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Hi - I'm looking for some good answers - I think I know the basics...
After much shopping, I bought 2 of these...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170623785892&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
(HTC Touch Pro 2 s - the wife likes for our phones to match so I can teach, set up, etc...)
I think they are called T7373 SEA's South East Asia Versions, and I flashed to 2.07.707/4.49.25.91 radio just fine to get current at WM6.5. (I like factory ROM's - the books work, etc - despite my appreciation for the effort to cook.)
Now - I'm currently ATT, and when they go to Data Plan me, I'm going to T-Mobile prepaid.
So - I get to looking at 3g frequencies - of course!
The book for the device says 900/2100 HSPA/WCDMA.
The sellers' ad says
3G Network HSDPA 900 / 2100
HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 or HSDPA 1700 / 2100
(It's not really clear what the 'or' means)
Now, I'm not *****ing at the seller, I want to really understand, and they knew I was US and they asked ATT or Tmobile.
Would they like have reached into one of three bins, to sell me one of three truly different hardware phones - OR - picked a phone up and flashed it (Radio or full ROM) to my provider, or did they just configure the existing system so it picked Tmobile and its freqs for instance? (When the phone boots, it asks T-Mobile or 2 other Asian-sounding systems) How else could the phones do as advertised? (9/21, 8.5/19, or 17/21)
If the frequencies are not a settings, but a ROM/Radio issue, can I load the 'other US guys' flash and have it work?
If not, does anyone know what really is changed in the hardwares (I imagine the antennas' length might vary by X%, but then here that's % of mms.)
Thanks - great answers and experience really appreciated!!
The device in the picture of the ad is a European unbranded model (RHOD100). It's 3G frequencies are on the 2100MHz band. If they sent you the one pictures, you will not get 3G with any US provider. AT&T uses 850MHz and 1900MHz for their 3G service, while T-Mobile uses 1700/2100MHz. 3G radios are hardware dependent, not software dependent. This means that you must purchase the device that contains the radio for the 3G service you wish to use. They will work on 2G networks anywhere in the world. 3G is really the only difference between carriers.
The AT&T device is the RHOD300 model, also known as the Tilt 2. The T-Mobile version is the RHOD210.
The short answer is that if they send you the exact device in the picture from the ad, you will only be able to get 3G in some parts of Asia and Europe.
The description on the eBay listing is just cut and paste from somewhere (like HTC's website), so that is why it says "or" for the 3G bands. One is for the Euro model, the other is for the Asia model. Either way, neither have the correct bands to give you 3G on AT&T or T-Mobile. And as cajun mentioned, bands are hardware dependent, and there is no way to change it.
If you want 3G on AT&T, you need to buy the AT&T branded Tilt2. But since they will be able to read the IMEI number of the phone (since its ATT branded), they will probably add a smartphone data plan very quickly. So its probably not even worth getting a Tilt2, if you don't want a smartphone data plan. If you want 3G on T-Mobile, you need to buy a T-Mobile branded TP2.
Bottom line, if the phones you bought are unbranded, then they don't have the correct hardware to get 3G on either AT&T or T-Mob.
THX
Hey guys(?) thanks, I think I understand.
So - basically the ad HAS to be a lie, at least for 3G.
So I'm still wondering... What does HTC actually change in the phones - a crystal (I doubt this in modern times), a chip, a pack, an antenna length? There is a small area in the phone that looks 'potted' we used to call it.
They are way too pretty, and way too functional 'as is' to mess with (so I'm not gonna go module or whatever shopping), and we are pretty much 'emergency only' web people (for maps, pizza places, etc) and 2G will be fast enough. The value of a keyboard for texting, the Windows interoperability, and no damn contract is good enough.
We are deciding which ROM level we want before we try ATT to see if they know the numbers... T-Mobile prepaid is the backup plan.
THX
tshephard said:
Hey guys(?) thanks, I think I understand.
So - basically the ad HAS to be a lie, at least for 3G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A lie in that it looks like a lazy cut and paste, with either no proof-reading to catch the error, or a seller that does not fully understand what he is selling. They are a high volume seller, and also just used stock photos (not photos of the actual item), so its just a rushed auction posting. I don't think it was an intentional lie meant to mislead you. But if you want to dispute the sale, I think you have very good grounds, since the information in the auction is incorrect, and its actually impossible to tell what exact model (Euro or Asian) they are selling from the description.
AT&T most likely won't be able to correlate the IMEI with the right phone brand/model. But I've seen cases where they think its a smartphone, but the wrong one, and try to add a smartphone plan. I read a post where a guy was using a Nexus One, and their system was reading it as a Blackberry. I think he just told them it was an unlocked dumbphone, and they removed the smartphone plan.
Please Correct me if I'm wrong...
presently I'm using Sprint Touch Pro 2, and I have read on the internet that it is possible to work with AT&T or T-Mobile (which uses different technology other than Sprint's CDMA) after proper unlocking. Is it possible?
Regards.
chris8989 said:
presently I'm using Sprint Touch Pro 2, and I have read on the internet that it is possible to work with AT&T or T-Mobile (which uses different technology other than Sprint's CDMA) after proper unlocking. Is it possible?
Regards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but you will not be able to use any other network's 3G service. The best you will get is EDGE on another network.
To follow up...
