Database Users

Picking out a Hermes. Do most of you use 8525's?

I'm kicking around the idea of buying a Hermes, it's a sweet phone and it seems to have fallen a bit in price since I last looked at it. When searching for the different branded versions on eBay, I noticed that I could pick up a Cingular-branded Hermes (8525) a good deal cheaper than the rest of them. Are there any major shortcomings to the 8525 over other versions of the Hermes outside of the missing front camera? Using an American GSM provider, would I even miss the front camera?
I'm on T-Mobile, but if I grabbed a Cingular Hermes I'd obviously just go ahead and unlock it and use it with my service. Honestly, I think it would be pretty sweet to get the T-Mo UK branded Hermes (MDA Vario II) and carry that around instead. Then my friends would be like "whoa dog why does my T-Mobile store not have this phone how did you score it!!!" and I would be like "hell nah homies this **** is elite". But alas, it's not worth paying $600+ for a T-Mo Europe branded one when I can get the Cingular-branded one for well under 500.
Do you guys who have used multiple Hermes' have any preference? Would I likely be just as well off with an 8525 (given that I plan to flash it) as an HTC branded "TyTN" or other HERM200 version of the phone?
Thanks!

I got the 8525... If your not going to use the video calling, why pay more?
Ron

lokmeup said:
I got the 8525... If your not going to use the video calling, why pay more?
Ron
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's just it, though -- I'm wondering if it's even possible to use video calling in the United States. Is it?
More importantly, are there any replacement shells or cover-ups available for the 8525 such that one could make it appear not to be a Cingular device? I know I'm weird, but if I buy a Hermes for use with T-Mobile USA, I think it looks silly to have Cingular branding on the ****.
Thanks so much!

kalibar said:
That's just it, though -- I'm wondering if it's even possible to use video calling in the United States. Is it?
More importantly, are there any replacement shells or cover-ups available for the 8525 such that one could make it appear not to be a Cingular device? I know I'm weird, but if I buy a Hermes for use with T-Mobile USA, I think it looks silly to have Cingular branding on the ****.
Thanks so much!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought a Vodafone 1605 on Ebay and used it with T-mobile and now Cingular....I don't mind the brand name on the phone cos I know it's all the same inside

The Vario II pricing is coming down in the UK ... just got given one for £50 on a renewal which is roughly 60% less than I was quoted about six weeks ago.
(typing as I wait for a full resync on my shiny new wm6 black to complete )
You might be able to snap one up off eBay UK on the cheap if your timing is good ...

kalibar said:
I know I'm weird, but if I buy a Hermes for use with T-Mobile USA, I think it looks silly to have Cingular branding on the ****.
Thanks so much!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am pretty sure a little alcohol and rubbing would remove the branding.... if your really desperate you could use a little nail polish remover...

I think you can buy "shells" for these phones on ebay. I don't know if they are interchangeable, aka using a Vario II shell on a Cingular 8525, but I would assume they would as long as the button configuration is similar.

chachi said:
The Vario II pricing is coming down in the UK ... just got given one for £50 on a renewal which is roughly 60% less than I was quoted about six weeks ago.
(typing as I wait for a full resync on my shiny new wm6 black to complete )
You might be able to snap one up off eBay UK on the cheap if your timing is good ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's actually a really good idea; I could only find about two total MDA Vario II's on ebay.com (which makes perfect sense), but when I went to ebay.co.uk there were ****loads. Unfortunately, it seems that most sellers only offer to ship within the UK so I'd have to find one ahead of time that would be okay with shipping to the States.
That brings my next question though. What's the deal with QWERTY vs. QWERTZ keyboards? The MDA Vario II seems to be the latter, and I've typed on a QWERTY all my life and really have no intention of switching. Is it possible to not only map the buttons to QWERTY on a Vario II, but to physically switch the keys?
Man, what a pain this is all turning out to be. I guess I should probably just score a Cingular-branded Hermes and be done with it.

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!

HTC TOUCH HD in China?!

Hello,
i very want to buy a HTC Touch HD and would like to ask something.
My friend will travel to China in September and maybe i will order 1 , how much cost HTC Touch HD in China? Is it cheaper then in Europe? I have find some chinese sites where it cost 240 usd. Is it original? What you think?
Thank you
Regards
Coktail

Coktail said:
Hello,
i very want to buy a HTC Touch HD and would like to ask something.
My friend will travel to China in September and maybe i will order 1 , how much cost HTC Touch HD in China? Is it cheaper then in Europe? I have find some chinese sites where it cost 240 usd. Is it original? What you think?
Thank you
Regards
Coktail
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
USD240 is absolutely fake.
here brand new HD in China is around 527USD. just for reference.

