First of all, thanks to all who have already done what I have not been brave enough to do...which is purchase a Shift without the assurance of definitely being able to make it a cell phone. If this device was talking out of the box I'd have one already. Now that it seems like regular voice calls are going to become possible, which Shift would the experts recommend? I wonder how HTC is going to interpret the spike in sales once calling is a reality!
GSM v CDMA
Personaly i'd go GSM... (in fact i did)
mainly tho because Australia doesn't have a CDMA network anymore
best description
http://www.google.dk/search?source=ig&hl=da&rlz=&q=GSM+vs+CDMA&btnG=Google-søgning&meta=
Thanks for the replies. I'm leaning towards GSM since I already have AT&T service and I seem to get better coverage than some of my Sprint friends. I guess what I'm really interested in is if the Shift Project Members (SPM's!!) are working with GSM or CDMA units. I would assume GSM, since they came out first...would a CDMA unit to tinker with help the development progress?
They are using GSM versions.
I understand the keyboard layout is much better for americans on the CDMA version. I'd be interested to know when a USA GSM version is planned on being released.
More questions...
Aside from the cosmetic differences, (color, attached case), and the keyboard layout, I've been hearing and reading about build quality differences too. Some reviewers who have had an opportunity to test both models say that the CDMA version feels a little more solid than the GSM. Could this be due to small build revisions or maybe just be happening by chance? Anyone here gotten their hands on both?
So I see that it is possible to unlock cdma Android phone for other carriers but I am wondering you can do it with the WP7 devices, I don't want the Arrive because of the keyboard. I am just curious so any help would be appreciated. Sorry if i posted this in the wrong forum but I thought this would be a development question.
63 views and no replies, I guess I will write this off and wait until Sprint releases new WM7 phones, they are supposedly looking at the fall.
There are some listings on eBay purporting to sell unlock codes for the HTC Trophy. Some have already sold and the buyers have left positive feedback for the seller indicating success. Here (link) is the one I found, and I have no affiliation with the seller, eBay, etc. and cannot speak if this is legitimate or not. But apparently, it is possible.
Sprint as of current, will not allow any non Sprint branded phones on to their network. Even if you unlock the device, if it is not Sprint branded, and the ESN is not in their database, they will not allow it on their network.
I just don't get why people would prefer to have the SparkW (VZW Trophy) on Sprint vs the GoldC (HTC Arrive). The Arrive is made out of a nice metal, feels just like a Touch Pro2 but nicer... and its screen is only ever so slightly smaller then the Trophy. The Trophy, I got that thing in a tank of a case just so I know its in my pocket (I HATE small phones).
If anything I can't understand why Verizon didn't get GoldC or ask for a "GoldW" variant with World phone...
@MyNamesTheDoctor's You can't swap Sim cards to Sprint, Sprint is CDMA and doesn't use SIM cards. Due to Sprint's policies.... well.. only an illegal option is available to put the phone on Sprint.
Putting GoldC onto Verizon could probably be done legally, with a custom rom with Sprint software installed, and passing it threw Verizon's program to get the ESN/MIED added to their database... if they still do that. I can't wait for LTE to be the standard, then we won't have these issues with phones and everyone can have a SIM card.. and porting can be done with a simple unlock.
This really should be in Q&A though.
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inteller said:
thanks for reminding me why I stick to GSM carriers.
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If AT&T was worth a damn where I live, I would be back on them. They have poor coverage here though, so I am almost forced to use Verizon, which works wonderfully I have to say.
For me, Verizon has the best voice service in the area... while AT&T covers the area slightly better, Verizon has 3G data EVERYWHERE (they are 100% 3G), while AT&T has HSPA+ only closer to to Erie, and 1X in the rest of northwest PA.
