Hello,
I am considering buying an unlocked Lumia 800, for both use on AT&T's network in the States and then abroad in the Middle East during the later half of the Summer. I have never bought an unlocked device before, so I just wanted to ask about the differences between the UK and US phones -- I believe electrical outlets are different between the two areas thus the need for an adapter -- and if I'll have any troubles popping out my SIM card with my current phone and switching between the two. Abroad, I've planned on getting a local plan in the city I'm visiting, so I don't expect any trouble there.
Regarding the Lumia 800, does anyone have an idea about the pricing and how it fluctuates? Full retail at sites like Expansys are about 700 USD, while others in Asia and Europe are hovering around 500-600 USD. Obviously, I've got around 6 months to wait, so I'm anticipating it coming down to a more palatable 400 USD.
Thanks for any advice.
Most sites that will export to US will include a power charger adaptor. I got a universal plug converter with my order. So, you won't need to worry about that.
Expansys is expensive. You can currently order the black from Amazon for 509.99. I ordered my Cyan from handtec.co.uk for 353GBP + 15 for shipping (about $584 USD). Depending on where you order the phone, you'll need to fill out paperwork for the FCC to approve the import. If you order from Amazon, this should already have been done, as the phone was already imported. Since I ordered directly from UK, I got a call from FedEx to fill out the forms while the plane was still in the air. Was the fastest shipping I'd ever seen. 36hrs from ordering from UK to receiving here in Seattle.
Be aware, also, that current versions of the Lumia 800 do not support the AT&T 850Mhz for 3G. For me, this is noticeable in my apartment, but nowhere else. If you wait a month or so, the US variant (RM-819) supporing WCDMA V (850MHz) will become available unlocked direct from Microsoft.
its 500 on amazon and comes with an adapter. newegg is $550 and works on 850 i ordered there and it came with the adapter.
falconeight said:
its 500 on amazon and comes with an adapter. newegg is $550 and works on 850 i ordered there and it came with the adapter.
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Can you confirm that Newegg sells the variant that works on WCDMA 850? This isn't the same as GSM 850. They show the Lumia 800 as a deactivated item. And, when it was active, it show the same incorrect WCDMA bands as most other retailers out there.
Thanks for the quick responses. I didn't know about the incompatible 3G bands or the US version's upcoming release, so I'll wait and see if I can get a decent deal there. Also, newegg was shown as unavailable when I last checked.
I did just see the Lumia 900 was announced, with a release date pegged for March. My upgrade is sometime around May-July, so that may be for consideration. Only problem will be AT&T's policy on exclusive phones and mid-contract for unlocking phones. Hopefully, the homebrew scene gets more active as more users get onto the platform -- I'm thinking of a parallel with the iPhone jailbreak/unlocking bits from the iPhone Dev Team.
I'd wait until early February for them to be sold unlocked in Microsoft retail stores and online.
Should (hopefully) be cheaper than what it costs to import one currently. It's hard to wait though and I'm dying to get one. lol
darkintragedy said:
I'd wait until early February for them to be sold unlocked in Microsoft retail stores and online.
Should (hopefully) be cheaper than what it costs to import one currently. It's hard to wait though and I'm dying to get one. lol
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Not so sure about that. It'll still be slightly exclusive for a bit. I also think that it's going to be bundled with a few other things.
I'm looking forward to the availability of the c-1031 sleeves that come with the phones. I'd like a spare cyan, and then one of each color, for the fun of it.
anseio said:
Can you confirm that Newegg sells the variant that works on WCDMA 850? This isn't the same as GSM 850. They show the Lumia 800 as a deactivated item. And, when it was active, it show the same incorrect WCDMA bands as most other retailers out there.
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Yep it does and I own it. It has it in the listing and if its wrong return it. I am in Colorado Spring and have the same coverage as my wife's iPhone 4s.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16875205257
falconeight said:
Yep it does and I own it. It has it in the listing and if its wrong return it. I am in Colorado Spring and have the same coverage as my wife's iPhone 4s.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16875205257
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This is going to sound rude, but I don't believe it. It's already been admitted by many UK retailers that they posted the specs that Nokia has on their website, which are incorrect.
There are two versions of the Lumia 800. The EU Variant (RM-801), which is quad GSM and tri WCDMA 900/1900/2100; and a US variant (RM-819), which is also quad GSM, but tri WCDMA 850/900/1900. The US variant has not been released yet, neither has its firmware. There are quite a few people waiting on that firmware to see if it may open up 850 on the RM-801. That depends on if the devices are tri-band due to hardware limitations or firmware limitations.
This can be confirmed by referencing the outermost packaging that your Lumia came in. The one with the bar codes on it. What is the FCC ID line? I'll attach a photo of mine.
Given that AT&T uses a lot of the 1900 WCDMA bandwidth, you probably won't notice a difference between it and a 4s. Here's how I can tell the difference. I own a Nokia 6700 classic (tri WCDMA 900/1900/2100). I owned it before AT&T put out the HSPA upgrades and I got amazing reception in my apartment. After HSPA rolled out, my signal got really shotty and kept dropping out and down to 2G. I then got a Telstra HTC HD2 (850MHz). It functions perfectly in my apartment and does not drop down to 2G. I can tether at HSPA w/o needing to have my phone right up against the window in order to keep 3G signal.
Now that I have the Lumia 800 (RM-801), I cannot keep good 3G in my apartment, but 2G is fine. This means that the 850 band is the one that bends enough to get inside. The 1900 glances by.
I'm willing to bet that Newegg may have done what most other sellers did and just pasted the specs w/o verifying. After all, why would they need to, right? Nokia should have put out the correct information to start with.
anseio said:
This is going to sound rude, but I don't believe it. It's already been admitted by many UK retailers that they posted the specs that Nokia has on their website, which are incorrect.
