I live in the USA, using AT&T, and is shopping around for Galaxy S phone. The Captivate is the obvious choice under the Galaxy S flag. I just noticed the Galaxy S Vibrant from Canada today and I am really interested in it, especially because of the front facing camera.
How would I go about purchasing it? How would I get it working under the AT&T carrier? How is Edge, 3G, and voice, etc? How would future rom updates be installed? What are the down sides to buying the Vibrant versus a local Captivate?
Thanks
I have a Bell GS and on Bell it works great. Though after a firmware upgrade yesterday is is acting a bit wonky, might have to do reset.
To use it on ATT in the US you would have to buy it outright from Bell or other brick and mortar store that carry Bell phones. ie. Best Buy/FutureShop.
There is an unlock app for GS's and supposedly works on the Bell I9000, haven't tried it myself, no need atm. This will allow you to use a ATT sim card in the phone.
To update, you can use Samsung kies, supposedly what they will be using to push updates to GS, you can get that from samsungs web site. From what I have found so far you need to be in the touch wiz launcher to use kies. only matters if you use 3rd party launchers.
Not sure how the FFC will work for you. That might be dependant on ATT?
Your best bet, if you decide to get one. ROOT and make it your *****!
It would be 100% compatible on AT&T's network. In fact, it's even more compatible because Bell doesn't have a 2G network you can switch to to save battery life.
ROM updates come officially through Kies like normal, although you should also be able to flash most international i9000 ROMs you see floating around here, just make sure before doing so. Flashing a Captivate ROM just because you're on AT&T is a surefire way to brick your phone.
To buy it you will likely need to use something like eBay because even if you purchase it outright almost every store won't let you leave unless you have existing service with Bell. You can unlock it for free though with the method that I am sure is detailed on the Android Development board somewhere.
The obvious downside to buying Bell's Galaxy S is it comes at full retail price (over $500 Canadian) and in all likelihood you're probably going to get a model with the three button download/recovery modes disabled, making flashing ROMs risky. Hold out until the end of this month to see if Samsung Canada announces more about their promised fix for this.
I am using one on AT&T as well and it works fine. Best part is that AT&T doesn't force you on their limited smartphone plans and you can put it on a cheaper unlimited plan.
I got mine in a trade for a BB Torch but you can find one on eBay or maybe talk to a Canadian member here to see about picking one up for you. I would suggest you have them check for the 3 button recovery to make sure it's working before they buy it though.
The downside is warranty issues if it breaks but as long as the 3 button recovery works you should be able to recover from a bad flash and the hardware seems pretty solid so far so no worries there.
Based on the responses, I am definitely going with the Bell/Canadian Vibrant. The only trouble I have now is just finding one to purchase.
How do I post my intentions here to let people that I want one? Who is a reliable dealer here?
Many Thanks
GH
the bell ones got both 850 and 1900 bands?
Also does it have a bell logo on it or is it unbranded.
send me a PM if you want to buy a Bell SGS with 3 button working tested, and GPS tested before mailing it to your address of choice.
BuddyLee said:
the bell ones got both 850 and 1900 bands?
Also does it have a bell logo on it or is it unbranded.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is unbranded
3 button mode is enabled again with latest firmware
Epic 4G (used as 3G on Bell / Rogers)
Hello,
I am interested exactly the opposite: I want to buy an Epic from Sprint (with no contract) and to use it in Canada (on Bell or Rogers) but only with a data plan, no voice (as I will use the SIP / VOIP). If Bell or Rogers offers only data plan, should this phone (Epic) works out of the box (or with the unlocking code) on the 3G network of Bell / Rogers, simply inserting their SIM card into the phone?
