot of money to spend on a phone that has problems!

John Cipolletti said:
Be very careful about importing any phone into different regions. All kinds of problems can result, including NOT GETTING 3G COVERAGE! If things don't work for you, can you return the phone without trouble? That's a lot of money to spend on a phone that has problems!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Neuxs One is a phone made for the whole world, so importing it will not result in problems with coverage as it supports the mostly used 3g bands around the world.
Also noone is importing the Nexus One to the UK since Google is specifically targetting UK residents and must of course provide customer service to them.
As for other countries which google is not really selling the phone to I don't know, but I assume that the warranty is world wide and you should not have trouble returning it.

fryarch said:
Hi quick question,
Also I heard that if we're importing a nexus to uk rather than waiting another month or so to get uk version sim free (i guess from google.co.uk?) that the updates/rom etc will be the US versions and we may not get certain benefits/updates/default functionality etc that a UK/european bought nexus will get - what these are I don't know thou!anyone know?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got mine from Google in the US and it;s a UK edition. How do i know? The Amazon app is Amazon UK and navigation doesn't work.
SC

ScaredyCat said:
I got mine from Google in the US and it;s a UK edition. How do i know? The Amazon app is Amazon UK and navigation doesn't work.
SC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does obvious detect the network of the sim inserted, time and location of where you are automatically. Therefore updating the system and apps accordingly.

m00moo said:
It does obvious detect the network of the sim inserted, time and location of where you are automatically. Therefore updating the system and apps accordingly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? How did it update these apps exactly? I had no 3g/edge/gprs or wifi when I set up. Are you suggesting that OTB there are multiple app versions? Are you saying that if you happend to be in the US and used a UK sim you'd get UK apps? I doubt that very very much, particularly as a SIM is not even required to setup.
SC

Let me break it down for you.
The phone has a inbuilt GPS. When you turn your phone on the very first time regardless of your sim being inserted or not. The phone will set itself up accordingly to where you are. During the first start up the phone takes longer if you didnt notice.
TA DA

m00moo said:
Let me break it down for you.
The phone has a inbuilt GPS. When you turn your phone on the very first time regardless of your sim being inserted or not. The phone will set itself up accordingly to where you are. During the first start up the phone takes longer if you didnt notice.
TA DA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL I seriously doubt that happens either. If it did it would have taken a week for mine to start up. I work in what is essentially a giant Faraday cage. I just can't get a GPS signal inside.
So rather than you just making stuff up, can we stick to the facts?
SC

ScaredyCat said:
LOL I seriously doubt that happens either. If it did it would have taken a week for mine to start up. I work in what is essentially a giant Faraday cage. I just can't get a GPS signal inside.
So rather than you just making stuff up, can we stick to the facts?
SC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok you should stick to your idea of google having 4 boxes of nexus ones. they have one for US, UK, Singapore and HK.
They shipped you a UK one since your navigation doesnt work and it had amazon UK installed

m00moo said:
ok you should stick to your idea of google having 4 boxes of nexus ones. they have one for US, UK, Singapore and HK.
They shipped you a UK one since your navigation doesnt work and it had amazon UK installed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm also guessing that it didn;t to the laser etching as i signed in to gmail.
SC

I take it there's still no confirmation as to whether it will be available sim-free from an EU webstore when it is offered on Vodafone? In fact, unless things change, when it is subsidised by VF, it may be a case of signing up to a vodafone contract on google.com and still importing the handset. If there is some sort of google.co.uk offering, then presumably the price will reflect the VAT element.

i got one from ebay 470 free shipping..
Works fine so far, how do i get the maps working? whats the old hero method? Ive never had an hero lol

Google maps Navigation

Has anyone got this to work on the US HD2? thinking of buying one to replace my G1, but i hate to give up my voice search and Google navigation. sorry if this is a repost.

i guess no?

Yea i have a Nexus one..I just got a HD2.. Yea sorry no advanced Google maps..You type it in and it tells you where to go "no voice"! Sucks but in better signal on HD2

I know the feature is really nice for Android Phones 1.6 and up and I am really hoping that Google makes the program available for windows Mobile as well (however I have a feeling they are keeping it for Android for an extra incentive to buy an android Device).