There are two versions of the Lumia 800. The EU Variant (RM-801), which is quad GSM and tri WCDMA 900/1900/2100; and a US variant (RM-819), which is also quad GSM, but tri WCDMA 850/900/1900. The US variant has not been released yet, neither has its firmware. There are quite a few people waiting on that firmware to see if it may open up 850 on the RM-801. That depends on if the devices are tri-band due to hardware limitations or firmware limitations.
This can be confirmed by referencing the outermost packaging that your Lumia came in. The one with the bar codes on it. What is the FCC ID line? I'll attach a photo of mine.
Given that AT&T uses a lot of the 1900 WCDMA bandwidth, you probably won't notice a difference between it and a 4s. Here's how I can tell the difference. I own a Nokia 6700 classic (tri WCDMA 900/1900/2100). I owned it before AT&T put out the HSPA upgrades and I got amazing reception in my apartment. After HSPA rolled out, my signal got really shotty and kept dropping out and down to 2G. I then got a Telstra HTC HD2 (850MHz). It functions perfectly in my apartment and does not drop down to 2G. I can tether at HSPA w/o needing to have my phone right up against the window in order to keep 3G signal.
Now that I have the Lumia 800 (RM-801), I cannot keep good 3G in my apartment, but 2G is fine. This means that the 850 band is the one that bends enough to get inside. The 1900 glances by.
I'm willing to bet that Newegg may have done what most other sellers did and just pasted the specs w/o verifying. After all, why would they need to, right? Nokia should have put out the correct information to start with.
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My box looks nothing like that and doesn't have any of those markings. That is a Nokia lumia 800 box for a carrier. I also have had phones that don't support 850 and I don't get 3g/4g on them. I do on this phone
falconeight said:
My box looks nothing like that and doesn't have any of those markings. That is a Nokia lumia 800 box for a carrier. I also have had phones that don't support 850 and I don't get 3g/4g on them. I do on this phone
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Our stickers may look different, because I have the Cyan version.
According to Nokia customer care, and many other articles online, your device does not have 850MHz. The product code is RM-801.
http://forums.wpcentral.com/lumia-800/184412.htm
http://discussions.nokiausa.com/t5/...ne/Lumia-800-UMTS-850Mhz-support/td-p/1236631 (look at the 2nd to last post).
I have the black from Amazon's intial selling - so spent low $600s but haven't looked back.
The box DID include a USA outlet adaptor.
If you're on ATT, you still have a good shot of getting 3G if you're in a major area.
I'm T-Mobile, so only getting EDGE - but still lovvin it!
anseio said:
Our stickers may look different, because I have the Cyan version.
According to Nokia customer care, and many other articles online, your device does not have 850MHz. The product code is RM-801.
http://forums.wpcentral.com/lumia-800/184412.htm
http://discussions.nokiausa.com/t5/...ne/Lumia-800-UMTS-850Mhz-support/td-p/1236631 (look at the 2nd to last post).
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There is no US variant right now
falconeight said:
There is no US variant right now
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Have you actually READ anything about this phone?
Of course there's a US variant. It's getting released possibly next month.
Why the product codes are mentioned is so that people can confirm that sellers are indeed selling the right bands as they quote. There is no quad band WCDMA Lumia 800 until you can prove otherwise. There is no information on your device that contradicts anything that I've already quoted.
anseio said:
Have you actually READ anything about this phone?
Of course there's a US variant. It's getting released possibly next month.
Why the product codes are mentioned is so that people can confirm that sellers are indeed selling the right bands as they quote. There is no quad band WCDMA Lumia 800 until you can prove otherwise. There is no information on your device that contradicts anything that I've already quoted.
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Come on those links you posted are before it was announced. I have the 850 variant because that is the band in my area. You don't because you have the UK model that was released unlocked for the UK. Until you can provide information other than hearsay that there is no 850 then your just spreading rumor.
---------- Post added at 09:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:05 PM ----------
I called Nokia after getting the number off of twitter and there are variants that have the 850 wcdma that are unlocked. I gave them my imei number and my phone is from Norway which has the 850 band. You can check the country specific website and they list the correct bands.
http://www.nokia.com/no-no/produkter/telefon/lumia800/spesifikasjoner/
falconeight said:
Come on those links you posted are before it was announced. I have the 850 variant because that is the band in my area. You don't because you have the UK model that was released unlocked for the UK. Until you can provide information other than hearsay that there is no 850 then your just spreading rumor.
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I'm curious to know how you seem to be the only person around xda who has 850Mhz on his Lumia 800.
anseio said:
I'm curious to know how you seem to be the only person around xda who has 850Mhz on his Lumia 800.
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Why am I the only one? How do you know?
GSM 850mhz like mine I bet. I get 3G at 3-4mbit/1 speed on AT&T. What speed are you getting falcon?
falconeight said:
Why am I the only one? How do you know?
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Because no one else here has posted an image or anything definitive that their Lumia 800 has 850MHz on it. Only product literature from the selling website.
falconeight said:
That is a Nokia lumia 800 box for a carrier.
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Click to collapse
Not true.
My Lumia is unlocked and unbranded. It was shipped directly from Nokia in Helsinki and I have that box too.
Related
On Samsung's website, the specs say that the new Galaxy S II supports 2g/3g/HSPA+ AT&T bands, as reported by Engadget and phonedog as well. However, I've heard from different sources that Samsung has locked down American GSM bands to avoid those across the pond buying international phones rather than the always slow to release cell-provider branded phones (like the Fascinate or Captivate)
My question is are the American GSM bands locked on the new Galaxy S II or can I use the phone with AT&T? I desperately need a new phone, given the fact that my Aria holds less than 6 hours worth of charge without having 3g or wifi on. I'd rather not wait and go ahead and pre-order this phone if I can.
lmao i hope they dont, because ive ordered one, and am planning on using it on my att
Samsung would not advertise it as Quad-Band GSM on its own website if the frequencies we locked would they?
soraxd said:
lmao i hope they dont, because ive ordered one, and am planning on using it on my att
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Please let us know if this works!!