After searching and running into various answers (and perpetual confusion), I'm confused about which S5 I should purchase. I would much rather buy an international version from a seller on eBay if I can get LTE bands in the states. I've freed myself from carrier devices for almost two years now and the thought of going back is awful (even though I probably will if I have to). Anyway, can someone give me a clear answer. Which variant do I need to buy?
jtc276 said:
After searching and running into various answers (and perpetual confusion), I'm confused about which S5 I should purchase. I would much rather buy an international version from a seller on eBay if I can get LTE bands in the states. I've freed myself from carrier devices for almost two years now and the thought of going back is awful (even though I probably will if I have to). Anyway, can someone give me a clear answer. Which variant do I need to buy?
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Bump
jtc276 said:
After searching and running into various answers (and perpetual confusion), I'm confused about which S5 I should purchase. I would much rather buy an international version from a seller on eBay if I can get LTE bands in the states. I've freed myself from carrier devices for almost two years now and the thought of going back is awful (even though I probably will if I have to). Anyway, can someone give me a clear answer. Which variant do I need to buy?
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Get an accurate answer from Samsung. Or Carrier X, win a prize.
Samsung doesn't want you buying a lower priced phone from another country, it cuts into their quarterly profit results and they actively deter so called grey market sales in a number of ways. Nor will carriers make it easy for you to jump ship. So easily accessible and accurate information is difficult to come by.
As far as I can tell, the S5 hardware is release 10 compliant. Meaning that baring artificial firmware restrictions, the S5 in your hand is capable of working on all of the GSM and LTE frequencies in use or in the process of being deployed, worldwide.
If you are not relying upon a subsidized handset or can find the right deal, I'd suggest purchasing the TMobile variant (SM-G900T) for use on ATT. The TMobile S5 works on ATT LTE, has the substantial advantage of an unlocked bootloader & has more accessible bands, an advantage for roaming on other networks.
AFAIK, the TMobile variant supports all of the ATT bands. You'll find posts agreeing with me and posts disputing this. All I can tell you is that there are a lot of misinformed people and I haven't seen anyone credibly dispute it. The specs say that it should work, there are lots of reports of it working and firsthand I've seen good data speeds; 50+ Mbps speeds in some ATT cities.
If you were looking at some specific Ebay auction and /or specific international model, you didn't spell that out nor give us any specifics so it's impossible to give you useful advice on that point. Many of the international variants have firmware restrictions supporting HSPA+ and not "ATT" LTE.
The best advice of course is always caveat emptor.
.
fffft said:
Get an accurate answer from Samsung. Or Carrier X, win a prize.
Samsung doesn't want you buying a lower priced phone from another country, it cuts into their quarterly profit results and they actively deter so called grey market sales in a number of ways. Nor will carriers make it easy for you to jump ship. So easily accessible and accurate information is difficult to come by.
As far as I can tell, the S5 hardware is release 10 compliant. Meaning that baring artificial firmware restrictions, the S5 in your hand is capable of working on all of the GSM and LTE frequencies in use or in the process of being deployed, worldwide.
If you are not relying upon a subsidized handset or can find the right deal, I'd suggest purchasing the TMobile variant (SM-G900T) for use on ATT. The TMobile S5 works on ATT LTE, has the substantial advantage of an unlocked bootloader & has more accessible bands, an advantage for roaming on other networks.
AFAIK, the TMobile variant supports all of the ATT bands. You'll find posts agreeing with me and posts disputing this. All I can tell you is that there are a lot of misinformed people and I haven't seen anyone credibly dispute it. The specs say that it should work, there are lots of reports of it working and firsthand I've seen good data speeds; 50+ Mbps speeds in some ATT cities.
If you were looking at some specific Ebay auction and /or specific international model, you didn't spell that out nor give us any specifics so it's impossible to give you useful advice on that point. Many of the international variants have firmware restrictions supporting HSPA+ and not "ATT" LTE.
The best advice of course is always caveat emptor.
.
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I just bought the T-Mobile variant (900T) which I'm hoping was the best choice. The international models that I could have bought on eBay (900F,H, I) were missing at least one AT&T LTE band.
Hi, I am going to be buying the G2 in a couple of days. I am in Pakistan and apparently, every G2 variant is available here. I am not a developer but I do like to customize my phones due to the generosity of all the developers creating flashable zips on XDA .
