Related
Anybody,
Could someone let me know where i can buy an unlocked XDA from here in London. Also, can an XDA be used with any GPRS network? provided you have the correct software installed.
Thanks
internet
http://www.totalpda.co.uk/productview.asp?section=15&id=4395
Please be aware. I have never used these people. I have been on their mailing list for most of this year though. GBP£249 +vat
Also listed is
Multi-function stylus for your handheld. The 4-in-1 stylus combines excellent value for money with superb design and quality. The sleek aluminium casing contains black and orange pens, 0.5mm propelling pencil (mechanical pencil) with eraser and a screen stylus suitable for all touch sensitive screens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.totalpda.co.uk/productview.asp?section=37&id=4288
thank you, i will have a look
i have recently (last month) bought 2 unlocked pdas from totalpda. the service etc is very good but be aware that the items are not new. they are refurbished models. my ones are fine, although you can tell they have been used. also you dont get the handsfree kit or the cd-rom that normally comes with it.
if you do get one from them, DO NOT do the OS upgrade suggested by o2 as this will greatly interfere with any other service providers settings. which is the problem i have now!
thank you kindly for that sound advice. it's definately made me think twice, especially the fact that they are not new.
Hi
Give these guys a call teleford telecom or something like that
01772 880880
gto mine from there about 3 weeks ago, £225 (32meg).
i think that the units are new, but come with charge cables instead of cradles.
get the impression that they have them in stock on a time to time basis.
worth a try though.
again thank you Mr R J Webb for the advice, i am so glad this XDA forum exits its a wealth of information. great idea by the developers. i will keep you posted on the results of my call to teleford telecom, thanks.
thank you, i called Preston Telecom (i think) they were very helpful, but as you said their stock has been deplenished. again they are not new but from the descrition they may as well be. thanks again for the advice.
Try ebay uk
Hi
I bought mine from ebay UK from a guy who has contract with upgrade with O2 but doesn't need the phone and it was new. I had to use the xda manipulator to unlock the phone for use with vodaphone which I am using. There are quite a few guys selling new xda sets for about £200 for the 32m version and £300 for the 64 mb version. I got mine for £290(in April 03) but it should be worth less now (maybe £250 to £300). You do not need to pay exorbitant price for a new one and you got to make sure the guy selling the phone is not a cheat. So far all my purchases with ebay UK is quite safe and you could use a escrow service (intermediate service for a small fee which holds your money until the goods is delivered in good order before paying the seller) for added precaution. There is also a company in ebay UK selling the new 64mb xda for £149 (previously £199 only 3/4weeks ago) with a contract with O2.
thanks for the advice i am familiar with ebay, its an ok market place, but tend to be secondhand. i think i am going to go for the option buying a new one with O2 and unlocking it myself, thanks anyway.
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.
....
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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..
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.
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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.
Hi. I'm from Moscow, Russia and I've got a problem with my future (i hope) HTC Topaz.
After analyzing our(Russian) market I've came to a conclusion that there are at least 2 types of this device:
1. From Taiwan, certified, with guarantee, with Russian windows mobile - i.e. official one - 497.2$
2. From China, NOT certified, there are NO guarantee, English windows, the only document which comes with this device is a cash-memo and user manual - that's all (as salesman told me). price - 396$
100$ difference is a big money in my case. English Windows is not a problem, 'cause there are lots of info on howto change firmware. as for the guarantee - all the stuff i bought earlier (notebooks, cameras) are working just fine, I've never been at the service center before - so i hope i won't need one in future.
The question is: how to determine that the device I'm going to buy (before actually buying it; I'll have nearly 10-20 min) is a real one and not a fake like e.g. "HTS tauch brilliant2" or "Pear iFone 5g", that inside it's absolutely identical to the certified one, that the hardware is the same and I'll be able to change firmware. One of the problems is i won't be able to insert Sim and make a call, test WiFi and etc, 'cause the phone is probably locked. Is there any way, any program that allows to display a list of hardware inside this PDA on its screen or on the screen of notebook. Or maybe there is a list of serial numbers somewhere and i can compare them to the one i'll see under the battery? Maybe someone has bought it for extremely low price and really satisfied with it?
Any ideas and opinions are appreciated!
Thnx!
Best regards, Rudbur.
$396 is fake diamond 2 - it is easy to figure out - just turn it on and you'll see for yourself. real greyimport diamond 2 costs now $500, but it will has no manufacturer warranty anyway, don't get yourself tricked... if you want warranty - buy legally imported PCT device.
Oh, fellow countryman! Thanks for the answer!
You probably know (price.ru) what stores i mean. So, let's assume this: I'm ordering two different HTCs: one for 400$ and one for 500$. I turn them on (simultaneously), and what should i expect when testing the fake one?
If there's no difference at all - same buttons, same size, same menu and etc (except language: russian and english), should i buy cheapest?
oh, and i heard or read somewhere that china shops offer real topaz for 333$. Or am i wrong?
The Chinese "copies" aren't actually the same at all.