Not sure where I read it but I did hear that all the bands are unlocks. This message came from Samsung.
soraxd said:
lmao i hope they dont, because ive ordered one, and am planning on using it on my att
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Where did you order yours from, if you dont mind me asking.
Thanx
This has been a hot topic of conversation over the last month or so but finally we have confirmation of the Samsung Galaxy S II specs that remained to be clarified.
Having spoken to the UK Product Manager for the Samsung Galaxy S II, we can confirm that UK stock will ship with the following:
1. Samsung Dual Core Exynos CPU (not NVidia Tegra 2)
2. 3G frequencies are 850/900/1900/2100 (Quad band)
3. Display is Super AMOLED Plus
4. Box contents: Handset, battery, charger, USB cable, headset, Quick start guide.
If you have an outstanding pre-order with Clove for the SGS2, you will be receiving an email regarding this confirmation of spec within the next day or so and you will be given the chance to cancel the order if this is not the specification that you were hoping for. However, we hope that for the majority of you this will be good news and we look forward to shipping your order as soon as possible.
source: http://blog.clove.co.uk/2011/04/14/samsung-galaxy-s-ii-uk-specs-confirmed-exynos-chip-quad-band-3g/
tublah said:
This has been a hot topic of conversation over the last month or so but finally we have confirmation of the Samsung Galaxy S II specs that remained to be clarified.
Having spoken to the UK Product Manager for the Samsung Galaxy S II, we can confirm that UK stock will ship with the following:
1. Samsung Dual Core Exynos CPU (not NVidia Tegra 2)
2. 3G frequencies are 850/900/1900/2100 (Quad band)
3. Display is Super AMOLED Plus
4. Box contents: Handset, battery, charger, USB cable, headset, Quick start guide.
If you have an outstanding pre-order with Clove for the SGS2, you will be receiving an email regarding this confirmation of spec within the next day or so and you will be given the chance to cancel the order if this is not the specification that you were hoping for. However, we hope that for the majority of you this will be good news and we look forward to shipping your order as soon as possible.
source: http://blog.clove.co.uk/2011/04/14/samsung-galaxy-s-ii-uk-specs-confirmed-exynos-chip-quad-band-3g/
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Yup, that's where I saw it. Thx tublah. Q... Is there a tegra 2 version of SGS2..?
soraxd said:
lmao i hope they dont, because ive ordered one, and am planning on using it on my att
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Where did you order it from? when are you expecting it's arrival?
soraxd said:
lmao i hope they dont, because ive ordered one, and am planning on using it on my att
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Click to collapse
same here
i guess i better do a screenshot of handtec website
tublah said:
This has been a hot topic of conversation over the last month or so but finally we have confirmation of the Samsung Galaxy S II specs that remained to be clarified.
Having spoken to the UK Product Manager for the Samsung Galaxy S II, we can confirm that UK stock will ship with the following:
1. Samsung Dual Core Exynos CPU (not NVidia Tegra 2)
2. 3G frequencies are 850/900/1900/2100 (Quad band)
3. Display is Super AMOLED Plus
4. Box contents: Handset, battery, charger, USB cable, headset, Quick start guide.
If you have an outstanding pre-order with Clove for the SGS2, you will be receiving an email regarding this confirmation of spec within the next day or so and you will be given the chance to cancel the order if this is not the specification that you were hoping for. However, we hope that for the majority of you this will be good news and we look forward to shipping your order as soon as possible.
source: http://blog.clove.co.uk/2011/04/14/samsung-galaxy-s-ii-uk-specs-confirmed-exynos-chip-quad-band-3g/
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That's compatable with US T-Mobile HSPA right? if I'm not mistaken.
wootek76 said:
That's compatable with US T-Mobile HSPA right? if I'm not mistaken.
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No sir, it won't work with T-Mobile except on Edge (2G). T-Mobile's 3G/"4G" uses the first half of the 1700 band. The i9100 doesn't support 1700 in the 3G freq.
Sorry! The G2X looks like a suitable alternative if you need a T-Mobile USA alternative to the GSII.
Furies said:
On Samsung's website, the specs say that the new Galaxy S II supports 2g/3g/HSPA+ AT&T bands, as reported by Engadget and phonedog as well. However, I've heard from different sources that Samsung has locked down American GSM bands to avoid those across the pond buying international phones rather than the always slow to release cell-provider branded phones (like the Fascinate or Captivate)
My question is are the American GSM bands locked on the new Galaxy S II or can I use the phone with AT&T? I desperately need a new phone, given the fact that my Aria holds less than 6 hours worth of charge without having 3g or wifi on. I'd rather not wait and go ahead and pre-order this phone if I can.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a real hard time believing this. Bands are hardware supported/unsupported. Sure, they can lock it via software somehow, but that'll easily be disbanded once custom ROMs come out.
Plus, my biggest grief with this "locked bands" claim is the fact that it'll make your phone completely useless with international travel. For instance, why would Samsung sell "unlocked versions" if the phone was unusable in the US? Doesn't make any sense to me, and probably means all these claims are false.
As I have already stated elsewhere expansys when asked on the phone said that the versions they had were dual band with euro freqs as sold. They had not been able to enable the 850/1900 in the menus. Many people here should be familiar with the tmo debacle with the G2X which was of course marketed on their own site as having the Quad band 3G but after launch saying it only support 850/1900 in hardware. This may or may not be true and they could be there and simply need enabling or to have the radios installed with a new radio update. At this time there is no AT&T 3G on that phone which is the bottom line for now.
When someone actually connects to AT&T 3G, that is when it is confirmed working, not before. I have yet to find such confirmation anywhere.
yeah i have to agree, i dont care what their website says, i'd bet a whole lot of money on the fact that this phone would not pick up ATT 3g bands right now if someone were to try their SIM in an SGS2.
that said, i dont think anyone has tried this yet. if it DID work, i'd pick one up tomorrow.
krabman said:
As I have already stated elsewhere expansys when asked on the phone said that the versions they had were dual band with euro freqs as sold. They had not been able to enable the 850/1900 in the menus. Many people here should be familiar with the tmo debacle with the G2X which was of course marketed on their own site as having the Quad band 3G but after launch saying it only support 850/1900 in hardware. This may or may not be true and they could be there and simply need enabling or to have the radios installed with a new radio update. At this time there is no AT&T 3G on that phone which is the bottom line for now.