ATT stuck me on $25 Smartphone within 24 hours. (We went to $15 later, and they dropped us to a $10 cheaper talk plan.) For this particular set of phones, apparently the first 8 or so digits of the IMEI is phone type (which they clearly knew from Tilt 2's) and the rest is item serial number. Couldn't argue there...
Speeds, freqs... I don't get a clear definition of G's anywhere, but I show a H before I long on, and another H with bars as I use data. I have used cellular data at up to 1.1mbs per speed sites - I don't know if that's over E, or G, or H but it seems pretty fast to me. All that's on ATT, when I went to the T-Mobile store and tried their card, the best I got was 200kbs on about 5 tries.
Love the phones, added HTC task manager pulldown, and 1.6 VC from here - THX
tshephard said:
To follow up...
ATT stuck me on $25 Smartphone within 24 hours. (We went to $15 later, and they dropped us to a $10 cheaper talk plan.) For this particular set of phones, apparently the first 8 or so digits of the IMEI is phone type (which they clearly knew from Tilt 2's) and the rest is item serial number. Couldn't argue there...
Speeds, freqs... I don't get a clear definition of G's anywhere, but I show a H before I long on, and another H with bars as I use data. I have used cellular data at up to 1.1mbs per speed sites - I don't know if that's over E, or G, or H but it seems pretty fast to me. All that's on ATT, when I went to the T-Mobile store and tried their card, the best I got was 200kbs on about 5 tries.
Love the phones, added HTC task manager pulldown, and 1.6 VC from here - THX
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
G stands for GPRS, and it is a 2G service. It stands for General Packet Radio Service. It is the slowest data service you can get with speeds normally under 50Kbps. It is occasionally known as 2.5G service.
E stands for EDGE. It stands for Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution. It was a revision to the 2G service implementation and features speeds from about 100Kbps to 250Kbps depending on location, service provider, and signal. It is occasionally referred to as a pre-3G technology. It fits in the ITU's definition of 3G, but few people refer to it as such. It is normally marketed as 2.9G.
UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) was a revision to the voice service, and did not address much data-wise. This was the first widespread usage of the term and use of 3G. It is normally the service that your device is using when it shows the 3G icon. 3G speeds are normally 350Kbps - 500Kbps.
H stands for HSPA. It stands for High Speed Packet Access. It is one step higher than what is commonly known as 3G.It is also known as 3.5G. It features speeds closer to 1.5Mbps. HSPA is normally grouped in with 3G service when it is being discussed.
As for your test with T-Mobile, that wasn't really a fair comparison since you can't get 3G speeds on a Tilt2 on T-Mobile's network. You can only ever get EDGE service. Therefore, you were comparing AT&T's 3G service to T-Mobile's EDGE service. This is like trying to race a Mustang with a Moped. If you get the Rhod210 model, you will get the faster connection with T-Mobile. There isn't much to compare between AT&T and T-Mobile. AT&T 3G speeds are slower than T-Mobile. The services are also much cheaper on T-Mobile.
THX for reply, I generally understood all the abbreviations, but like you said - the marketing hype really seems to very from the technology.
If I saw, regularly, over 1 mbs and the H bars to the right of the H block, do ya' think I was H/HSPA over 8.5/9/19/21 freqs?
tshephard said:
THX for reply, I generally understood all the abbreviations, but like you said - the marketing hype really seems to very from the technology.
If I saw, regularly, over 1 mbs and the H bars to the right of the H block, do ya' think I was H/HSPA over 8.5/9/19/21 freqs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On AT&T it would be HSPA on the 850MHz and/or 1900MHz frequencies. T-Mobile uses 1700MHz for HSDPA and 2100MHz for HSUPA. The frequencies for 2G services are all the same for everyone. This is why you will get up to EDGE service with any GSM carrier, but never 3G service unless you buy a device that explicitly supports that carrier's 3G service.
Hello
as far as I know this phone can handle the att 3g/4g frequencies if unlocked ..
Does your straigttalk SIM(the att compatabile one) or true att SIM work well with it if anybody is using them ?
What about data speeds ?
Thanks
Please no 2 words answers
Thanks again
me.. me .. i do.. i do lol
Hello. I have great news for anyone that wants to use the Tmobile GalaxySII with a better prepaid service.
I bought the T989 new and then bought a Tmobile Sim card for about $15 from StraightTalk.com
I put the new sim in and changed the APN to StraightTalk apn. It works fabulous.
I get full 4g speeds all day 24/7 and the best thing is I get no throttle.
Tmobile turned me on with there prices but I didnt notice that they throttle there bandwidth to a stupid slow 2g speed after a certain bandwidth usage.
WHY would any company throttle the internet speed with the purpose to have a smart phone is fast internet? The speed went from 4g to 2g. Not 3g. We are talking 56k modem speed. This pissed me off so bad, I went with StraightTalk just 2 weeks after I activated the T989 with Tbobile using there prepaid. Well, not only is Tmobile prepaid $5 more than the StraightTalk service, But the Tmobile service, as I said is very inferior to StraightTalk.
No Im not a representative of either of these companies.
I did allot of research about using this phone with any sim I wanted and compared price vs performance of what I get for the money.
I can tell you that you will not find any prepaid service cheaper and with unlimited everything when using with the T989.
Ive compared ATT, Verizon, Virgin, Boost, Net10. All of um I could find. None were cheaper and none offered so much. I ended up sticking with Tmobile service cause of the speed they use vs ATT. I couldnt even use the phone with other services due to the technology they offered. Some services are not compatible with this particular Gs2 model. I suggest you use it with Tmobile towers to get the full performance of the internet. Tmobile uses a specific technology to get full internet speeds, which I think is better than ATT. .