catalinu said:
Hello,
I am interested exactly the opposite: I want to buy an Epic from Sprint (with no contract) and to use it in Canada (on Bell or Rogers) but only with a data plan, no voice (as I will use the SIP / VOIP). If Bell or Rogers offers only data plan, should this phone (Epic) works out of the box (or with the unlocking code) on the 3G network of Bell / Rogers, simply inserting their SIM card into the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the sprint version is CDMA, chances are it's CDMA locked to sprint
CDMA unlocking is done on the server side, is not on the phone like GSM
you need to register your CDMA IMEI number to the say... Bell or Telus, if they see it on their server it's allowed they will let you in, if they see it listed as not allowed then they wont register the phone into their (Telus/Bell) CDMA network
garyHal said:
I live in the USA, using AT&T, and is shopping around for Galaxy S phone. The Captivate is the obvious choice under the Galaxy S flag. I just noticed the Galaxy S Vibrant from Canada today and I am really interested in it, especially because of the front facing camera.
How would I go about purchasing it? How would I get it working under the AT&T carrier? How is Edge, 3G, and voice, etc? How would future rom updates be installed? What are the down sides to buying the Vibrant versus a local Captivate?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use it on Rogers network and it works great. No problem so far.
AllGamer said:
the sprint version is CDMA, chances are it's CDMA locked to sprint
CDMA unlocking is done on the server side, is not on the phone like GSM
you need to register your CDMA IMEI number to the say... Bell or Telus, if they see it on their server it's allowed they will let you in, if they see it listed as not allowed then they wont register the phone into their (Telus/Bell) CDMA network
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your answer.
I am not a tech, but the 4G/3G is also depending on CDMA? Or CDMA concerns only voice? Is it 4G/3G a standard (the same on Sprint and Bell and Rogers) that doesn't depend neither on CDMA or GSM?
we don't have 4G support yet in Canada
CDMA is for voice, but if you can not register the phone in the network for voice, you will also not get access to data
to have data you must have a voice connection
not a phone requirement but a phone network carrier requirement
Thanks.
Anyway, I checked right now with Bell and Rogers and no one offers only data plan... But what they will do with iPad and Galaxy Tab that doesn't support voice, but only data? If I will take the SIM out the gTab and put in a phone (Epic or Vibrant or Captivate), will the phone be able to work on 3G?
catalinu said:
Thanks.
Anyway, I checked right now with Bell and Rogers and no one offers only data plan... But what they will do with iPad and Galaxy Tab that doesn't support voice, but only data? If I will take the SIM out the gTab and put in a phone (Epic or Vibrant or Captivate), will the phone be able to work on 3G?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tab is a Cell phone, just gigantic! one at that LOL
you can make phone calls with Samsung Tab, just like the Apple iTab... ipad i mean
AllGamer said:
Tab is a Cell phone, just gigantic! one at that LOL
you can make phone calls with Samsung Tab, just like the Apple iTab... ipad i mean
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but if Bell already sells the dataonly plan for iPad, why they don't sell a dataonly plan also for a smartphone?
because they can claim a Tab is "not a phone" (whatever...)
and a Galaxy is a "phone"
garyHal said:
I live in the USA, using AT&T, and is shopping around for Galaxy S phone. The Captivate is the obvious choice under the Galaxy S flag. I just noticed the Galaxy S Vibrant from Canada today and I am really interested in it, especially because of the front facing camera.
How would I go about purchasing it? How would I get it working under the AT&T carrier? How is Edge, 3G, and voice, etc? How would future rom updates be installed? What are the down sides to buying the Vibrant versus a local Captivate?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I currently have a I9000 and am on ATT's network in southern california. I'm all but satisfied since my coverage is poor indoors and in some areas because of the lack of 850 band support.
I'm looking to move instead to the I9000M from Bell to get the added 850 3g coverage. Were you able to get a phone, root, unlock it and upgrade to froyo 2.2? Can you tell me about your experience so far including testing for 3-button boot into recovery? Where and how much you got the phone for out-the-door? Thanks.
Sorry mate, still waiting on mine, can't believe its been a month. An xda member here indicated that the stores in Canada are out of stock for awhile now.