When someone actually connects to AT&T 3G, that is when it is confirmed working, not before. I have yet to find such confirmation anywhere.
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Let's clarify: The G2X debacle was due to an error on T-Mobile's behalf, with an official clarification from them as such:
"The T-Mobile G2x fact sheet, attached [PDF link], contains accurate information. The T-Mobile website is incorrect and we're working to correct it. The G2x supports 850/900/1800/1900 MHz for 2G/GPRS only, and supports 3G/4G UMTS/HSPA+ bands I and IV. The G2x does not support AT&T's 3G bands. This banding is hardware based."
http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/27/t-mobile-g2x-lacks-quadband-hspa-shatters-dreams/
(And, let's keep in mind T-Mobile doesn't actually design/manufacture phones. On purpose or not, this was a screw-up on T-Mobile's website.)
Samsung's site clearly says that the Galaxy S2's hardware supports quad band UMTS. Even if it is carrier locked or something, the unlocked versions should not have this problem.
For sure, no problem waiting if you're choosing to play it safe. But, I still personally think this is a bunch of nonsense propagated by a few folks. Even the T-Mobile announcement above clarifies that the problem the inaccurate info caused was not from a software lock but by a lack of hardware support.
Guys, all this jiberish of unkocked/locked bands blah blah blah.
It has quadband it will work worldwide and AT&T and Verizon will have it by 3rd/11.
Cant say about T-Mobile. But they are bought by AT&T so eventually yes as it will be one big AT&T network anyway.
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App
Fellas, good news on UMTS quad band support: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1059089
cmd512 said:
Fellas, good news on UMTS quad band support: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1059089
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Don't say good news until someone has actually had it work...
nomisunrider said:
Don't say good news until someone has actually had it work...
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With all due respect, I can say just about anything I damn want short of the mod telling me otherwise. Are you a moderator?
Your claims in that thread are not even accurate. You continue to say that bands are selectable. I understand this, and never argued this point. Please stop for a minute and understanding what I as well as several other people are very happy about: All phones come with defaulted bands enabled or disabled... those I9100 users are showing that out of the box in automatic band selection mode, all 4 UMTS bands are ENABLED. Big difference and has nothing to do with the fact that you can go in and personally enabled whatever band you want.
So long story short, I'll lose my unlimited data if i switch to an LTE device and I really like the Lumia 900, the 800 is basically the 900 minus the LTE (and a smaller screen but whatever) but it also lacks the 3G 850 band.
Has anyone tried this phone stateside on AT&T, and if so did you get alright 3G coverage?
I've been using the UK unbranded Cyan 800 since Jan on AT&T in Seattle. I, too, am not willing to lose my unlimited data plan for $20/mth. Coverage is good. Would really love to have 850 3G coverage though, as the 1900 is spotty. It performs well though.
Do what you can to find an RM-819 device somewhere. You can spend an arm and a leg and get it from MSFT bundled with accy's. Or, you can import one from another country.
Awesome! Now if I could only find what band covers the western New York area I'd be half tempted to sell off my Radar
And thanks for the tip about the RM-819, just checked telus's site and it looks like their 800 supports the 850 band so I might not need to see which band covers my area
Pulsewave said:
So long story short, I'll lose my unlimited data if i switch to an LTE device and I really like the Lumia 900, the 800 is basically the 900 minus the LTE (and a smaller screen but whatever) but it also lacks the 3G 850 band.
Has anyone tried this phone stateside on AT&T, and if so did you get alright 3G coverage?
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I, too, was looking for an RM-819 for a decent price, but I haven't had much trouble with the RM-801 in Austin on AT&T's 3G. Some places where I would normally have 3G, this phone gets EDGE, but that's an acceptable compromise for having this phone.
Just get one off Ebay they have plenty there and some are going for cheap
You can get an RM-801 or RM -819 on Amazon. Amazon doesn't tell you which one is which, but I bought both and returned one of them.
The one labelled "Nokia Lumia 800 black 16GB -FACTORY UNLOCKED" is an RM-801, and it's a German T-Mobile/Vodafone branded phone that has been unlocked. $439.99
The one labelled "Nokia Lumia 800 NK-800 Windows Unlocked Phone-International Version" is an RM-819 and it's an unbranded Puerto Rico variant, which is what I have. $491.88
Try omegacell.com.
They are in Alberta. The guy have quite a réputation. Bought mu rm-801 from Jim. Je do have rm-819 in stock now.
a word of warning
Remember that manufacturers are terrible at providing accurate statistics about their phones. Remember when Nokia's own website said 850 band was include? The same was true for newegg.com and plemix and many others. So regardless of which say 850 band is include understand that they're most likely wrong unless it is in the place of the 900 band. Or it specifically says rm819.
Another note, that htc radar will work on at&t if it is (A) unlocked and (B) the t-mobile usa model. The same is true for the Lumia 710. T-mobile was bad ass about that and included some of at&t's 3g bands.
hawc1506 said:
You can get an RM-801 or RM -819 on Amazon. Amazon doesn't tell you which one is which, but I bought both and returned one of them.
The one labelled "Nokia Lumia 800 black 16GB -FACTORY UNLOCKED" is an RM-801, and it's a German T-Mobile/Vodafone branded phone that has been unlocked. $439.99
The one labelled "Nokia Lumia 800 NK-800 Windows Unlocked Phone-International Version" is an RM-819 and it's an unbranded Puerto Rico variant, which is what I have. $491.88
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Click to collapse
How I unlock the Lumia 800 from puerto rico locked to Claro?
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
Just to be explicit here - there are TWO versions of he Lumia 800. RM-801 is the original European release. Microsoft now sells RM-819 in its Microsoft Stores, which adds the AT&T 850 band and does HSPA+ (which shows up on the phone as "4G").