JohnQ is right, I bought mine for around $550 US in Shenzhen about a week ago, $240 is probably either used or a "shanzhai" phone (aka rip off look-a-like).
A note however, do look closely at what you are buying as there aren't any "official" HTC retailers here in China-- where HTC operates under it's Chinese subsidary, "Dopod". Most of the HTC phones in China are brought across the border either from Hong Kong or Taiwan.
I had the store clerk bring me five Touch HDs to try and I picked the best one and haggled with them until they threw in an extra battery.
If you'd rather be sure to get the real thing, I recommend you get it from Hong Kong; it's pretty cheap there too. In China, Dopod also has an identical device also called the Touch HD, however, the difference-- like between all Dopod phones and HTC phones-- is that the Dopod versions don't include Wifi and 3G. Gov't restrictions maybe? :S

scscc3 said:
JohnQ is right, I bought mine for around $550 US in Shenzhen about a week ago, $240 is probably either used or a "shanzhai" phone (aka rip off look-a-like).
A note however, do look closely at what you are buying as there aren't any "official" HTC retailers here in China-- where HTC operates under it's Chinese subsidary, "Dopod". Most of the HTC phones in China are brought across the border either from Hong Kong or Taiwan.
I had the store clerk bring me five Touch HDs to try and I picked the best one and haggled with them until they threw in an extra battery.
If you'd rather be sure to get the real thing, I recommend you get it from Hong Kong; it's pretty cheap there too. In China, Dopod also has an identical device also called the Touch HD, however, the difference-- like between all Dopod phones and HTC phones-- is that the Dopod versions don't include Wifi and 3G. Gov't restrictions maybe? :S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HAHA , DOPOD announced HD early this year. you know how much they are selling in the beginning? RMB8288, As exactly the same with its model number T8288, DOPOD is crazy. DOPOD HD doesn't include WIFI/3G

Can get it with 3G and Wifi in China
It is possible to get the Touch HD in here in China with 3G and Wifi....If you buy a Dopod branded phone, it won't have either, but if you go to a mobile store and ask for "shui huo" you can get them. The "shui huo" versions of the phones are usually brought in from Europe then brought across the border (tax free). Don't let the sales staff trick you into paying more for them. These phones are cheaper than the Dopod branded ones and they are exactly the same phone (with more features enabled). As mentioned above, you also have to be aware of fakes, but if you take your time and check out multiple vendors, you should be ok....Always ask to try the phone before you buy it (ALWAYS).
Additionally, it will be extremely difficult to find one with a WWE rom. I usually come on here and flash a WWE rom as soon as I get my phone...Never had a problem...
China has some great deals and some great rip-offs...Just exercise some caution and you should be fine. Test the phone and make sure the Wifi and 3G options work and you should be fine.

newer high-end mobile phones are ALWAYS cheaper in the US/EU than in china. IN fact, everything that is "name brand" or high-end is more expensive in China. THe idea that China is cheaper than the west is just totally wrong these days, when I go back to the USA I stock up on clothes, electronics, etc. as the quality is certain, there are no spy programs or disabled features, and the price is much lower. If you want to buy cheap garbage, it will be cheaper in China, but for anything nice it is MUCH more expensive.

mlalahoi said:
newer high-end mobile phones are ALWAYS cheaper in the US/EU than in china. IN fact, everything that is "name brand" or high-end is more expensive in China. THe idea that China is cheaper than the west is just totally wrong these days, when I go back to the USA I stock up on clothes, electronics, etc. as the quality is certain, there are no spy programs or disabled features, and the price is much lower. If you want to buy cheap garbage, it will be cheaper in China, but for anything nice it is MUCH more expensive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not necessarily true...
HTC is a Taiwanese company and they export their products to places all over the world. One of them is Hong Kong, and as we all know, there are no taxes, customs, tariffs, or whatever on imported products there. Thus, electronics are generally cheaper in Hong Kong than they are elsewhere. Also, due to the proximity of Hong Kong and Taiwan, shipping is also cheaper than to the Americas for example, thus further reducing the end-user cost (however this may just be a little bit). Therefore, many of the "shui huo" HTC products brought into China from places like Hong Kong actually end up being cheaper (even more if you haggle and perhaps they'll throw in some goodies too!) than they are elsewhere.
Hope that sheds some light upon this issue.
So now now... don't go around making imperatives like "everything" all the time... hehe

This thread is really helpin me out.
Anyone can point me where to get the best price in Hongkong. I'm particularly looking for HTC Touch Pro CDMA.
Thanks before

mrayearth said:
This thread is really helpin me out.
Anyone can point me where to get the best price in Hongkong. I'm particularly looking for HTC Touch Pro CDMA.
Thanks before
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could try Mong Kok/Wang Jiao Computer Centre; you can get some great deals if you haggle...
Check it out. It's near the Ladie's/Women's Market.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mong_Kok

DX clone....