Hi all - I plan to use an unlocked bell i9000m on the att network. so i chatted with att tech support to make sure that my account was set up in a way to handle an unlocked phone.
We got into the following exchange about '3G markers'
Joe Goodson: Also, as that's an unlocked phone it won't get the 3G markers either. *Only AT&T 3G phones get those.
.
.
me : what does it mean 'does not get 3g markers'
Joe Goodson: The system provisions every 3G phone with certain flags. And that basically means if things get busy on the local towers the system will only allow AT&T phones to access 3G. Unlocked phones will be pushed down to 2G only.
.
.
me: is there any way to getthe markers on unlocked phones ?
Joe Goodson: Only if you have an AT&T 3G phone. *Once we update the device type the system adds the markers in.
So my question is: is anybody using imported bell samsung galaxy in VERY BUSY att coverage (ie San Francisco) and can report about this 'get dropped down to 2G if you do not have the att 3g markers' business? is this somehitng that i should worry about if i plan on using the phone in commonly considered crowded markets?
thanks and cheers!
there are several guys here in XDA using the Bell model on AT&T
but i do not know if they are in a busy area or not, perhaps they can comment on this
I do know they all like the fact that the 3G on the Bell model works great and they don't get tracked, as the model can not be identified on the network.
basically they will never get over the monthly quota if they had a small data plan
thanks allgamer!
anyone with a bell i9000M on at&t wants to chime in ?
dont know what a busy area is.. works fine in boston... or along the i93 corridor.
thanks for the update on boston. can anyone from the bay area (san francisco in particular) with an unlocked phone on at&t comment? i would really like to use the bell version on at&t but am afraid that i would be constantly dropped to 2g speeds (see comments of att tech rep) in notoriously overwhelmed att sf market...
anyone can confirm or refute the story of the att tech guy?
So I've been doing some research on unlocking the bionic to work on other networks. I've found several websites that clam the bionic can be unlocked, you supply them with your bionics numbers, and they email the unlock codes. This isn't just for the bionic, they support multiple phones. Just curious as to if anyone has tried this with the bionic, or any other phone before I put money into something that doesn't work.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using XDA App
Don't put your money into it. I used a service and it took them 5 days to get me my code and instructions. I installed the unsupported SIM card like the instructions said, booted the phone and received a message that said the SIM card was from an unknown source, but didn't provide a dialogue box to type in my code like the instructions said it would.
I have been researching how to input that code since, but no luck. I read there was a way to input it using Radiocomm, but I can't get version 11.11.11 to install correctly on my computer and don't know what to select for the Bionic.
Here is Motorola's official spec sheet page for the Droid Bionic: http://developer.motorola.com/products/droid-bionic-xt875
Look very carefully at one particular section
Connectivity
WAN: VOICE BANDS CDMA 800/1900, LTE 13
WAN: DATA BEARERS EVDO Rev. A , LTE
What does this mean for you? It means it's essentially impossible to use the Bionic on anything other than Verizon. The radio on the Bionic has ZERO support any GSM protocol or bands.
If you're lucky, and someone comes up with a method, you might be lucky to use it on a cheapo CDMA regional carrier like Cricket Wireless. Have fun crawling on 3G only.
Well, it sure would be nice to be able to use it on an LTE network overseas with a prepaid SIM card.
Wasn't one of the original selling points of LTE is eventually all phones and carriers supporting the same hardware spec? That's not to say that any given phone will work with any carrier, but at least that's the carrier's choise, not dictacted by completely incompatible technologies, GSM vs CDMA.
It's just sad that as the tech to make everything interoperate is poised to take over the carriers and the governments that regulated them (at least in the US) have no interest letting them them do so.
Funny thing is a large block of LTE spectrum was sold with the caveat that the carriers that won the auction cannot restrict the hardware and software that uses that spectrum. Apparently Verizon is not complying with that law.
http://pocketnow.com/smartphone-news/editorial-are-verizon-lte-data-caps-and-handset-locking-illegal
Even if it were unlocked, you wouldn't be able to use it on an overseas LTE network.
