Is X1a phased out? - XPERIA X1 General

I have noticed that X1a has disappeared from US site in favor of X1 (900Mhz UMTS X1 model):
http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/products/mobilephones/specifications/x1?lc=en&cc=us
I remember distinctly it used to be the X1a up there as it still is for S. America site, e.g. Argentina:
http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/products/mobilephones/overview/x1a?lc=es&cc=ar
same change (as in US) holds true for Australian site - used to be X1a
What's going on? Certainly, I wouldn't think that whole nations changed their frequency plans in favor of Qualcomm
In this case to whom is the recent R2A North American ROM upgrade addressed? Was the initial issue of the X1a for the US a limited issue on first come first served basis?

Hmm
I'm no expert, but I wouldn't call the phasing out of the X1a a "first come first serve" I'd call it more of a "this device sucked, lets replace it with the one that works".

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs..._communications:mobile_phones:shop_compare:ss
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665702060

alias_neo said:
I'm no expert, but I wouldn't call the phasing out of the X1a a "first come first serve" I'd call it more of a "this device sucked, lets replace it with the one that works".
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Click to collapse
What The! The X1 and the X1a are exactly the same device except one supports 900Mhz UTMS and the other 850Mhz.
As far as the Australia website showing the X1, this makes sense as they are probably about to release this version here (We only got the X1a version last December). But the X1a is still listed on the website.

fxcoupeman83 said:
What The! The X1 and the X1a are exactly the same device except one supports 900Mhz UTMS and the other 850Mhz.
As far as the Australia website showing the X1, this makes sense as they are probably about to release this version here (We only got the X1a version last December). But the X1a is still listed on the website.
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Click to collapse
Heh I'm just ranting for the heck of it lol. But as an Electronic Engineer it makes no sense to me to have the 850MHz when you have a 900MHz, because the 900MHz can easily be set to work at 850MHz in software.
That being said, my little rant was based on things I have read on other forums about a lot of problems (network and quality related) being most prominent in the X1a (850MHz) devices. That being said, It's quite possible that it was just the specific production batch that was making those 850s at the time. It's also possible that maybe the guys that own X1as (Americans) are more likely to complain, or simply that a significant number more of tham have been sold, because of geography and customer base.
Don't take anything I say to seriously, I sure as heck don't

alias_neo said:
Heh I'm just ranting for the heck of it lol. But as an Electronic Engineer it makes no sense to me to have the 850MHz when you have a 900MHz, because the 900MHz can easily be set to work at 850MHz in software.
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Click to collapse
That's cool lol. I didn't know you could set a 900MHz to work at 850MHz via software. I would have thought if they could do that they would, instead of having to produce a seperate batch for each band. Certainly would decrease production costs.
I genuinely think a lot of complaints are from those people who didn't really understand what they were buying. Either they had never encounted Windows Mobile before and expected it to work like any other Sony Ericsson, or they had inflated expectations of what Sony could do with the software. I'm not saying there haven't been some production issues though.
I see Windows Mobile a lot like Linux desktop OS. Out of the box it's a bit underwhelming; but take the time to play around with settings and programs and customise it to your liking, it can be very powerful and unique.

Yep
fxcoupeman83 said:
That's cool lol. I didn't know you could set a 900MHz to work at 850MHz via software. I would have thought if they could do that they would, instead of having to produce 2 seperate batches for each band. Certainly would decrease production costs.
I genuinely think a lot of complaints are from those people who didn't really understand what they were buying. Either they had never encounted Windows Mobile before and expected it to work like any other Sony Ericsson, or they had inflated expectations of what Sony could do with the software. I'm not saying there haven't been some production issues though.
I see Windows Mobile a lot like Linux desktop OS. Out of the box it's a bit underwhelming; but take the time to play around with settings and programs and customise it to your liking, it can be very powerful and unique.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, totally agree. Back to the 850/900 I think the problem here is entirely political rather than anything Engineering wise. America didn't conform to the international standard set for GSM as did not a few other countries and so they make the 850 devices for you guys. However, a quad band GSM which is the X1i, should work in America just fine because they support 850 and 900 (like I said, the 900MHz can easily be made to support 850 in software)
About the WinMo/Linux Desktop thing, I agree again, although not entirely (a Linux desktop OS has never been underwhelming for me) because I always know what to expect, and that's that I make it run how I want, the beauty is, it's designed that way.
WinMo however, was never designed to be user customised, and considering SE have done close to nothing with it over the WinMo PDA I sold 3 years ago because it was so horrific nearly gave me a heart attack at my new "investment" but I think the fact that it was made by HTC has left a lot of room for improvement because a lot of their in-house customisations have been ported and made useful here.
Right now I'm happy with my Xperia except for the one flaw I have just today addressed with Send/Receive over Wifi while sleeping not being possible, which is a huuuuge blow for me.

alias_neo said:
Heh I'm just ranting for the heck of it lol. But as an Electronic Engineer it makes no sense to me to have the 850MHz when you have a 900MHz, because the 900MHz can easily be set to work at 850MHz in software.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought that the UMTS bands were hardware based...
Both phones are quad band GSM... but neither is quad band UMTS.
I'm trying to remember where I saw this, but I think there was a chip in the phone that allowed the UMTS bands so a simple software change wouldn't fix this. So the X1i wouldn't work on 3G in the US or on NextG in Australia.

