Hey guys!
I'm excited to say that I'm about to buy an HD2!! I'm finally getting up to speed!! (Upgrading from my Topazi)
I'm planning on buying this off of ebay, but I'm not sure what to look for when selecting it. I'm going to buy new, even though it costs more... I've got AT&T and don't know if i can get a t-mobile one or if i have to get one that ebay says will work with AT&T or if i'm just putting too much thought into this...
Any tips you guys could offer on choosing one off of ebay? Thanks in advance!!
for att get the austrailian (telstra) version, not the tmobile one - this will allow you to get 3g. or if you get the tmobile one, you will NOT get 3g, just edge. (this is a hardware issue.)
other than that, i guess everything you look for is well, what you should look for, ya know?
Make sure it has five buttons on the front, not four as at least some of the Chinese clones have.
Buy only from someone with very high feedback, and a significant number of them.
Avoid buying something that has a stock photo in place of actual photos of what you are paying for.
By the same token, avoid items whose photos are blurry or hard to see. Good sellers have nothing to hide and won't try.
I recently bought my second HD2, this one a brand new unit, and it was a good deal all the way around. But I'm very careful. You should be too.
Ask questions before you bid. In my years of buying from eBay sellers I've come to use this as a way of gauging good service. If you can't get an answer to a simple question, you're unlikely to get one if you experience a problem with the transaction. Good service starts before the sale imho.
Good luck!
jsmccabe78 said:
for att get the austrailian (telstra) version, not the tmobile one - this will allow you to get 3g. or if you get the tmobile one, you will NOT get 3g, just edge. (this is a hardware issue.)
other than that, i guess everything you look for is well, what you should look for, ya know?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that, it would suck to not have 3G up here... I can't find anything that specifically states "Telstra" or australian on ebay for new HD2's... I'm searching by compatible carriers and AT&T comes up- would that one work? Here's an example.
Thanks again in advance!
BTW- Do you live on/near MN 78? I'm near MN 33... I like the pic
Sorry mate for the late response. I don't know what the difference is for the telstra in looks. But I would assume it is NOT the one you mentioned unless it specifically states so. My guess is the one you linked is the European version. I woulf pm kameirus as he did what toy want to do.
And am a Minnesotan but in mpls. The highway sign just worked with my handle.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App
...iPhone by the 1000 miles.
Well, before the fan boys start throwing feces at me, here is the story.
I know that it is different hardware and OS and all that, but the problem is not in this.
The problem is the way Apple and Samsung approach the demands from the carriers to lock down their devices and how is the unlocking process handled.
So to SIM unlock the iPhone you call Sprint Customer Service (SCC) and after usual crap about 90 days they say, ok we submitted the request to unlock to Apple you should receive an e-mail shortly. In about 30 minutes the e-mail comes where it instructs you to backup-factory-reset-restore your iPhone. You do that, and that's it. It is unlocked for _ALL_ GSM carriers, foreign and domestic alike.
It is that simple.
Now to SIM unlock the SG4 you call SCC and after usual crap about 90 days you are told that your phone is unlocked, and it will magically work when you abroad but there is absolutely no way for you to see if it works with a foreign SIM while you are in the US. Moreover there is absolutely no way you can use it with any of the US GSM carriers. Most likely when you finally get abroad it will still not work.
Pain and disappointment.
So what happened here?
The answer is simple, Apple gives a middle finger to all carriers who ask it to give them control over the device. Have you seen any bloatware from Sprint, Verizon, ATT or TMO on the iPhone? No!
The Samsung, on the other hand, bands over backwards for carriers and it turns everything in to the theater of the absurd.
One would think: "...well if Sprint made Samsung to lock down the device in a certain way they must be able to ask Samsung to do the SIM unlock"; nop, no such luck, the SCC will tell you that Samsung has nothing to do with this and at Samsung they will tell you to go to your carrier.
Ok, fine, then apparently if this is the OS modification made by Sprint, one would try to reason: "...the SCC must have some internal tool to unlock the device and check that it is unlocked"; well this is also not the case.
What Sprint is obviously happy about is that they bravely disallowed you to use local GSM carriers.
So it is an interesting situation, actually Samsung and Sprint are equally to be blamed for our pain with SIM unlock and non will take a blame.
I'm pretty sure the ATT and TMO customers just laughing at us right about now the SG4 on their networks can be unlocked with a simple app from the market or even with some service menu.
There was a guy from SCC here, or so he claimed, it would be nice if he could comment on this, and given something more of an answer than just: "...well those are different devices and different OS". Who's really doing the unlocking? Is it Sprint is it Samsung? Why are there no tools to check this on the phone? Why the phone says "Invalid SIM" when it was "unlocked" while it should just refuse to connect to ATT and TMO while here in the US?
Well, I'm pretty sure those are the questions that we never get answers to...