I really wanted to stay with Tmobile, but I gotta tell ya, they sucked. MANY people complain about getting just edge speed when using the Tmobile prepaid service. No kidding! Its cause they purposely throttle the speed! Look at teh small print on there advertisements! They have a few different so called unlimited plans. The price goes stupid high to like $70 just to get full bandwidth speeds to decent usage. With StraightTalk its always full bandwidth and the kicker is that they use Tmobile towers! They dont throttle the speed at all. I dont get anything lower than 9mb down and 3.5 to 4 gb up.
Its $45 a month.Vs anywhere from 50 to $70 depending on the useage for internet you want.
Why did I choose this phone vs other cool phones ?
Well.
THIS phone , when properly setup with apps or a certain rom, can tether wirelessly to your laptop with NO additional tether charges ( which Tmobile charges I think $15 extra ). SO if you are in an area where you have no wifi and need to use your laptop for internet, do what I do. use the GS2 at a wireless router and get very fast internet speeds! Its no extra charge and a quick solution to no wifi.
Just remember to use the FOXFI appto do this no extra charge tethering. No special rom or hacks needed.
Check my other thread about the roms Ive used.
nickcaper said:
Hello. I have great news for anyone that wants to use the Tmobile GalaxySII with a better prepaid service.
I bought the T989 new and then bought a Tmobile Sim card for about $15 from StraightTalk.com
I put the new sim in and changed the APN to StraightTalk apn. It works fabulous.
I get full 4g speeds all day 24/7 and the best thing is I get no throttle.
Tmobile turned me on with there prices but I didnt notice that they throttle there bandwidth to a stupid slow 2g speed after a certain bandwidth usage.
WHY would any company throttle the internet speed with the purpose to have a smart phone is fast internet? The speed went from 4g to 2g. Not 3g. We are talking 56k modem speed. This pissed me off so bad, I went with StraightTalk just 2 weeks after I activated the T989 with Tbobile using there prepaid. Well, not only is Tmobile prepaid $5 more than the StraightTalk service, But the Tmobile service, as I said is very inferior to StraightTalk.
No Im not a representative of either of these companies.
I did allot of research about using this phone with any sim I wanted and compared price vs performance of what I get for the money.
I can tell you that you will not find any prepaid service cheaper and with unlimited everything when using with the T989.
Ive compared ATT, Verizon, Virgin, Boost, Net10. All of um I could find. None were cheaper and none offered so much. I ended up sticking with Tmobile service cause of the speed they use vs ATT. I couldnt even use the phone with other services due to the technology they offered. Some services are not compatible with this particular Gs2 model. I suggest you use it with Tmobile towers to get the full performance of the internet. Tmobile uses a specific technology to get full internet speeds, which I think is better than ATT. .
I really wanted to stay with Tmobile, but I gotta tell ya, they sucked. MANY people complain about getting just edge speed when using the Tmobile prepaid service. No kidding! Its cause they purposely throttle the speed! Look at teh small print on there advertisements! They have a few different so called unlimited plans. The price goes stupid high to like $70 just to get full bandwidth speeds to decent usage. With StraightTalk its always full bandwidth and the kicker is that they use Tmobile towers! They dont throttle the speed at all. I dont get anything lower than 9mb down and 3.5 to 4 gb up.
Its $45 a month.Vs anywhere from 50 to $70 depending on the useage for internet you want.
Why did I choose this phone vs other cool phones ?
Well.
THIS phone , when properly setup with apps or a certain rom, can tether wirelessly to your laptop with NO additional tether charges ( which Tmobile charges I think $15 extra ). SO if you are in an area where you have no wifi and need to use your laptop for internet, do what I do. use the GS2 at a wireless router and get very fast internet speeds! Its no extra charge and a quick solution to no wifi.
Just remember to use the FOXFI appto do this no extra charge tethering. No special rom or hacks needed.
Check my other thread about the roms Ive used.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
are u sure u get 4g ? on they website only say 3g
Is it possible to use the straighttalk via At and T? I have a tmobile phone but it has been blocked on their network (bought from craigslist) . I was wondering if it can be salvaged and used on at and t.
Dattack said:
Is it possible to use the straighttalk via At and T? I have a tmobile phone but it has been blocked on their network (bought from craigslist) . I was wondering if it can be salvaged and used on at and t.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
does it have the proper at&t bands or an at&t radio from the equivalent phone ...
if so you choose at&t compatible when you get the sim/apn from their website
Yeah, say that to your account getting terminated next week. Congratulations.
StraightTalk has a cap of 2GBS!!!! it depends on your luck, but if u get more than 4GBS, you will be suspended in the upcoming days.. T-mobile's monthly4g plans are the only way to get 5GBs for only $30.....
Have fun getting terminated.
There's a big thread about this in the galaxy nexus forums. I own both devices so I hop back & forth between the 2. It is common knowledge that straight talk does not publish their data cap, but rather they kick you off the network. Streaming more than a couple of YouTube videos/day violates their terms of service. This being said, if straight talk is working out for you, good for you. It is a much cheaper alternative. Also, you mention a $5 more T-Mobile plan.... you do realize that the $50 tmo plan includes only 100mb at 4g speeds & then throttling... tmo does offer $60 unlimited talk/text & 2gb of 4g data...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
I've got t mobile's $30 with 5GB & a bunch of texts, enough for Mr anyway, but only 100 minutes. But I don't talk much
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
I got T-Mobile 5g for $20 on android prefered plan. I thought 5g was $25.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
Couldn't find it. What are the details?