Which G2 Variant is the best for flashing and modding wise and which Variant is just considered the best? Are there any hardware differences between the variants? Any guidance would be appreciated. Thank you
Only major hardware differences I'm aware of is that the Verizon G2 has a different shape back, different (some consider them worse) buttons on the back, and added wireless charging that others do not have.
If I had to say for overall use, the Verizon variant because of the wireless charging capability. The negative aspect of that model is some ROMs have issues with it to some degrees and of course because it's capable of wireless charging that means it's slightly thicker front to back (like 1-2mm) that means you can't use just any old case for it - if it's not a case designed specifically for the Verizon variant to account for that additional thickness, the case just won't fit and there ain't a whole lot of Verizon variant cases available.
Just pointing out the positive and the negative - there is ROM support for the VS980 obviously and those unlock the SIM for use with most any provider (just like the Sprint LS980 variant does too). The button thing on the Verizon variant is a personal preference I suppose: they work exactly the same, they just have a different form factor in how they're laid out because of the addition of the Qi wireless charging antenna inside the battery cover on the Verizon variant.
The International model(s) are nice because they're free of such limitations from the gitgo and SIM unlocked (as I understand them to be).
You'll get arguments about which one ends up being better, I suppose, so the International variants are very popular for those reasons, but with the Verizon model supporting wireless charging (Qi standard) that kinda puts it slightly out front hardware-wise. Of course, some folks don't give a damn about wireless charging just like some don't care about NFC, etc.
Just have to decide for yourself which one might fit your needs and requirements best of all.
br0adband said:
If I had to say for overall use, the Verizon variant because of the wireless charging capability. The negative aspect of that model is some ROMs have issues with it to some degrees and of course because it's capable of wireless charging that means it's slightly thicker front to back (like 1-2mm) that means you can't use just any old case for it - if it's not a case designed specifically for the Verizon variant to account for that additional thickness, the case just won't fit and there ain't a whole lot of Verizon variant cases available.
Just pointing out the positive and the negative - there is ROM support for the VS980 obviously and those unlock the SIM for use with most any provider (just like the Sprint LS980 variant does too). The button thing on the Verizon variant is a personal preference I suppose: they work exactly the same, they just have a different form factor in how they're laid out because of the addition of the Qi wireless charging antenna inside the battery cover on the Verizon variant.
The International model(s) are nice because they're free of such limitations from the gitgo and SIM unlocked (as I understand them to be).
You'll get arguments about which one ends up being better, I suppose, so the International variants are very popular for those reasons, but with the Verizon model supporting wireless charging (Qi standard) that kinda puts it slightly out front hardware-wise. Of course, some folks don't give a damn about wireless charging just like some don't care about NFC, etc.
Just have to decide for yourself which one might fit your needs and requirements best of all.
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I would really like to have the wireless charging feature, I'll be going with Verizon than. Thanks for all the info, greatly appreciate it
p.s just my luck Verizon model is 5-10% cheaper here for some reason
dont buy verizon one, go for D802
mahmoodt said:
I would really like to have the wireless charging feature, I'll be going with Verizon than. Thanks for all the info, greatly appreciate it
p.s just my luck Verizon model is 5-10% cheaper here for some reason
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dont buy verizon one, it doesn't have the LTE Band for Pakistan, so there will be no 4G for you, go for LG G2 D802, if you need more details you can inbox me
nothanks91 said:
dont buy verizon one, it doesn't have the LTE Band for Pakistan, so there will be no 4G for you, go for LG G2 D802, if you need more details you can inbox me
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People have this misunderstanding about 4G: it's a term, it means the 4th generation of cellular technology, and because of that LTE is just one 4G technology - it's not the only one.
HSPA/HSPA+ is a 4G technology (actually it's a 3.5G technology but whatever) and can be just as fast as LTE in most markets, even faster in some respects because HSPA/HSPA+ allows for deeper building/structure penetration aka you get a stronger signal when you're indoors, your phone doesn't have to waste as much power to maintain it, hence you get better speeds.