Hey all,
Hope this is in the right place. Saw a few similar questions, but nothing exactly like what I was looking for.
I currently have a VZW Galaxy Nexus, rooted, running Shiny ROM with Xposed and GravityBox. Thinking about dumping VZW and going to a Moto X on AT&T or TMO, both prepaid. Question is, which carrier's phone would I be able to use outside the US? I'll be going to Europe this summer and would like to purchase a local SIM in Europe and use it there, instead of paying roaming fees on AT&T or TMO.
According to Wikipedia (can't post link) and what I've read on here, the TMO version is SIM unlocked. So this means it will work on all GSM carriers, right? In the US, that would be AT&T (if TMO doesn't have good signal where I live), and when I travel, that means I can use a local SIM, correct?
Thanks in advance, any help is appreciated!
lmm5247 said:
Hey all,
Hope this is in the right place. Saw a few similar questions, but nothing exactly like what I was looking for.
I currently have a VZW Galaxy Nexus, rooted, running Shiny ROM with Xposed and GravityBox. Thinking about dumping VZW and going to a Moto X on AT&T or TMO, both prepaid. Question is, which carrier's phone would I be able to use outside the US? I'll be going to Europe this summer and would like to purchase a local SIM in Europe and use it there, instead of paying roaming fees on AT&T or TMO.
According to Wikipedia (can't post link) and what I've read on here, the TMO version is SIM unlocked. So this means it will work on all GSM carriers, right? In the US, that would be AT&T (if TMO doesn't have good signal where I live), and when I travel, that means I can use a local SIM, correct?
Thanks in advance, any help is appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, that's correct. T-mo is SIM unlocked. I use mine with AT&T actually too. It should work abroad with no trouble other than tracking down a local nano sim or cutting one down.
If however you want to use LTE abroad I don't think the bands in the T-Mobile version match those used in Europe. HSPA+ should work fine though.
From my experience when traveling abroad a prepaid SIM w/ LTE was way more expensive than something I wanted just for being able to gchat home and look up directions on gmaps so it was a moot point.
superm1 said:
Yep, that's correct. T-mo is SIM unlocked. I use mine with AT&T actually too. It should work abroad with no trouble other than tracking down a local nano sim or cutting one down.
If however you want to use LTE abroad I don't think the bands in the T-Mobile version match those used in Europe. HSPA+ should work fine though.
From my experience when traveling abroad a prepaid SIM w/ LTE was way more expensive than something I wanted just for being able to gchat home and look up directions on gmaps so it was a moot point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, that's exactly what I was looking for! I figured LTE wouldn't work in Europe, I was fine with settling for HSPA+ or 3G.
Found a thread here explaining the differences between AT&T, TMO, and Dev Edition. From what I can see, the TMO edition is more flexible than the AT&T edition. Only difference compared to Dev Edition is that unlocking the bootloader on TMO voids your warranty.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2546466
lmm5247 said:
Thanks, that's exactly what I was looking for! I figured LTE wouldn't work in Europe, I was fine with settling for HSPA+ or 3G.
Found a thread here explaining the differences between AT&T, TMO, and Dev Edition. From what I can see, the TMO edition is more flexible than the AT&T edition. Only difference compared to Dev Edition is that unlocking the bootloader on TMO voids your warranty.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2546466
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LTE works in Europe although is not yet as widely spreaded as in the USA. But you'll be fine with 3G which is fast enough and most countries are well covered with that network. More important issue is roaming if you are planning to visit different countries. You must switch between different operators and even using service from the same operator in different states ( e.g. T-mobile) imply roaming charges. In my opinion the best solution is using local sim with best data plan and voip for calling in every country. If you don't want to switch sim cards, you may find the best roaming solution with prepaid Vodafone Italy. You can buy its clone online (http://www.motorhomewifi.com/product/europa-sim-roaming-data-sim-card/) and refill it in any Vodafone shop around Europe.