Long story short: US buyers avoid the original model and insist on getting the RM-819 for AT&T use.
My family will be taking a trip to Costa Rica this coming February. You can buy a prepaid SIM card from Kölbi (ICE) at the airport. I've done a little research and it appears that an unlocked phone should work for both voice and 3G data so long as the phone supports Costa Rica's bands, 1800 on GSM and 850 on UMTS.
I've come across an inexpensive Android phones, the Pantech Crossover, that seem to fit the bill. Do you guys think that this phone will work? Other than requesting 3G data and setting the APN, is there anything else I need to do to get 3G data to work?
Thanks!
gm2racer said:
My family will be taking a trip to Costa Rica this coming February. You can buy a prepaid SIM card from Kölbi (ICE) at the airport. I've done a little research and it appears that an unlocked phone should work for both voice and 3G data so long as the phone supports Costa Rica's bands, 1800 on GSM and 850 on UMTS.
I've come across an inexpensive Android phones, the Pantech Crossover, that seem to fit the bill. Do you guys think that this phone will work? Other than requesting 3G data and setting the APN, is there anything else I need to do to get 3G data to work?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it should work but make sure that the phone is SIM unlocked first before you leave on your trip. Then once you get the SIM card put it in the phone and activate it, making sure to request 3g data and setting the APN properly. If you do these things you should be all set.
shimp208 said:
Yes it should work but make sure that the phone is SIM unlocked first before you leave on your trip. Then once you get the SIM card put it in the phone and activate it, making sure to request 3g data and setting the APN properly. If you do these things you should be all set.
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Click to collapse
shimp208, thanks for the response. Anybody know how well Google Maps (especially Navigation) works in Costa Rica? Can it create routable directions based on address or POI?
Thanks!
gm2racer said:
shimp208, thanks for the response. Anybody know how well Google Maps (especially Navigation) works in Costa Rica? Can it create routable directions based on address or POI?
Thanks!
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Click to collapse
Google maps should work just fine, unfortunately Costa Rica isn't know for having blazing fast mobile data speeds so finding the map routes might take a while to load. That being said yes it can create directions based on address or others points of interest. Overall, it should work fine you just might have to be a little patient with waiting for map directions.
I should have asked this earlier. Are there any other inexpensive Android phones that might fit the bill? I'm looking to spend as little money as possible.
gm2racer said:
I should have asked this earlier. Are there any other inexpensive Android phones that might fit the bill? I'm looking to spend as little money as possible.
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The LG Thrive P506 Black 3G Unlocked Cell Phone should fit the bill for you. Its only $105 and has the required wireless bands, is unlocked, and should be more then enough for a cheap phone to be used for getting some gps directions, making a couple calls, or looking up some points of interest.
shimp208 said:
The LG Thrive P506 Black 3G Unlocked Cell Phone should fit the bill for you. Its only $105 and has the required wireless bands, is unlocked, and should be more then enough for a cheap phone to be used for getting some gps directions, making a couple calls, or looking up some points of interest.
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shimp208, thanks for the suggestion. Since I've got some time before the trip, I'm weighing my options. Currently I'm considering the following:
A used AT&T phone (assuming that I can unlock it) off eBay - under $100
A new unlocked Pantech Crossover - under $70
A new unlocked LG Thrive from NewEgg - $105
A Zopo ZP500 cheap Chinese Android phone, but appears to work on AT&T's frequencies - $170
The reason why I'm sticking the ZP500 into the mix is that it's specs are better than the low end Android phones that I'm also considering. Does anybody have any experience with this phone? Does it do 3G on AT&T's 850Mhz band?
Thanks!
BTW, I posted a question on the TripAdvisor forum for Costa Rica regarding buying a prepaid sim card when I get in country and somebody suggested that I acquire the sim card through costaricacellularconnection before I go and activate the sim/phone when I get in country. Has anybody used this service?
gm2racer said:
shimp208, thanks for the suggestion. Since I've got some time before the trip, I'm weighing my options. Currently I'm considering the following:
A used AT&T phone (assuming that I can unlock it) off eBay - under $100
A new unlocked Pantech Crossover - under $70
A new unlocked LG Thrive from NewEgg - $105
A Zopo ZP500 cheap Chinese Android phone, but appears to work on AT&T's frequencies - $170
The reason why I'm sticking the ZP500 into the mix is that it's specs are better than the low end Android phones that I'm also considering. Does anybody have any experience with this phone? Does it do 3G on AT&T's 850Mhz band?
Thanks!
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While I haven't used it personally it seems to have good reviews with people being really happy with the performance you get for the price. And to answer your question about 3G on the 850Mhz band yes that should work.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
shimp208, I wound up getting a used LG Phoenix (the postpaid version of the Thrive) off ebay. Should be arriving tomorrow.
gm2racer said:
shimp208, I wound up getting a uses LG Phoenix (the postpaid version of the Thrive) off ebay. Should be arriving tomorrow.
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Just looked at this phone seems like a good choice enjoy your trip
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Unfortunately the Phoenix arrived and had a busted microSD slot as it would not recognize any of my cards. So I wound up getting a new Pantech Burst. Worked out in my favor as the Burst seems to be (at least on paper) a significantly more powerful device (1.5Ghz dual core Snapdragon CPU, 1GB RAM, & 16GB flash).
gm2racer said:
Unfortunately the Phoenix arrived and had a busted microSD slot as it would not recognize any of my cards. So I wound up getting a new Pantech Burst. Worked out in my favor as the Burst seems to be (at least on paper) a significantly more powerful device (1.5Ghz dual core Snapdragon CPU, 1GB RAM, & 16GB flash).
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Yes that is a much more powerful device compared to the Phoenix dual 1.2 Ghz (From what I read) vs 800 mhz and 1 GB vs 512 RAM, plus bigger and better screen is the better choice.