Sure would be nice if people would realize all this someday and that LTE is not the end-all-be-all when it comes to 4G... it's just one side of 4G technology, another object under the 4G "umbrella" and HSPA/HSPA+ is more than capable of providing very high speed data just as well if not better.
HSPA/HSPA+ is more widespread than LTE too, at least based on looking at coverage charts worldwide - it's a slightly older technology (which means it's had more time to be put into action around the world) but again, it can be just as fast and even faster than LTE in some markets so, it's not something that should be dismissed outright.
I had a chance to sell my G2 the other day, the person that came to buy it was disappointed because it didn't show "4G LTE" on the status bar and I tried to explain that it was pulling down 38Mbps using HSPA+ and using LTE would be slower (on this phone, it actually is) and it would use more battery power, but he didn't care or didn't even comprehend what I was saying:
All he cared about was seeing "4G LTE" in the status bar so he decided not to buy it. I swear, ignorance is a horrible thing, especially in today's world where the info is right there and it's available and people willfully choose to stay ignorant of it.
Anyway, LTE ain't everything...
dont buy verizon one, go for D802
br0adband said:
People have this misunderstanding about 4G: it's a term, it means the 4th generation of cellular technology, and because of that LTE is just one 4G technology - it's not the only one.
HSPA/HSPA+ is a 4G technology (actually it's a 3.5G technology but whatever) and can be just as fast as LTE in most markets, even faster in some respects because HSPA/HSPA+ allows for deeper building/structure penetration aka you get a stronger signal when you're indoors, your phone doesn't have to waste as much power to maintain it, hence you get better speeds.
Sure would be nice if people would realize all this someday and that LTE is not the end-all-be-all when it comes to 4G... it's just one side of 4G technology, another object under the 4G "umbrella" and HSPA/HSPA+ is more than capable of providing very high speed data just as well if not better.
HSPA/HSPA+ is more widespread than LTE too, at least based on looking at coverage charts worldwide - it's a slightly older technology (which means it's had more time to be put into action around the world) but again, it can be just as fast and even faster than LTE in some markets so, it's not something that should be dismissed outright.
I had a chance to sell my G2 the other day, the person that came to buy it was disappointed because it didn't show "4G LTE" on the status bar and I tried to explain that it was pulling down 38Mbps using HSPA+ and using LTE would be slower (on this phone, it actually is) and it would use more battery power, but he didn't care or didn't even comprehend what I was saying:
All he cared about was seeing "4G LTE" in the status bar so he decided not to buy it. I swear, ignorance is a horrible thing, especially in today's world where the info is right there and it's available and people willfully choose to stay ignorant of it.
Anyway, LTE ain't everything...
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Just because American Carriers brand HSPA/HSPA+ as 4G doesn't mean that they are actually 4G, hack even LTE is not truly 4G, i was just explaining to the guy that the verizon model doesn't have 1800 MHZ LTE frequency band which is being used by local carriers (Waridtel, Zong) in pakistan, so he wont be able to access LTE which is Branded as 4G in Pakistan, i hope you got my point
br0adband said:
People have this misunderstanding about 4G: it's a term, it means the 4th generation of cellular technology, and because of that LTE is just one 4G technology - it's not the only one.
HSPA/HSPA+ is a 4G technology (actually it's a 3.5G technology but whatever) and can be just as fast as LTE in most markets, even faster in some respects because HSPA/HSPA+ allows for deeper building/structure penetration aka you get a stronger signal when you're indoors, your phone doesn't have to waste as much power to maintain it, hence you get better speeds.
Sure would be nice if people would realize all this someday and that LTE is not the end-all-be-all when it comes to 4G... it's just one side of 4G technology, another object under the 4G "umbrella" and HSPA/HSPA+ is more than capable of providing very high speed data just as well if not better.
HSPA/HSPA+ is more widespread than LTE too, at least based on looking at coverage charts worldwide - it's a slightly older technology (which means it's had more time to be put into action around the world) but again, it can be just as fast and even faster than LTE in some markets so, it's not something that should be dismissed outright.