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
I just called they don't do it anymore.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
Oh that sucks. Np tho, I still have 5gb for $30, which you can't get anywhere else.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
Look folks. Seriosuly. All this crap about Tmobile being better is bull****.
I know first hand cause I tried Tmobile with the GS2 then used it with Straight talk.
I still have it on Straighttalk. I installed a data counter. I can see the data I use on 4g vs wifi. I keep the useage down on the phone. I use about 2g a month. Wifi is much more. BUT the speeds is what is most important. Lets do a comparison.
Tmobile 50$ plan gets you *First 100MB at up to 4G speeds then goes to 2 g. There 60$ pan gets you ***First 2GB at up to 4G speeds. This plan is the same data you will get using StraightTalk but $15 more. And for 70$ with Tmobile you get ****First 5GB at up to 4G speeds. WHich is 25$ more and I must say when yoiu are on a budget it does make a difference. Now, I have done several speed tests and compaed my results to 4g and 3G. Then I compared it to my Wifi. Here are the results. My Wifi results show I get 20mb down and 2mb up. This is pretty accurate for what I pay for with my home internet. using just the phone and not wifi I get 4.5mb down and 1.7mb up. I use the speed.net Android app. Just do a search for speed test in android market. It looks like a big speedometer. I get no throttles. And Actually sometimes I get faster speeds on my cell 4g. Ive gotten upto 9mbs! No joke. Most people are getting at most around 2.1mb down on 4g networks. If youre lucky you will get really high 20mb down. WHat people dont understand is that Tmobile has a special channel they use for there data that provides better speeds. Called HSPA+ where at ATT and Verizon use LTE which they claim is faster but no sorry it aint. Do youtube searches and you can see for yourself. So if you use a Tmobile phone on any other network, you wont get the fastest speeds possible. Sure Tmobile and ATT use the same network but NOT the same channels ( frequencies ) So What I did was I choose to get a Tmobile sim card to use the HSPA+ channel. That enables my phone to work at full network speeds. Problem with Tmobile prepaid vs StraightTalk is that Tmobile throttles. SO lets say I get just 3g speeds like some of you keep saying. Well its still a whole lot better than 2g with Tmobile ( look at the price and data useage on Tmobiles cheapest plan ) For example. Lets say we use at most 2g monthly data. Tmobile will cost you $15 more for the same speed and data amount that Straight Talk offers. So WHY use Tmobile? Go check out this video youtu.be/7IBCtS0jmag
I wouldnt bull**** you . I got the phone in my hand and know what Im talking about. BTW I had a Nokia E71 and used it with StraightTalk and always got HsPa speeds which is way up there past 3G. The phone wasnt 4G capable but It would show 3.5G on the screen. The vid I just asked you to watch explains all the speeds. I am infact getting 4 G with StraighTalk.
---------- Post added at 07:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:41 AM ----------
Husam2011 said:
Yeah, say that to your account getting terminated next week. Congratulations.
StraightTalk has a cap of 2GBS!!!! it depends on your luck, but if u get more than 4GBS, you will be suspended in the upcoming days.. T-mobile's monthly4g plans are the only way to get 5GBs for only $30.....
Have fun getting terminated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude you got a bad attitude. Im telling you all this for YOUR benefit.
I been having this phone now for 3 months. No problems at all.
Before this phone I had a Nokia E71 using the ATT sim and got 3.5G speeds. All this crap about only getting 3G is hearsay. Hey if you wanna whine and complain do it in the mirror. I know what Im getting.
You may get something different depending on your area. All I know is that the straighTalk plan is cheaper.
shoobiedoobiiwhompwop said:
does it have the proper at&t bands or an at&t radio from the equivalent phone ...
if so you choose at&t compatible when you get the sim/apn from their website
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i double checked it does have the proper at&t bands and radio. Tmobile galaxy s2 with att sim should be able to get 3g speeds. My biggest question is, does tmobile and ATT share blacklist. If they do this means phone will be blacklisted even after unlocked. If not then phone will be able to be used with ATT sim
oh brother
nickcaper said:
Look folks. Seriosuly. All this crap about Tmobile being better is bull****.
I know first hand cause I tried Tmobile with the GS2 then used it with Straight talk.
I still have it on Straighttalk. I installed a data counter. I can see the data I use on 4g vs wifi. I keep the useage down on the phone. I use about 2g a month. Wifi is much more. BUT the speeds is what is most important. Lets do a comparison.