Ordered a ZOPO ZP500+
gm2racer said:
A Zopo ZP500 cheap Chinese Android phone, but appears to work on AT&T's frequencies - $170
The reason why I'm sticking the ZP500 into the mix is that it's specs are better than the low end Android phones that I'm also considering. Does anybody have any experience with this phone? Does it do 3G on AT&T's 850Mhz band?
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Click to collapse
I ordered a ZOPO ZP500+. I've read it is identical to the ZP500 with the exception that the single core MTK6575 CPU was swapped out with the pin-for-pin-compatible dual core MTK6577. In addition to the dual SIM functionality, I like the fact it is dual core and a quad band where both 2G and 3G should work in Asia, Europe, and North America.
It purports to have 850MHz 3G, and I have read of an Australian user using this phone's 3G with 850MHz and also a Canadian with 3G at 850MHz. It reads to be reasonably popular amongst Russian users. Can't say I know the specifics of AT&T's 850 MHz implementation so I can't comment.
I anticipate delivery of the phone in a week's time, when I am keen to get a good look at it then.
oldcpu said:
I ordered a ZOPO ZP500+. I've read it is identical to the ZP500 with the exception that the single core MTK6575 CPU was swapped out with the pin-for-pin-compatible dual core MTK6577. In addition to the dual SIM functionality, I like the fact it is dual core and a quad band where both 2G and 3G should work in Asia, Europe, and North America.
It purports to have 850MHz 3G, and I have read of an Australian user using this phone's 3G with 850MHz and also a Canadian with 3G at 850MHz. It reads to be reasonably popular amongst Russian users. Can't say I know the specifics of AT&T's 850 MHz implementation so I can't comment.
I anticipate delivery of the phone in a week's time, when I am keen to get a good look at it then.
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What specifically are you trying to figure out about AT&T's 850 MHz implementation? Here is a map of where AT&T has 850 MHz 3G coverage in the U.S, if you follow the link and scroll up there should also be a map of AT&T's 1900 MHz spectrum coverage.
3G 850MHz coverage in North America
shimp208 said:
What specifically are you trying to figure out about AT&T's 850 MHz implementation? Here is a map of where AT&T has 850 MHz 3G coverage in the U.S, if you follow the link and scroll up there should also be a map of AT&T's 1900 MHz spectrum coverage.
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Those are great maps of AT&T's 850MHz (and 1900 MHz coverage).
I'm not looking for AT&T coverage myself, but rather interested in coverage in Canada (specifically Saskatchewan and also Ontario). I only mentioned AT&T in this thread because of this post in the thread:
gm2racer said:
The reason why I'm sticking the ZP500 into the mix is that it's specs are better than the low end Android phones that I'm also considering. Does anybody have any experience with this phone? Does it do 3G on AT&T's 850Mhz band?
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Again, AT&T is not of interest to me.
Reference my interest in Saskatchewan's and Ontario's coverage, the best I have been able to find so far is this site: http://maps.mobileworldlive.com/index.php
oldcpu said:
Those are great maps of AT&T's 850MHz (and 1900 MHz coverage).
I'm not looking for AT&T coverage myself, but rather interested in coverage in Canada (specifically Saskatchewan and also Ontario). I only mentioned AT&T in this thread because of this post in the thread:
Again, AT&T is not of interest to me.
Reference my interest in Saskatchewan's and Ontario's coverage, the best I have been able to find so far is this site: http://maps.mobileworldlive.com/index.php
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If your looking to get coverage in those Canadian areas I would use the website you looked at to find out which carriers have 3G 850 MHz coverage in the areas you want. Then once you know what carriers have coverage in the areas you want, I'd go out and buy a prepaid SIM from among the the carrier that offers the coverage your looking for and then go with whatever carrier has the best value for the money in terms of data usage, etc. and use that.
oldcpu said:
I ordered a ZOPO ZP500+. I've read it is identical to the ZP500 with the exception that the single core MTK6575 CPU was swapped out with the pin-for-pin-compatible dual core MTK6577. In addition to the dual SIM functionality, I like the fact it is dual core and a quad band where both 2G and 3G should work in Asia, Europe, and North America.
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Click to collapse
Let us know how the Zopo works out. I'm interested in knowing how well these Chinese MTK6575/6577 phones work. Had I not gotten a great deal on a new Burst on eBay I would have really been considering one of these. An interesting development (at least in the GSM space) is that the Nexus 4 is within $100 US of most of the currently available Chinese dual core phones. That will put a real price squeeze on the next gen quad core phones...
gm2racer said:
Let us know how the Zopo works out. I'm interested in knowing how well these Chinese MTK6575/6577 phones work. Had I not gotten a great deal on a new Burst on eBay I would have really been considering one of these. An interesting development (at least in the GSM space) is that the Nexus 4 is within $100 US of most of the currently available Chinese dual core phones. That will put a real price squeeze on the next gen quad core phones...
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Sure will, to me unless your really on a tight budget it seems like a no brainer to invest the extra $100 or so for not only significantly more powerful hardware but also a lot better community support due to the very open nature of nexus devices.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Maybe it's just my games talking, but the Xperia Play is pretty cheap unlocked now.
I've had an HTC HD7 on T-Mobile for a good solid three years now, but it has become outdated and I need a new phone.
All the Windows Phones on T-Mobile are very crappy (in my opinion) and the phone I would love to have would be the Lumia 920.
My only problem is, it doesn't exist. My question is: If I were to buy a Lumia 920 locked to AT&T off of eBay, then get an unlock code, would it be possible to have it running with at least 3G speeds? All the radio frequencies point to yes, but I would like to check here first.
Thanks!
Bobsteriffic said:
I've had an HTC HD7 on T-Mobile for a good solid three years now, but it has become outdated and I need a new phone.
All the Windows Phones on T-Mobile are very crappy (in my opinion) and the phone I would love to have would be the Lumia 920.
My only problem is, it doesn't exist. My question is: If I were to buy a Lumia 920 locked to AT&T off of eBay, then get an unlock code, would it be possible to have it running with at least 3G speeds? All the radio frequencies point to yes, but I would like to check here first.