I had a chance to sell my G2 the other day, the person that came to buy it was disappointed because it didn't show "4G LTE" on the status bar and I tried to explain that it was pulling down 38Mbps using HSPA+ and using LTE would be slower (on this phone, it actually is) and it would use more battery power, but he didn't care or didn't even comprehend what I was saying:
All he cared about was seeing "4G LTE" in the status bar so he decided not to buy it. I swear, ignorance is a horrible thing, especially in today's world where the info is right there and it's available and people willfully choose to stay ignorant of it.
Anyway, LTE ain't everything...
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Click to collapse
Hello,
Was just gonna post my opinion on which variant to choose, LTE is a real thing to consider.
I opted to go with the Verizon variant because of this, in my country (Dominican Republic) this is the only variant that allows me to use LTE here, so I went with this one, and I'm glad I did, I didn't even know about the wireless charging, it was a pleasant surprise to me as fate would have it, my sister got a Nokia Wireless charger as a gift from her carrier (She has an iPhone) she came to me to know if she could sell it, as soon as I saw it, I tried it on my phone and it worked great! Needless to say I took it from her hands instantly.
Anyways, when I finally used LTE I was blown away! 100 Mbits/s was something Id never experienced. no matter how good HSPA+ is, it will never be as fast as LTE, and the battery life is great even if you leave it on all day. I never turn it off, though its good to know that I can if i want to.
If you get the Verizon variant you will need to at least root the phone to enjoy it completely. Because the wifi hotspot doesn't work if you are using a non Verizon SIM, there is a thread here which allows you to bypass it VERY easily, and it works awesomely.
Besides that, everything else is pretty much on par, there are at least 2 "Best Roms" for the G2 and they both work on the Verizon Variant. One of those two best is developed by XDABBEB who is the awesome Dev who brought us the Camera mod which is insanely good! and he also made a ROM specifically for the Verizon Variant which I installed on a friends VS980 and is working great with ART and his camera mod, the G3 UI preinstalled, and other cool things preinstalled.
Its your choice in the end.
Sorry for the long post, just wanted to give you the VS980 perspective from someone who owns and uses it as a daily driver.
If you have any other questions regarding this variant, do not hesitate to ask.
-X
Xer0 WindKey said:
Hello,
Was just gonna post my opinion on which variant to choose, LTE is a real thing to consider.
I opted to go with the Verizon variant because of this, in my country (Dominican Republic) this is the only variant that allows me to use LTE here, so I went with this one, and I'm glad I did, I didn't even know about the wireless charging, it was a pleasant surprise to me as fate would have it, my sister got a Nokia Wireless charger as a gift from her carrier (She has an iPhone) she came to me to know if she could sell it, as soon as I saw it, I tried it on my phone and it worked great! Needless to say I took it from her hands instantly.
Anyways, when I finally used LTE I was blown away! 100 Mbits/s was something Id never experienced. no matter how good HSPA+ is, it will never be as fast as LTE, and the battery life is great even if you leave it on all day. I never turn it off, though its good to know that I can if i want to.
If you get the Verizon variant you will need to at least root the phone to enjoy it completely. Because the wifi hotspot doesn't work if you are using a non Verizon SIM, there is a thread here which allows you to bypass it VERY easily, and it works awesomely.
Besides that, everything else is pretty much on par, there are at least 2 "Best Roms" for the G2 and they both work on the Verizon Variant. One of those two best is developed by XDABBEB who is the awesome Dev who brought us the Camera mod which is insanely good! and he also made a ROM specifically for the Verizon Variant which I installed on a friends VS980 and is working great with ART and his camera mod, the G3 UI preinstalled, and other cool things preinstalled.
Its your choice in the end.
Sorry for the long post, just wanted to give you the VS980 perspective from someone who owns and uses it as a daily driver.
If you have any other questions regarding this variant, do not hesitate to ask.
-X
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Hello, Nice to see a fellow Dominican around. The Verizon version as you said has surprisingly excellent support around here (For a LG Phone anyways). Would you mind telling how you got 4g to work? what carrier was it with? Claro,tricom or Orange?
thanks in advance.
elander said:
Hello, Nice to see a fellow Dominican around. The Verizon version as you said has surprisingly excellent support around here (For a LG Phone anyways). Would you mind telling how you got 4g to work? what carrier was it with? Claro,tricom or Orange?
thanks in advance.