Tmobile 50$ plan gets you *First 100MB at up to 4G speeds then goes to 2 g. There 60$ pan gets you ***First 2GB at up to 4G speeds. This plan is the same data you will get using StraightTalk but $15 more. And for 70$ with Tmobile you get ****First 5GB at up to 4G speeds. WHich is 25$ more and I must say when yoiu are on a budget it does make a difference. Now, I have done several speed tests and compaed my results to 4g and 3G. Then I compared it to my Wifi. Here are the results. My Wifi results show I get 20mb down and 2mb up. This is pretty accurate for what I pay for with my home internet. using just the phone and not wifi I get 4.5mb down and 1.7mb up. I use the speed.net Android app. Just do a search for speed test in android market. It looks like a big speedometer. I get no throttles. And Actually sometimes I get faster speeds on my cell 4g. Ive gotten upto 9mbs! No joke. Most people are getting at most around 2.1mb down on 4g networks. If youre lucky you will get really high 20mb down. WHat people dont understand is that Tmobile has a special channel they use for there data that provides better speeds. Called HSPA+ where at ATT and Verizon use LTE which they claim is faster but no sorry it aint. Do youtube searches and you can see for yourself. So if you use a Tmobile phone on any other network, you wont get the fastest speeds possible. Sure Tmobile and ATT use the same network but NOT the same channels ( frequencies ) So What I did was I choose to get a Tmobile sim card to use the HSPA+ channel. That enables my phone to work at full network speeds. Problem with Tmobile prepaid vs StraightTalk is that Tmobile throttles. SO lets say I get just 3g speeds like some of you keep saying. Well its still a whole lot better than 2g with Tmobile ( look at the price and data useage on Tmobiles cheapest plan ) For example. Lets say we use at most 2g monthly data. Tmobile will cost you $15 more for the same speed and data amount that Straight Talk offers. So WHY use Tmobile? Go check out this video youtu.be/7IBCtS0jmag
I wouldnt bull**** you . I got the phone in my hand and know what Im talking about. BTW I had a Nokia E71 and used it with StraightTalk and always got HsPa speeds which is way up there past 3G. The phone wasnt 4G capable but It would show 3.5G on the screen. The vid I just asked you to watch explains all the speeds. I am infact getting 4 G with StraighTalk.
---------- Post added at 07:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:41 AM ----------
Dude you got a bad attitude. Im telling you all this for YOUR benefit.
I been having this phone now for 3 months. No problems at all.
Before this phone I had a Nokia E71 using the ATT sim and got 3.5G speeds. All this crap about only getting 3G is hearsay. Hey if you wanna whine and complain do it in the mirror. I know what Im getting.
You may get something different depending on your area. All I know is that the straighTalk plan is cheaper.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jeez.i had a nokia e71 on straight talk a couple of years ago,the speed was fair,but it isn't even capable of hspa.
i went over the data limit one month,i got no warning,no throttle.
at the end of the month my account was banned.
i am on month 8 of tmobile's 5 gb 100 minute plan.i recommend it highly.
in fact i added a second account i like it so well.
i make calls over wifi using bobsled calling,does not count against your minutes,and has good sound quality.that has been my experience,i'll refrain from any disparaging comments.
I am on ATT with Unlimited $30 iPhone plan. My main is iPhone 4S yet I just love my T989 and sometimes I switch. Here is what I can say about data. IT is fast and it's 100% not EDGE yet I think for some reason it's not as fast as my 4S (data wise) If needed I can provide speedtest.net test results from same location with 4S and T989 and you'll see that T989 is slightly slower, I'd say I'll get solid 250KB/sec download and about 100KB/sec upload with T989 and about 340/150 with iPhone. Also in Games like Order and Chaos I see iPhone performs a bit better latency wise (now that kinda make no sense but oh well) So here is my 2 cents
wilson pickett said:
jeez.i had a nokia e71 on straight talk a couple of years ago,the speed was fair,but it isn't even capable of hspa.
i went over the data limit one month,i got no warning,no throttle.
at the end of the month my account was banned.
i am on month 8 of tmobile's 5 gb 100 minute plan.i recommend it highly.
in fact i added a second account i like it so well.
i make calls over wifi using bobsled calling,does not count against your minutes,and has good sound quality.that has been my experience,i'll refrain from any disparaging comments.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
100 minutes might be fine if you sit at home all day with a wifi connection but what about people on the go?
So far i havent been banned or blacklisted.
Ive tried the Tmobile service and its great but again, the throttle is what sux. WHY do they even bother doin that? Im sick of the greedy things these companies do to make money. Its suppose to be unlimited BUt, And you have a smart phone but cant fully use it unless..... its always some bull****.
As for Nokia, yea I got 3.5g all the time. Said it right there on the phone.
BTW. I cant wifi on the T989 cause I dont use Tmobile. Only Tmobile service enables wifi calling.
All they gotta do is take that throttle bull**** off and Ill go with them.
If Straight talk can do it and do it cheaper then why cant Tmobile do it?
There loss.
---------- Post added at 01:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:51 PM ----------
russiandivxclub said:
I am on ATT with Unlimited $30 iPhone plan. My main is iPhone 4S yet I just love my T989 and sometimes I switch. Here is what I can say about data. IT is fast and it's 100% not EDGE yet I think for some reason it's not as fast as my 4S (data wise) If needed I can provide speedtest.net test results from same location with 4S and T989 and you'll see that T989 is slightly slower, I'd say I'll get solid 250KB/sec download and about 100KB/sec upload with T989 and about 340/150 with iPhone. Also in Games like Order and Chaos I see iPhone performs a bit better latency wise (now that kinda make no sense but oh well) So here is my 2 cents
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Click to collapse
Man that is some really slow speeds.
Rememeber, the T989 s meant to work with HSPA+ not LTE.