Why not think of... Garmin XT?
You can get Garmin XT on HD2 which is even better than google maps navi... works without the internet easily

Try Co-Pilot
I just jumped from a G1, and I was definitely upset to give up the free Google Navigation.
Someone here suggested the Garmin XT software, and I'm sure it's great, but it's $99, which is more than I would want to spend.
Another option is Co-Pilot, which I purchased for my G1 (before Google released Google Nav). It was excellent, so I purchased it for my HD2. It's only $30, and it's a full-fledged navigation program. One thing about it that's better than the Google Nav is that you do not need your cell signal, as the maps are all loaded on your phone. As long as you have a GPS signal, you're good to go.
Good luck with your decision.

cool thanks guys....ya i may try it out for the 14-day grace period and go from there......I have always been anti Microshaft, but that huge sceen just keeps me wanting it.

I've been thinking of grabbing Global Navigator: http://www.pdafun.net/ It seems to use Google Maps, and seems VERY feature rich for a one-time purchase.

Why dont u just use Copilot8? I bought it last year for my HD and the version that comes with the HD2 is fully compatible with the key from the older version.
Also i used it while a tour through whole germany without any problem.
And you can buy another map like US or western europe or eastern europe.
I can really say that Copilot once made me erase Tomom from HD as i like the 3D feeling to it.

I highly recommend copilot 8. go to www.alk.com/htc for a custom version for the HD2. it's only $30 and works on any sd card (unlike most of the expensive ones that come with a sd card) live traffic and gas costs a whopping $20 a year if you want it.
Maps are on your card so it is better then Google or bing because you do not need an internet connection.
For thoes of us addicted to flashing roms just remember to unregister it before you flash your rom or it won't let you register again.
also don't forget to get the free upgrade of text to speech.

my buddy who is a manager at my t-mobile store said that if i get the HD2 that he will give me a free license for a year to try it out, for copilot 8 i mean. I just hope Android comes out for it though, or windows phone 7. big part of me wants this phone but other part isnt sure if i should chance jumping the gun or waiting.

Do ANY of them have voice search/speak destination?
I haven't seen it on CoPilot which i've been demoing and Garmin's site for the XT doesn't mention it.
-Tony

TomTom Nav for the USA?

I did a search and didnt find exactly what i was looking for so please forgive is this is buired somewhere. I just couldnt find it. I have read a lot of threads about a good GPS for the HD2. I have been an ATT TeleNav customer for years but am tired of paying $10 per month. I would be happy to pay for this software but dont know where i can get it. If this isnt the best choice, which one is? Thanks everone.

For unknown reason, Tomtom 7 is not offered on US market.
You can buy it via UK site: http://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/products/mobile-navigation/navigator-7-windows-smartphone/
What seems to be strange, and can be too much to spend is that you will have t buy separately the software which comes with Western Europe maps, and then buy the US maps separately:http://www.tomtom.com/products/maps/select.php?D=191&SD=348
Or, you can try to contact Tomtom directly to ask...

wow, very weird. is there another good alternative?

The US maps aren't available on that web site!

mknewman said:
The US maps aren't available on that web site!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I ditched TomTom and iGo8 when I got my HD2 and Bing rolled out their turn-by-turn nav. So far, it's been pretty flawless (a couple of times it crashed out while I was driving and had to restart it).
The best part, Bing is free.
The other alternative, but one that I don't recommend to highly is Waze (http://m.waze.com). It's not nearly as polished as the commercial ones, but it's still in the "average" category and again, free.

Will I be able to buy a SIM card and use my 935FD in Japan?

I was just wondering If anyone from USA has any knowledge about using this phone in Japan. Basically I was just wondering if this was possible, Im getting a lot of conflicting info, and at this point it seems that most people who travel to Japan get pocket wifi. Which is cool, but I would like to be able to use the phone if I had to for text/call.
Thanks!

Hello there, I'm not from the states but I have been in the US and Japan with my phone and had no issue. Other than that you will find yourself struggling with the sim card if you want it for calling. As for the data you can go to BIC camera shops - they are everywhere - and ask for data sim card. They will want your ID/PP. Its ridiculously expensive(dont go over 3000Y on 30days/2gb deal) for what it is, but...it is what it is. You will have coverage everywhere. Japan also offer lots of free WIFI through this app: Japan Connected-free Wi-Fi.
I know its off topic and I hope this will help you... but if you go to Japan to travel a lot by JR (Shinkanzen) and unless you are ridiculously rich buy yourself Japan Rail Pass - You must buy it BEFORE YOU ENTER Japan(buy online or from travel agent - it is physical coupon you have to have- printing it out at the airport r just before you leave isn't an option). When i was there 2 months ago it wasn't possible to buy it in Japan. I heard that since march it is possible but you wont be able to save as much. It will save you loads of cash and I mean loads. Price is 46,700Y/14days standard (you dont need the first class). I have saved 85,000Y but I was travelling a lot. If you stay just in one place its no point.