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Click to collapse
Hello, nice to know I'm not the only one!
I didn't do anything special to make it work, I'm on Claro, just popped in my 4G LTE Sim on the phone and it worked automagically.
In the settings menu I have "Global" selected. Then I used xposed to get rid of that annoying invalid Sim notification.
sorry for being off topic but instead making a new thread i just wanna know why my lg g2 it doesn't have the update software option. i have the ls980 version the sprint and not only that but the camera makes blurry photos and videos .
And when i apply some light pressure on the screen i get blotches which it is very weird and ugly
thank you
nothanks91 said:
dont buy verizon one, it doesn't have the LTE Band for Pakistan, so there will be no 4G for you, go for LG G2 D802, if you need more details you can inbox me
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You are right, I went to buy the Verizon variant but LTE was not working on it (My provider is Warid). I ended up checking all the variants except D802 and LTE was not working on any of them. I was unable to find the D802, people were actually selling it, however, they were all frauds, they had ported different models to the D802 rom, so it showed D802 in the Phone Information (so they could charge more). Even after the port none of the phones I tested were able to run Warid LTE. After searching for hours I was unable to find the D802 in the market, so my question now is that if i buy any of the models is there a way to have Warid LTE work on it, I am not in favor of messing with basebands though unless it's completely safe.
You need to do some research and find out specifically which LTE bands that carrier you want to sign on with is using, then find the G2 that matches it. There's a chance you might be out of luck with the actual LTE support because no G2 variant will support it (which is a possibility) so be aware of this.
This chart page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_LTE_networks#Asia
shows WaridTel using Band 3, apparently. On this page:
http://www.waridtel.com/lte/handset-compatibility
it clearly shows they have support for the LG G2 D802 and D802TA (whatever variant that is) so that's what you should be looking for, obviously.
You just might not be able to get LTE support for both reasons: hardware on the G2 not having it as well as your carrier not being a match for whatever G2 variant you happen to be looking for.
Do the research, then you'll be able to figure things out. Warid must be getting their network access from one of the more major providers, you just have to figure out which LTE band(s) are being utilized and go from there. The D802 might just be your ticket, so to speak, now you have to find a real one.
Do not buy Verizon LG G2. I used this model for a month and found it problematic in Pakistan. That's the only reason it is cheaper than other G2 models.
Sent from my Samsung phone using XDA Free mobile app.
br0adband said:
You need to do some research and find out specifically which LTE bands that carrier you want to sign on with is using, then find the G2 that matches it. There's a chance you might be out of luck with the actual LTE support because no G2 variant will support it (which is a possibility) so be aware of this.
it clearly shows they have support for the LG G2 D802 and D802TA (whatever variant that is) so that's what you should be looking for, obviously.
You just might not be able to get LTE support for both reasons: hardware on the G2 not having it as well as your carrier not being a match for whatever G2 variant you happen to be looking for.
Do the research, then you'll be able to figure things out. Warid must be getting their network access from one of the more major providers, you just have to figure out which LTE band(s) are being utilized and go from there. The D802 might just be your ticket, so to speak, now you have to find a real one.
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I went with your suggestion and pinpointed D802 as the variant that would work for me. However, the issue here was that most people had ported D802 ROMs on American or Korean variants and it was really hard finding out if it was the original D802. So, after testing my SIM card and configuring almost 2 dozen sets for LTE, I decided to not buy the G2 . Good news though I ended up buying the G3, LTE working and I am loving it
I had to spend $120 extra, which was a way out of my budget but I don't regret it, G3 is just too good
Thank you so much for taking the time and giving me all the advice, I really appreciate it
You're welcome, and congrats on the choice/purchase, I wish I could afford a G3 myself to be honest but, maybe someday.
I had first D802 16gb with 7 icons in dock but latest android 4.2.2 from UK, next was 32 but from local shop (europe), but only with 6 icons in dock. I prefer UK roms.