Using the T989 on anything other than Tmobile may yield slower speeds that you would usually get. The phone works with totally different frequency channels. Although you will get data it wont be as fast. The data frequency on the T989 is not compatible with the ATT data frequency. They arent the same. So people get slow speeds when using the T989 on ATT service. Tmobile uses 1900mhz for HSPA+ which is 4G. The 1900Mhz channel ATT uses only gives HSPA not HSPA+. HSPA is just 3G. In 2013 Tmobile will start using the 1700/2100mhz channels for LTE but your T989 will still only be setup for 1900Mhz HSPA+. ATT uses 1700/2100mhz channels for 4g. As you can see these 2 companies uses different channels to get 4g speeds.
So again, if you have a T989 Always always use a Tmobile sim card with StraighTalk or use Tmobile as your service. If you dont, the phone will not receive proper 1900Mhz data frequencies and wont get high internet speeds.
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ATT Data Guide
VS
Tmobile Data guide
I used to own a G2X for the tomobile network and now I have a galaxy s2, but the thing I remember going on in the g2x forums was that there was a hack to make it so that your phone wouldn't get throttled if you went over the cap limit on tmobiles network. I don't know if such a thing exists for our gs2 but if it doesn't might not hurt to ask the dev guys for help on this being a possibiltu for our phones.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using XDA
nickcaper said:
100 minutes might be fine if you sit at home all day with a wifi connection but what about people on the go?
So far i havent been banned or blacklisted.
Ive tried the Tmobile service and its great but again, the throttle is what sux. WHY do they even bother doin that? Im sick of the greedy things these companies do to make money. Its suppose to be unlimited BUt, And you have a smart phone but cant fully use it unless..... its always some bull****.
As for Nokia, yea I got 3.5g all the time. Said it right there on the phone.
BTW. I cant wifi on the T989 cause I dont use Tmobile. Only Tmobile service enables wifi calling.
All they gotta do is take that throttle bull**** off and Ill go with them.
If Straight talk can do it and do it cheaper then why cant Tmobile do it?
There loss.
---------- Post added at 01:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:51 PM ----------
Man that is some really slow speeds.
Rememeber, the T989 s meant to work with HSPA+ not LTE.
Using the T989 on anything other than Tmobile may yield slower speeds that you would usually get. The phone works with totally different frequency channels. Although you will get data it wont be as fast. The data frequency on the T989 is not compatible with the ATT data frequency. They arent the same. So people get slow speeds when using the T989 on ATT service. Tmobile uses 1900mhz for HSPA+ which is 4G. The 1900Mhz channel ATT uses only gives HSPA not HSPA+. HSPA is just 3G. In 2013 Tmobile will start using the 1700/2100mhz channels for LTE but your T989 will still only be setup for 1900Mhz HSPA+. ATT uses 1700/2100mhz channels for 4g. As you can see these 2 companies uses different channels to get 4g speeds.
So again, if you have a T989 Always always use a Tmobile sim card with StraighTalk or use Tmobile as your service. If you dont, the phone will not receive proper 1900Mhz data frequencies and wont get high internet speeds.
CLICK ON THUMBNAIL TO PREVIEW CHARTS
ATT Data Guide
VS
Tmobile Data guide
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well in that case if possible explain this. Let's make this simple. There is EDGE that will give you like 10KB sec at most ....then there is 3G that will give you anything from lower 100kb to as high as 8Mbit / sec ( I get easy 8Mbit/sec on Brighton Beach 11235 ZIP CODE) now T989 is not EDGE it's simply too fast for that and you saying it does not have proper band for ATT 3G ..so what does is works on then ? Because in my understanding T989 by TMobile is ONLY SGS2 phone that support all carriers with 3G speeds. I may be wrong but all I know is this. It works not as good as iPhone on ATT but I can listen radio and make Skype calls with video and watch youtube movies when let's say other Tmobile phones and using edge I can hardly get email going with ATT SIM and forget about any multimedia.
I think you are not fully educated on the cell phone technologies.
Cell phones have the capability to work on all old technologies. Or at least most old technologies. In other words, todays cell phones are backward compatible with Edge and 2G and even 3G. The Galaxy S2 is a 4g phone. NOT just 3G. but can work on 3G as well. It gets 4G by using the HSPA+ carrier. Others use LTE like your Iphone.
You should look at the chart again and made a study of it.
Your Iphone you have is manufactured to work with ATT. It has a special radio in it that is specifically setup to work with ATT 4G LTE which is any of the 3 channels in the chart for ATT. The 3 channels ATT uses to get 4G is 700mhz, 1700 and 2100Mhz. 4g goes way up to around 20+mb download. Your ATT iPhone also works on 3G but ATT's 3g channels are 850 and 1900mhz and use the HSPA carrier. NOT HSPA+ which Tmobile uses to get 4G. But Tmobile does some magic and uses the ATT HSPA channels and turns them into 4G by using HSPA+ !!!!
If you look at the TMobile chart you can see that its VERY beneficial to use there network and phones for 2 reasons. First, If you use Tmobile you will get very fast data speeds which many say is the fastest. Second reason is, that Tmobile uses a totally different set of channels to get that data speed PLUS allows you to use your ATT phone on there channels AND get 4G speeds that ATT would only yield 3G! Ill give you the big picture here. MOSt phones right now, that ATT user have are working in the 850mhz to 1900mhz range. That gives the ATT user a 3G speed and they will see around 2.1mb downloads at best. The really cool thing about Tmobile is that if you take your ATT phone and port it over to Tmobile, that same 1900mhz is now running at 4g speeds due to the HSPA+ technology Tmobile uses. And you didnt even have to do anything !!!