The names are similar/identical, and they try to mimmick the physical appearance of a genuine device, but the software and internals are all different. Usually there a obvious differences like a lower resolution camera, room for dual SIM cards etc.
I've never seen one myself, but I would imagine once you switch it on you'll get default Windows Mobile with no HTC add-ons. I doubt they have gone to the trouble of faking an entire HTC ROM as well - but I might be wrong.
Hi,
I can testify here, as I have been living in China for a while, and buying phones from the grey market for a while too.
a few things to know:
Real fake chinese stuff will not even have HTC written on it. MTC or something like that. The plastic looks cheap, and it wouldn't even have winmo on it. I saw a "Nolia N95" the other day with the Sony Ericsson interface on it!
Then, in china, you got an official one for real cheap, but the brand is Dopodo, and they don't have wifi built-in. It's the real stuff, but for chinese market only.
At last, the grey market stuff, like mine which I paid the equivalent of 400USD has, I believe "fallen from the truck" in HK... So it got the HK Rom in it, ot Taiwanese, not so certain, as it was in CHS, and they use CHT in those regions.
So, briefly, chinese fake will be very, very easy to spot Hope that helps!
Thanks to you all, guys. I hope the shop I'm going to buy from will allow me to test these devices and save few bucks. I emailed them earlier, asking about guarantee, prices and so on, but they haven't answered yet.
kipue, your opinion is especially important, because you lived there, you know what's what. So I'll draw attention to the labels on it, camera, functioning of wifi, windows mobile menus and all.
After actually buying it I'll post a reply here.
Best regards, Rudbur.
Hi guys,
How would I know if my intended HD2 buy is not a fake?
Where do I need to look for and what?
Serial numbers?
etc.
-Im from Holland (the netherlands)
-Asking price is 350
-Its a private seller, no retailer and the guy is unknown (besides first name and phonenumber)
-It comes in the original box with all the accessories and warranties according to seller
-Guy sounds legit, when communicating
-I want his HD2, Im a HTC user since 2002 (1e was a Artemis: P3300, 2nd and current: Touch Pro with custom ROM)
-I have great knowledge about an HD2 from pictures/videos/youtube, specs, etc. but never held one in person
Therefore I ask owners or similair intended buyers who know specific things on their HTC to look for what makes it a legit HTC. Is it serials, is it logo's? Things that are really hard to copy to make a fake one.
Kind Regards.
Paul
From where you get it ^^?
paultje_007 said:
Hi guys,
How would I know if my intended HD2 buy is not a fake?
Where do I need to look for and what?
Serial numbers?
etc.
Kind Regards.
Paul
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there a specific model you want?
Where are you buying it from?
Can you touch it before you buy it?
How much are you planning to spend?
Have you seen HD2 videos on YouTube?
Do you know what it looks like?
Do you know the seller?
There are lots of questions you should think about before posting and asking us a very vague question.
Its hardly a vague question is it? Hopefully someone a bit more helpful will be able to offer more advice...
If you go to the HTC web site and look for a list of resellers in your country (you haven't said what country you are in) or go to the web site or store of an international mobile phone company I believe that you would only get a genuine phone. If you buy sight unseen from an auction site or a little known consumer electronics site in a country well known for being able to make fake consumer electronics then you are more likely to be sold a fake. How many people here have seen a fake HD2? I've personally never heard of anyone. Serial numbers can be duplicated, in fact they are sometimes shared in public fora for ROM download purposes so are not all quite as unique as they could be.
First post edited:
-Im from Holland (the netherlands)
-Asking price is 350
-Its a private seller, no retailer and the guy is unknown (besides first name and phonenumber)
-It comes in the original box with all the accessories and warranties according to seller
-Guy sounds legit, when communicating
-I want his HD2, Im a HTC user since 2002 (1e was a Artemis: P3300, 2nd and current: Touch Pro with custom ROM)
-I have great knowledge about an HD2 from pictures/videos/youtube, specs, etc. but never held one in person
Therefore I ask owners or similair intended buyers who know specific things on their HTC to look for what makes it a legit HTC. Is it serials, is it logo's? Things that are really hard to copy to make a fake one.
Only buy from a trusted reseller- Amazon or one listed by HTC. Here, from a senior member-I'd be hesitant of a noob (no offense to noobs).
get a surname, address and landline phone number, then look them up in directory enquiries. Call them at the landline number you get from directory enquiries.
Not perfect, but can be useful in spotting a dodgy seller.
It's bought! I'm a proud owner of a 3 month old legit Leo (HD2).
The guy was more like a tester like everyone here on XDA than some dodgy tracksuit fellow with a loose phone. (the box with all the paperwork was there, plus he had an extra battery and an 8GB MicroSD card, but he lost the earplug...)
So 350 E is I think not a rip off!
(normal = 492E for a new retailers one and 50E for a 2nd battery + 8GB card)
(3 months old, no wear & tear!, is 542 - 350 = 192 E savings)
I reckon good deal!
Topic closed.