Yea, I agree that it sucks the way things are right now and I wish it wasn't so. Hopefully, Samsung will continuebto be so successful that in the next round (S5), they too can give the middle finger to the carriers and end the unlocking lunacy.
Please explain to me how you got your iphone unlocked for domestic use. I got my old one unlocked by sprint did everything and still had to buy a rsim to use it in the states.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda premium
optimummind said:
Yea, I agree that it sucks the way things are right now and I wish it wasn't so. Hopefully, Samsung will continuebto be so successful that in the next round (S5), they too can give the middle finger to the carriers and end the unlocking lunacy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I hope so too. For my Samsung Galaxy Discover (s730m) that I got because my Samsung Galaxy Q ( T589r ) has a cracked screen , I tried phoning Telus & Fido to get it unlocked..neither of them would do anything..if Samsung were to do this so that I could just ask Samsung, that'd be very great, and I'd be able to use my new phone. :/
I'll be nice so I won't call troll. TL;DR. If your intention was to run a phone on gsm, why would you buy a CDMA phone? As for bringing up the subject of why a iPhone is better in an android forum, what the hell are you doing here?! We don't care if you think iPhone is better! Go elsewhere and post to people that actually agree with your point of view. Sorry for being so blunt, I've had a few... Still, the few months I had an iPhone, before I had sprint buy it back because I hated the apple experience, I didn't go on apple forums and spout how android was so much better. I may have honestly shared my experience but I didn't do it in a way that rubbed smugness in other people's face. I'm sorry that I'm coming across like I'm flaming you but, in all reasonableness, this isn't the place to do it.
oscarthegrouch said:
I'll be nice so I won't call troll. TL;DR. If your intention was to run a phone on gsm, why would you buy a CDMA phone? As for bringing up the subject of why a iPhone is better in an android forum, what the hell are you doing here?! We don't care if you think iPhone is better! Go elsewhere and post to people that actually agree with your point of view. Sorry for being so blunt, I've had a few... Still, the few months I had an iPhone, before I had sprint buy it back because I hated the apple experience, I didn't go on apple forums and spout how android was so much better. I may have honestly shared my experience but I didn't do it in a way that rubbed smugness in other people's face. I'm sorry that I'm coming across like I'm flaming you but, in all reasonableness, this isn't the place to do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Prob because he has nothing better to do other than play angry birds on that lil 4 inch screen, isn't that all its capable of?
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda premium
The title was intentionally provocative, because I'm really pissed with the way things going with sg4 sprint sim unlocking process. I'm not an iPhone user though, I have and use sg4, but I need to be able to use it on my trips overseas, this is why I bought it in the first place, because it is a world phone, or at least it is advertised as such. This was my attempt to analyze why this whole sim unlocking for sg4 is a outright failure.
obender said:
The title was intentionally provocative, because I'm really pissed with the way things going with sg4 sprint sim unlocking process. I'm not an iPhone user though, I have and use sg4, but I need to be able to use it on my trips overseas, this is why I bought it in the first place, because it is a world phone, or at least it is advertised as such. This was my attempt to analyze why this whole sim unlocking for sg4 is a outright failure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Two things then...
If you need it for overseas trips then what's all the hoopla about? Just get it unlocked by Sprint. Yes, at the beginning they had issues with the unlock because it is a brand new process they've never used before (and yes, unfortunately very unprepared for). But now supposedly it's fixed so chill.
It is not true that Sprint's iPhone unlocking process makes it usable on US GSM carriers.
Anyway, I am not sure why you claim that "the iPhone beats the S4 by a 1000 miles". Sprint gives you a method to unlock both phones for international use so that you don't have pay their exorbitant intl roaming rates. That seems fair to me and I don't see what obligation they (or even Samsung) have towards you as a Sprint subscriber beyond that. If you want a device that will work on one of Sprint's domestic competitors, go buy an unlock phone, or one from one of those carriers.
myphone12345 said:
It is not true that Sprint's iPhone unlocking process makes it usable on US GSM carriers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You obviously don't know the subject that well, it is true, I've unlocked my wife's iPhone and it works roams to ATT and TMO now with a _foreign_ SIM inserted, but you right, what I care is the outside US use and this is still an issue unfortunately.
obender said:
You obviously don't know the subject that well, it is true, I've unlocked my wife's iPhone and it works roams to ATT and TMO now with a _foreign_ SIM inserted, but you right, what I care is the outside US use and this is still an issue unfortunately.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm in the same boat.
When I get back to the states I will be perma-roaming 24/7 in order to get the service termination letter.
ehaalandtluk said:
I'm in the same boat.
When I get back to the states I will be perma-roaming 24/7 in order to get the service termination letter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you saying that u unlocked with sprint and traveled overseas to only find your are screwed and can't use your sg4?