Many people have said that when porting over to Tmobile they get faster speeds. This is why.
The only time ATT will be the same speed as Tmobile is when you have an ATT phone like an Iphone 4 that runs on the LTE network. Of course there are other new phones that use the LTE technology on ATT but for most people right now, they are still using the 3G channels because they bought there phones a year or 2 ago and LTE was not out then.
If You are getting high speeds on your Iphone 4 and not on your GS2 then its due to one reason. Reception. The GS2 cant recieve LTE speeds which on paper says its way faster than Tmobile. As I said it can be upto 20+mb download. Many people dont get that but some do. HSPA+ will get 8mb with a very good signal and that is not a bad download at all. Its very good actually. Soon, in 2013 Tmobile will be upgrading to LTE so dont worry about speed. Tmobile will be way up there with ATT and while ATT still has the Iphone, Android is right there coming out with phones that smoke Iphone. Tmobile offers 4G speeds with 3G channels. Noone else does that. Its cause they want people to port over to there service.
I hope you can understand what Im saying now.
Before anybody says anything on this matter and so your opinion is not biased from the title, heres a short video showcasing T-mobiles HSPA+ against ATT's LTE on their respective GSIII's.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia5iBxqsjW8&feature=player_embedded#!
As you can see from that video, or if you skipped it, Tmobile's current Data network was toping around 11mbps while ATT's LTE was pretty behind at 5mbps. Thats only download speeds, and upload speeds were in favor of ATT's LTE but download is more important than upload in my opinion. At the same time though if a user is receiving better download speeds on their HSPA+ network, would it matter if they won't be able to link into the LTE network in the future?
This was confirmed by a tmobile spokesman. I just thought people should know, as this should play a role into people's buying decision. I have not bought mine yet and tried to on the first day but it was sold out. I am waiting for the next batch on the 27th.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57460125-94/t-mobiles-pricier-samsung-galaxy-s3-will-not-get-lte/
http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/06/t-mobile-samsung-galaxy-s3-skips-lte-party/
ATTs LTE is WAY faster than tmobile's HSPA+, that was either a faulty unit, or a terrible area. My girlfriend is on an ATT Note and she gets an easy 55MBPS down...
I don't care about LTE, I mean TMobile isn't even getting it till like mid 2013 right? and 11mbps is fine for me, I don't know who actually uses faster data than 11 to 15 (I actually get 15mbps down on tmobile where I am).
This is a complete non-issue for most people I think.
I bought 2x Samsung Galaxy Note 2 phones off newegg for $650 each. These are unlocked phones, specifically, this device:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16875176414
The data service for just about everyone I've tried sucks horribly. I decided to give T-Mobile a try since they offer 4G HSPA+ 42 in this area.
The person in the store says that I can buy prepaid sim cards. I wind up ordering them over the phone since they only cost $1 instead of $30 for a microsim if you order it that way. The website says I can get 2GB of 4G data per month for $60. I pay my $66 and change after tax.
Immediately, I notice I am getting crappy 2G / Edge comparable speeds. I call customer service and they tell me that because the phones are unlocked and not bought from T-Mobile that 2G / Edge is the maximum speed I can get and that 4G speeds are not possible without purchasing a phone direct from T-Mobile. Neither the person in the store, nor the person that sold me the sim over the phone mentioned this and they are refusing a refund.
Is there any truth to what they are saying about not being able to get 4G if I don't purchase direct from the service provider. Are there any work arounds?
I'm burning with rage right now.
Thanks,
-Bob
r0b126 said:
I bought 2x Samsung Galaxy Note 2 phones off newegg for $650 each. These are unlocked phones, specifically, this device:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16875176414
The data service for just about everyone I've tried sucks horribly. I decided to give T-Mobile a try since they offer 4G HSPA+ 42 in this area.
The person in the store says that I can buy prepaid sim cards. I wind up ordering them over the phone since they only cost $1 instead of $30 for a microsim if you order it that way. The website says I can get 2GB of 4G data per month for $60. I pay my $66 and change after tax.
Immediately, I notice I am getting crappy 2G / Edge comparable speeds. I call customer service and they tell me that because the phones are unlocked and not bought from T-Mobile that 2G / Edge is the maximum speed I can get and that 4G speeds are not possible without purchasing a phone direct from T-Mobile. Neither the person in the store, nor the person that sold me the sim over the phone mentioned this and they are refusing a refund.
Is there any truth to what they are saying about not being able to get 4G if I don't purchase direct from the service provider. Are there any work arounds?
I'm burning with rage right now.
Thanks,
-Bob
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They told you right about the Edge. Our phones don't use the band that T-Mobile uses for 3G.
what about 4G? and are there any work arounds for this? How is t-mobile selling the galaxy note 2 to its customers with the 4g service?
Are there any providers that offer faster than 2G / Edge for Galaxy Note 2?
Also, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16875176414
I posted a bad link in the original thread earlier
Kno you will have to ... go with Att .. man and there prepaid is not as good as Tmoble ..... Blahhhhhhhhhh that sucks
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
I use Straight Talk with AT&T and it has 3G. Thing is AT&T & ST are parting ways. You can only find Straight Talk AT&T Sim cards on Walmart.com & eBay now, and they're going fast. Straight will only be using T-Mobile and that will suck. I'll change so fast their heads will spin if they try to force me from AT&T to T-Mobile.