Thanks!
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if you read around, all at&t lumias 820 & 920 are locked. there is a rare rare chance of getting an unlock code from AT&T. All the sites in the web are scams. It would be better to buy a Rogers Unlocked 920 because: 1. they have the same antennas as AT&T, some say the phones are pentaband and 2. they are already unlocked.
or get an international unlocked. some reports stated you can flash the firmware from other countries and get AWS.
Long story short, unless you want straight talk which is powered by AT&T, you wont have a good chance of getting an AT&T lumia sim unlocked
hope i am wrong. working on getting a code or two time will tell
jhr said:
if you read around, all at&t lumias 820 & 920 are locked. there is a rare rare chance of getting an unlock code from AT&T. All the sites in the web are scams. It would be better to buy a Rogers Unlocked 920 because: 1. they have the same antennas as AT&T, some say the phones are pentaband and 2. they are already unlocked.
or get an international unlocked. some reports stated you can flash the firmware from other countries and get AWS.
Long story short, unless you want straight talk which is powered by AT&T, you wont have a good chance of getting an AT&T lumia sim unlocked
hope i am wrong. working on getting a code or two time will tell
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Can you point me towards the direction of the Rogers Lumia? I've heard about them but I have no idea where to find them.
Bobsteriffic said:
Can you point me towards the direction of the Rogers Lumia? I've heard about them but I have no idea where to find them.
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eBay.
Bobsteriffic said:
Can you point me towards the direction of the Rogers Lumia? I've heard about them but I have no idea where to find them.
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Click to collapse
https://www.google.com/#hl=en&outpu...94,d.aWM&fp=e404425d9557a858&biw=1680&bih=834
google search my friend, anyways ebay is good, like other stated, craigslist but rare. negri electronics, expansys. there is a canadian retailer that sells them and ships them to the USA, but in the long run buying new and out of country will cost you a shinnier penny than at AT&T
go to http://forums.wpcentral.com/marketplace-buy-sell-trade/
Bobsteriffic said:
Can you point me towards the direction of the Rogers Lumia? I've heard about them but I have no idea where to find them.
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Bought mine at canadagsm.ca and had it in my hands 3 days later in Miami. And, so far is the best phone I've owned. It is a pentaband so it will work with T-MOBILE. Also, I have none of the problems others are mentionning on this forum (dust in front of the FFC, etc ...).
SO, I'm very satisfied !!!
Realized that there are two threads...I'm pasting my reply here and requesting the other to be deleted.
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I'm on T-Mobile as well. I ended up purchasing a Lumia 920 international unlocked (Polish variant). The international variant uses the same 3G frequency as the AT&T variant (1900 MHz 3G).
T-Mobile has been refarming their network and they are now running 3G on 1900 MHz as well, in addition to the original 1700 MHz.
If you're in the Mill Creek, WA area, I can't tell you how the 1900 MHz 3G network performs since I'm not in that area. However, I live in Bellevue, go to UW and work in Shoreline and 3G coverage on the 1900 MHz network has been pretty good. At UW, I can get anywhere between 7-15 Mbit/sec.
To answer your question, yes an AT&T version will have 3G on T-Mobile's network, but only if you're in an area that has received refarming.
Hope this helps. Feel free to send any more questions my way!
hawc1506 said:
Realized that there are two threads...I'm pasting my reply here and requesting the other to be deleted.
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I'm on T-Mobile as well. I ended up purchasing a Lumia 920 international unlocked (Polish variant). The international variant uses the same 3G frequency as the AT&T variant (1900 MHz 3G).
T-Mobile has been refarming their network and they are now running 3G on 1900 MHz as well, in addition to the original 1700 MHz.
If you're in the Mill Creek, WA area, I can't tell you how the 1900 MHz 3G network performs since I'm not in that area. However, I live in Bellevue, go to UW and work in Shoreline and 3G coverage on the 1900 MHz network has been pretty good. At UW, I can get anywhere between 7-15 Mbit/sec.
To answer your question, yes an AT&T version will have 3G on T-Mobile's network, but only if you're in an area that has received refarming.
Hope this helps. Feel free to send any more questions my way!
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Now this here is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you! Now all I need to do is to find an unlock code for the AT&T Lumia 920
Bobsteriffic said:
Now this here is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you! Now all I need to do is to find an unlock code for the AT&T Lumia 920
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Click to collapse
Good luck as right now they don't exist. The sites claiming to have them are scams. Those claiming to have received one are most likely working for or being paid by those same scam sites.
Solarenemy68 said:
Good luck as right now they don't exist. The sites claiming to have them are scams. Those claiming to have received one are most likely working for or being paid by those same scam sites.
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This is true. Do NOT give your money to any site claiming to unlock the AT&T 920. It will only be possible for those sites to do so after May 9th, and then still only buy it from reputable sites!
The ONLY way to unlock an AT&T 920 is if you're an AT&T customer and push really hard with the customer support. It might also be only customers with accounts on business discounts (tied to your work email) that are able to get it. I get premier business customer support when I call in to AT&T and I even had to argue on the phone for 60 minutes in total with all the reps I talked to before I was able to get them to submit an unlock request.