Hi, i have orded the htc touch clone on dealextreme(http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12811) but i heard that people have been getting service problems with this phone...
I live in canada and my service provider is fido. do you think i will be having service problems like the others??? :O
someone help PLZ
THX

Caveat emptor. . .
DarkEvo said:
Hi, i have orded the htc touch clone on dealextreme(http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12811) but i heard that people have been getting service problems with this phone...
I live in canada and my service provider is fido. do you think i will be having service problems like the others??? :O
someone help PLZ
THX
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've seen a couple of threads here on xda with Canadians having trouble with the 850mhz frequency. If I were you, I would have gone with a quad band unlocked phone. Looking at your phone's specs, I noticed that it can only take a 2Gb SD card - that is pretty limited. My phone is listed on ebay here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-2-8-WM6-5-W...ItemQQptZAU_Mobile_Phones?hash=item23039bf0c6
This seller is pretty good and as a result of his service, my brother and a friend bought different phones from him. 2.8" for the screen size is a little small IMHO. Initially I liked everything about my Jade Clone - mostly its internal SIRF III GPS chip. Now, looking at a 3.2" inch screen I have buyer's envy.
If you know that others have had or having problems with that phone, I'd contact the seller and let him know you are going to refuse its delivery. Normally refusing a delivery is free to you on the return send side but the seller may charge you for the attempted delivery.
We have a couple of Canadian Jade Clone owners in the Jade sub Forum. You can either visit it or visit this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=581596&highlight=clone and then navigate to the higher Jade sub Forum.
Good luck!

BTW, I was doing a search for clone and came across your post. If you look at the lower left corner, I tagged your post with HTC clone. If you click on the hyperlink, you will see other HTC Clone posts.

ronp76 said:
I've seen a couple of threads here on xda with Canadians having trouble with the 850mhz frequency. If I were you, I would have gone with a quad band unlocked phone. Looking at your phone's specs, I noticed that it can only take a 2Gb SD card - that is pretty limited. My phone is listed on ebay here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-2-8-WM6-5-W...ItemQQptZAU_Mobile_Phones?hash=item23039bf0c6
This seller is pretty good and as a result of his service, my brother and a friend bought different phones from him. 2.8" for the screen size is a little small IMHO. Initially I liked everything about my Jade Clone - mostly its internal SIRF III GPS chip. Now, looking at a 3.2" inch screen I have buyer's envy.
If you know that others have had or having problems with that phone, I'd contact the seller and let him know you are going to refuse its delivery. Normally refusing a delivery is free to you on the return send side but the seller may charge you for the attempted delivery.
We have a couple of Canadian Jade Clone owners in the Jade sub Forum. You can either visit it or visit this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=581596&highlight=clone and then navigate to the higher Jade sub Forum.
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The frequency of my service provider (Fido) is 1900mhz and not 850mhz so do u think it will work??

i am using this only But still now i dont have any problem

DarkEvo said:
The frequency of my service provider (Fido) is 1900mhz and not 850mhz so do u think it will work??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1900 is one of the standard GSM frequencies and should work. However, some clones have different type of problems on various carriers.

I am having service problems with this phone is there any way to repair this???????

Anyone heard about Touch2 T3320?

Hi,
I was looking for a winmo phone to be updated on the stock quotes. I shortlisted to touch2. But in India, there is a special version named T3320. And this one is cheaper. The spec sheet shows it doesn't have 3G. But the price difference is too high, are there any other differences?
http://www.htc.com/in/product/touch2/specification.html (Click special version).
BTW, I need something like the stocks tab in HD2 on the touch2. Is there any ROM that includes it? (the stocks tab doesn't need 3d accelerator i guess).

Have checked and could not see any other difference.....you must determine if you need 3G or not. Myself have in my communication manager a GSM/3G switch installed. In most cases GSM is good enough for me. Saves your battery also.
What is price difference actually? Perhaps is in accesoiries?
You can check with a local HTC dealer.

I am in India next week....and usually one of activities on my trips is to check out the various electronics markets.....always on the hunt for something new....
If I have the chance will check and report back.......

I think i saw somewhere it doesnt have GPS too, am i right? I think its connected with the laws there, i said i think i red about it somewhere.

well, GPS is indeed not mentioned at http://www.htc.com/in/product/touch2/spec_special.html

Here is the reply which i got from HTC Support
Dear Mr. Bhatia,
Thank you for contacting our Customer Support Center. We are dedicated to providing you with the best quality service and answering all of your questions and concerns.
To clarify your issue, you stated that: You want to the difference between the Touch 2 models,
In this regard we would like to intimate you that that you can check with link,http://www.htc.com/in/product/touch2/specification.html for T-3333 and check with the link http://www.htc.com/in/product/touch2/spec_special.html for Touch 2 t-3320 phone models.
HTC Touch2 phone(model no-T3320) is not a GPS enabled phone and also do not have 3G services while the other Touch 2 phone( model no- T3333) is GPS enabled and have 3 G functionality.
-----
These are the only two differences that they have told.
Regards,
Naveen

Thanks for the reply guys. My friend has finally bought that phone. I had checked it just once. I didn't quite like it.. this was the first htc device on my hand and I had expected a lot...
The price of the T3320 (the one my friend bought) was 12,500 INR.
Whereas the price of the T3333 (with 3g and gps) is 21,000 INR.
If the only difference between the two phones is 3g and gps, then I'm pretty sure that the touch2 T3333 is definitely not worth its price. It doesn't have autofocus and flash? If my friend had spent 21K and had found out that it doesn't have flash, he would've felt sorry for buying that phone. And touch sensitivity is not bad and not too good. It was okay.
But for 12K the T3230 is a bit worthy. If only it had a auto focus and flash and a 3d accelerator (hee hee hee I know this is too much) for running Touch Flo 3D or HD2 Sense UI.