Although the International Note II's don't have same bands as Tmobiles HSPA+ and you normally will only get 2g/Edge, if you are one of the lucky ones in a TMobile refarmed area you should get HSPA.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda app-developers app
---------- Post added at 11:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:55 PM ----------
T-Mobile's version of the Note 2 has the HSPA+/4G band for their specific network which the N7105 doesnt have..
Sent from my GT-N7105 using xda app-developers app
Well A) you've bought an n7100 which doesn't support dc-HSDPA anyway so you'd only get up to 21 instead of 42mbps
B) you bought it without checking if it supports the radio bands you need for your carrier, which it doesn't, which is why you're only getting 2g speeds. It's nothing to do with t mobile capping you to 2g
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium
r0b126 said:
Immediately, I notice I am getting crappy 2G / Edge comparable speeds. I call customer service and they tell me that because the phones are unlocked and not bought from T-Mobile that 2G / Edge is the maximum speed I can get and that 4G speeds are not possible without purchasing a phone direct from T-Mobile. Neither the person in the store, nor the person that sold me the sim over the phone mentioned this and they are refusing a refund.
Is there any truth to what they are saying about not being able to get 4G if I don't purchase direct from the service provider. Are there any work arounds?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, lots of wrong information both there and in this thread.
This is a quick post so some of my numbers might be wrong, but here's the basics:
Two years ago, t-mobile's 3G/4G relied on the 1700 band, which the N7100 doesn't support.
To make a long story short, t-mobile is using 1700 for LTE, and moving their 3G onto the univerally supported 1900 band, which works on our N7100 and most international phones.
This is a gradual rollout. If your area has been 'moved', you'll get 3G. And by gradual I mean one tower at a time.
I don't think they expect full US 1900 3G till end of 2013.
It's only recently that NY had enough 1900 band support that I have now decided to move over to t-mobile.
we might not support 4200, I did some random spot testing and I think I was only getting 2100.
Previously, with my note 1, I had to dump t-mobile and go to AT&T which fully supports 1900.
- Frank
I went to Dallas the other day and brought the Tmobile sim with me. The my speed changed from E to H+ (sometimes 3G) and the data connection was considerably faster than 2g or 3g, but I frequently get a message stating, "You have lost data connectivity because y".... the rest of the message is cut off and I haven't found a way to read the entire thing because touching it brings me to a settings screen and trying to move the text by swiping or sliding clears the message.
Hi. I purchased the Pro.8.4 for $350 at Best Buy. Apparently they only sell the WiFi version. I noticed that you can get the LTE version on Expansys for about $450. Anybody in the US buy the LTE version? What carrier you using and how is it working out. Is it worth the extra $100 to you? Thanks!
mscion said:
Hi. I purchased the Pro.8.4 for $350 at Best Buy. Apparently they only sell the WiFi version. I noticed that you can get the LTE version on Expansys for about $450. Anybody in the US buy the LTE version? What carrier you using and how is it working out. Is it worth the extra $100 to you? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought the T325 and I am using it on AT&T. Unfortunately, it doesn't have the correct LTE bands for the U.S., so the best it can get is H+ which is 3g. Having said that, I don't have LTE where I live but I get 14Mbps on H+ so I'm not missing the LTE at home. I travel a lot and most of the places I go to have 3g speeds between 3-6Mbps so it does ok (a lot better than hotel wifi).
The thing to consider is that on AT&T, and I'm assuming t-Mobile as well, the T325 shows up as a cell phone so it will require a full cell phone sim. A data-only sim won't activate. I also had to tweak the APN to get a solid connection.
All said, I'm very happy with the T325 and I use it as my daily phone/tablet.
flymacs said:
I bought the T325 and I am using it on AT&T. Unfortunately, it doesn't have the correct LTE bands for the U.S., so the best it can get is H+ which is 3g. Having said that, I don't have LTE where I live but I get 14Mbps on H+ so I'm not missing the LTE at home. I travel a lot and most of the places I go to have 3g speeds between 3-6Mbps so it does ok (a lot better than hotel wifi).
The thing to consider is that on AT&T, and I'm assuming t-Mobile as well, the T325 shows up as a cell phone so it will require a full cell phone sim. A data-only sim won't activate. I also had to tweak the APN to get a solid connection.
All said, I'm very happy with the T325 and I use it as my daily phone/tablet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi. Thanks for your comments. Just wondering how you use it as a phone. Due you use it via bluetooth device?
I can confirm what flymacs wrote. It doesn't support LTE in US. I'm using AT&T as well and I've confirmed there is LTE coverage where I'm at from other AT&T users but I only connect to H+ (3G).
Not a real problem for me as I'm a light data user and I knew going in that LTE was a long shot.
mscion said:
Hi. Thanks for your comments. Just wondering how you use it as a phone. Due you use it via bluetooth device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The SM-T325 is the Cellular/International/Non-U.S. LTE version. The SM-T320 is the wifi only version. The T325 has a earpiece just like all cell phones. You can make/answer calls simply by holding it up to your ear like any other cell phone. Granted, it may look silly holding this size of a device next to your head. I use both a wired earbud and a bluetooth headset.
Phone quality and reception is very good. In fact the audio quality of the T325 is better than most of the devices I've used. The only minor issue I have is my work apps don't scale very well to the high ppi of the screen. But that is not the phone's fault.