Hi all,
I see a few threads about folks trying to make lumia 920 work on Tmobile USA and I see some talk about quadband vs pentaband, which I am unable to follow. I am planning to buy an unlocked lumia 920 from expansys. I see they are selling unlocked lumia 920 for 450$ and for 550$. I am not sure what the difference is. Can the experts here take a look at the below links and let me know what the difference between the 2 models are and which one would work on Tmobile USA 3g and 4g bandwidths?
www .expansys-usa.com/nokia-lumia-920-windows-phone-white-238632/
www .expansys-usa.com/nokia-lumia-920-windows-phone-236632/
www .expansys-usa.com/nokia-lumia-920-windows-phone-yellow-238634/ (my preferred color!)
www .expansys-usa.com/nokia-lumia-920-windows-phone-rogers-branded-black-unlocked-241692/
If someone could point me to some website (other than ebay) to buy an unlocked lumia 920 (yellow/red) which could be made to work with Tmobile USA, that would be really helpful!
zeeshmk said:
Hi all,
I see a few threads about folks trying to make lumia 920 work on Tmobile USA and I see some talk about quadband vs pentaband, which I am unable to follow. I am planning to buy an unlocked lumia 920 from expansys. I see they are selling unlocked lumia 920 for 450$ and for 550$. I am not sure what the difference is. Can the experts here take a look at the below links and let me know what the difference between the 2 models are and which one would work on Tmobile USA 3g and 4g bandwidths?
www .expansys-usa.com/nokia-lumia-920-windows-phone-white-238632/
www .expansys-usa.com/nokia-lumia-920-windows-phone-236632/
www .expansys-usa.com/nokia-lumia-920-windows-phone-yellow-238634/ (my preferred color!)
www .expansys-usa.com/nokia-lumia-920-windows-phone-rogers-branded-black-unlocked-241692/
If someone could point me to some website (other than ebay) to buy an unlocked lumia 920 (yellow/red) which could be made to work with Tmobile USA, that would be really helpful!
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Click to collapse
Hi,
Well, I am not an expert but here's my two cents:
Quadband vs Pentaband refers to the bands the phone can work on. If you go to the technical specs on the pages you posted, you'll see this:
Network: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900; HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100...which means that the phone has 4 (hence 'quad') bands in both GSM and HSDPA. In the case of a pentaband HSDPA, it also includes a fifth (and for you very important) band -1700 MHz.
Your last (and most expensive) option should work for sure, since it is a pentaband Rogers-branded model, even though the technical specifications do not mention the 1700 MHz frequency which is one of the two T-Mobile uses (the other one being 2100). But other vendors, including the one I've purchased my 2 Rogers-branded 920s from, do not list this frequency either, since they just take the info from one source and never bother to correct it when wrong.
The other (cheaper) options are most likely the ATT version, which does not have the 1700 MHz band, but technically can be flashed to Rogers and unlock this band (there's lots of info on this forum on how to do it). There's always a risk to brick the phone (render it unusable), but it's minimal. I guess it depends on your risk-management level, whether you feel comfortable enough to save $220 and carry all the process of flashing the phone, or shell out the full amount and have it working out of the box.
There's also the possibility that the cheaper ones do work on your area without flashing, depending on whether T-Mobile has already deployed the 1900 MHz band:
From: http://explore.t-mobile.com/phone-sim-card#faq
Will non-T-Mobile phones without the AWS 1700/2100 band not work on T-Mobile's 3G / 4G network?
A: T-Mobile provides 4G data services nationwide on the AWS 1700/2100 bands, and is in the process of adding service on the PCS 1900 band. Today, phones with both AWS 1700/2100 bands (not just one or the other) work nationwide on T-Mobile’s 4G network. PCS 1900 band phones (sold by AT&T and others) work on the T-Mobile 4G network in cities where 1900 service has been added. Check with your local T-Mobile store or call customer service to learn about the network status in your area.
You could also buy it from another place, more reasonably priced. This is where I bought my first one in December, and my second one a couple of weeks ago when I lost my first one Mind you, I did not buy either online, but actually went to their retail store to get them. Some people tend to think that they have a bad reputation, but my experience has been quite satisfactory (I bought the first one locked for $500, and they sold me the second one unlocked for the same price, virtually unlocking it for free). I do not know if they ship to the US, and if so, how much it costs but you could try contacting them... The downside is that they only have black. Here's the links:
$499: http://canadagsm.ca/NOKIA/Nokia-Lumia-920-Unlocked-Penta-band-lte/
$550: http://canadagsm.ca/NOKIA/Nokia-Lumia-920-LTE-Windows-8-Rogers/
You could buy the locked one and order an unlock code for about $15 on sites like cellunlocker.net
Attached is a pic of the box to show you that it does have the 1700 MHz frequency...
HTH
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ARG
Thanks Abelitin for the detailed response. Appreciate your help!
I did go through some threads in this forum and it appears that flashing an Rogers version onto an unlocked ATT 920 involves so many steps that I got confused. Also I think there was one more thread about Nokia locking out the "navifirm" software that people use to get the different carrier versions.
In any case, after searching quite a bit, the cheapest I have found was in Negrielectronics and they are selling the Rogers version for 450 - 530$ range. Even ATT unlocked versions seem to fall in the same price range. So I might as well get the Rogers version.
zeeshmk said:
Thanks Abelitin for the detailed response. Appreciate your help!
I did go through some threads in this forum and it appears that flashing an Rogers version onto an unlocked ATT 920 involves so many steps that I got confused. Also I think there was one more thread about Nokia locking out the "navifirm" software that people use to get the different carrier versions.
In any case, after searching quite a bit, the cheapest I have found was in Negrielectronics and they are selling the Rogers version for 450 - 530$ range. Even ATT unlocked versions seem to fall in the same price range. So I might as well get the Rogers version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to help...
The cheapest variants on that website do no specify if they are Rogers, but the tech specs do mention they have the 1700 MHz band, so you should be ok.
Nokia did close access through Navifirm, but apparently it is still possible to flash using Nokia Care Suite, as per the post below...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=40988591&postcount=8
It is a simple but risky process, so if negrielectronics is selling an unlocked pentaband version for $450, that is the best option, imho.
Good luck in your quest. It's a great phone... You won't regret having purchased it! (Incidentally, my carrier also works on the 1700-2100 MHz frequencies. I was waiting for last September's iphone release, hoping it would add the 1700 band, but it didn't, so I then decided to get another Nokia (had had a 5230 for 1 1/2 years) and went for the Lumia 920. The very same day I lost it, Apple came out with a new version of the iphone 5 that does support the 1700 (therefore, it also works on T-Mobile), but now there is no way I go the iphone road, so I got another L920!)
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ARG