That's why I upgraded to be able to use when go to home country. Might look into htc.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 2
galexandr said:
Are you saying that u unlocked with sprint and traveled overseas to only find your are screwed and can't use your sg4?
That's why I upgraded to be able to use when go to home country. Might look into htc.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, precisely.
Nah, I don't want to buy another HTC phone after what they did with the EVO 3D. Samsung has a great phone, I just don't like sprint at all.
I am getting ready to purchase a couple of used S4s for myself and family and our carrier is ATT. I was just curious if anyone knows if the these phones would get normal OTA updates from ATT even if we do not buy the phones from ATT. I was not able to figure out the policy on the Website and the agent did not really know.
I personally will be rooting and updating myself but I am phone support for the extended family as well and I really do not want to maintain all the phones for others that live far away.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks.
VideoRoy said:
I am getting ready to purchase a couple of used S4s for myself and family and our carrier is ATT. I was just curious if anyone knows if the these phones would get normal OTA updates from ATT even if we do not buy the phones from ATT. I was not able to figure out the policy on the Website and the agent did not really know.
I personally will be rooting and updating myself but I am phone support for the extended family as well and I really do not want to maintain all the phones for others that live far away.
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would recommend you to ask this question in Samsung note 3, HTC One, sony Xperia Z2 and LG G2 threads. why not? You are asking for completely different form this thread devices, instead of placing it here anyway, so spread your chances.
spamtrash said:
I would recommend you to ask this question in Samsung note 3, HTC One, sony Xperia Z2 and LG G2 threads. why not? You are asking for completely different form this thread devices, instead of placing it here anyway, so spread your chances.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I apologize and did not realize there was a separate thread for this.
Thank you very much for your reply.
Hi all!
Let me say this right now...when it comes to Cell phones I am the capital "N" in Noob!
Here is what I'm trying to do:
I just bought a brand new S5 from Best Buy. Paid $800 for the Sprint S5 because we use Ting and that is a Sprint MNVO...we saw S5s' on their site and assumed we could BYOD over like we did with our 3 previous phones. We paid what we did and used Best Buy so we could use our credit card and absorb the painfully expensive hit over a bunch of months. Anyway, I digress....apparently there is a contract that Ting cannot BYOD device if said device is newer than a year....so....what do I need to do to take this brand new Sprint S5 and get it on to Ting? (I'll even take getting it on to Boostmobile at this point)
What do I need to unlock or root or flash...or whatever to get this fantastic new phone on either Ting or Boostmobile? IS there anything I can do? Can someone help?? My wife (her phone) is extremely unhappy and she loves the copper gold color we got so taking it back is, hopefully, not an option. Let me know...I would greatly appreciate it...thanks!!!! PS...I do have the MLS code...if that helps.
Mezzavo said:
Hi all!
Let me say this right now...when it comes to Cell phones I am the capital "N" in Noob!
Here is what I'm trying to do:
I just bought a brand new S5 from Best Buy. Paid $800 for the Sprint S5 because we use Ting and that is a Sprint MNVO...we saw S5s' on their site and assumed we could BYOD over like we did with our 3 previous phones. We paid what we did and used Best Buy so we could use our credit card and absorb the painfully expensive hit over a bunch of months. Anyway, I digress....apparently there is a contract that Ting cannot BYOD device if said device is newer than a year....so....what do I need to do to take this brand new Sprint S5 and get it on to Ting? (I'll even take getting it on to Boostmobile at this point)
What do I need to unlock or root or flash...or whatever to get this fantastic new phone on either Ting or Boostmobile? IS there anything I can do? Can someone help?? My wife (her phone) is extremely unhappy and she loves the copper gold color we got so taking it back is, hopefully, not an option. Let me know...I would greatly appreciate it...thanks!!!! PS...I do have the MLS code...if that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bumping this...Anyone...can anyone help??
Mezzavo said:
Bumping this...Anyone...can anyone help??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All of Sprints MNVO's have this policy/agreement with Sprint. Short of changing the MEID which is not only illegal, but apparently renders the phone unable to get a signal, theres really no options i know of at the moment other than waiting out the year or selling the device and possibly taking a hit on the price. Too bad you cant use it on a GSM network, but thats not a option currently either. I seem to remember the wait being 2 years a few years back, thankfully its only 12 months now.
I wish you luck, but i fear there may be little or nothing you can do short of selling or waiting out the year
Ok, So I am upgrading my wife's phone from a blackberry curve to the s4 (ducking from shoes and vegetables thrown at me).
She currently has US cellular in the Milwaukee area.
I see there are many different models of the s4 available.
1. What model should I get her?
2. Any cheap ways of buying the phone without a contract?
3. What cell service is recommened for the phone?
Any other pertinet info is helpful.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2334012
Model is up to you, read thread above and choose which suits best.
As for question 2 and 3, I know little of the US market, shopping around will prove best.