buzz83 said:
I thought that the UMTS bands were hardware based...
Both phones are quad band GSM... but neither is quad band UMTS.
I'm trying to remember where I saw this, but I think there was a chip in the phone that allowed the UMTS bands so a simple software change wouldn't fix this. So the X1i wouldn't work on 3G in the US or on NextG in Australia.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I think alias_neo is talking about a different frequency set
The 850/900 frequencies he's talking about are for GSM - this has never been the issue with the X1i/X1a imbroglio
It's the UMTS 850Mhz fequency that the X1i is hardware-crippled against
An X1 model with 900/2100Mhz bands for UMTS (such as listed in the 1st post) is another variation again. Some countries use the UMTS 900Mhz frequency for their regions, but it is not widespread. We need further confusion like a hole in the head !!

alias_neo said:
Heh I'm just ranting for the heck of it lol. But as an Electronic Engineer it makes no sense to me to have the 850MHz when you have a 900MHz, because the 900MHz can easily be set to work at 850MHz in software.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you able to write a software to do this? I'm sure many would love it if their X1i can use 850 3G as well.

ianl8888 said:
Yes, I think alias_neo is talking about a different frequency set
The 850/900 frequencies he's talking about are for GSM - this has never been the issue with the X1i/X1a imbroglio
It's the UMTS 850Mhz fequency that the X1i is hardware-crippled against
An X1 model with 900/2100Mhz bands for UMTS (such as listed in the 1st post) is another variation again. Some countries use the UMTS 900Mhz frequency for their regions, but it is not widespread. We need further confusion like a hole in the head !!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh, well, I have lost track of where this is going now, and since I havn't slept in 2 days (it's now 6:30am on the 3rd day) any point I had is probably flawed. i think my point was that the "Hardware" crippling is probably more of a low level software crippling and could infact be rectified (only by the chip manufacturer) using the same hardware. But again, I think my point was that the reason they have this difference is political and because some countries refused to stick with the international standards.

Ashwm said:
Are you able to write a software to do this? I'm sure many would love it if their X1i can use 850 3G as well.
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Click to collapse
No, you misunderstand me, by software I mean low level machine code, "burned" into the chip by the manufacturer and not changeable. Only he manufacturer of the chip can do this at the point of manufacture.
But of course I could be entirely wrong, I make this assmption based on the fact that I often work with "programmable systems on a chip" (ASICs/FPGAs etc).
It's also quite possible the frequency setting circuitry IS infact made the good old fashioned way of laying out the silicon in a set circuit design.

alias_neo said:
But again, I think my point was that the reason they have this difference is political and because some countries refused to stick with the international standards.
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Click to collapse
1) "some countries" include Canada, US, South Americas, Australia, South Africa.
The UMTS 850Mhz frequency is used in the regional (less populated) areas to cover the distances involved with a longer wavelength. Such areas need less bandwidth too, because of the lower population densities
Politics plays no part here, thank goodness. it's just straight physics.
2) the "international standard" for cities is 1900/2100Mhz. All the cities I know that have UMTS broadcasting use these frequencies, including cities in the above listed countries
The concept of larger, less-populated areas is probably not easy for city-dwellers to grasp, but the "international standard" for such areas is UMTS 850Mhz. The only "odd-ball" aspect here is that city-dwellers don't understand this, I think.

ianl8888 said:
1) "some countries" include Canada, US, South Americas, Australia, South Africa.
The UMTS 850Mhz frequency is used in the regional (less populated) areas to cover the distances involved with a longer wavelength. Such areas need less bandwidth too, because of the lower population densities
Politics plays no part here, thank goodness. it's just straight physics.
2) the "international standard" for cities is 1900/2100Mhz. All the cities I know that have UMTS broadcasting use these frequencies, including cities in the above listed countries
The concept of larger, less-populated areas is probably not easy for city-dwellers to grasp, but the "international standard" for such areas is UMTS 850Mhz. The only "odd-ball" aspect here is that city-dwellers don't understand this, I think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nup- there are many, many 900MHz regional deployments.
Australia is unique in the sense that it has both a 900MHz and a 850MHz regional deployment. Lots and lots of stupid redundancy. Oh well.

Leddy said:
Nup- there are many, many 900MHz regional deployments.
Australia is unique in the sense that it has both a 900MHz and a 850MHz regional deployment. Lots and lots of stupid redundancy. Oh well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't disagree with that - there's marketing politics in that redundancy (not hard to guess ), but either 850 or 900 serves OK for the regions. The physics is essentially the same for either frequency, of course.
However, the 900Mhz in Aus has a very limited deployment, primarily because Optus et al do not want to service the less-populated areas (not sufficient profit). They've been paying lip-service for lo!, these many years.
The 850 frequency became a problem with the Qualcomm-Broadcomm Court issue and this turned up after the 850Mhz deployments
I agree ... oh well !!
The way I see it turning out is that Telstra, who operates the 850Mhz with easily the largest areal coverage, will gradually "corner" the retail market on UMTS 850Mhz devices in Aus and proceed to charge unbelievably high $$ amounts for these. It's already difficult to find 850Mhz devices at any significant discount to their prices. And yes, that's marketing politics ... but the physics dictates the parameters.

ianl8888 said:
1) "some countries" include Canada, US, South Americas, Australia, South Africa.
The UMTS 850Mhz frequency is used in the regional (less populated) areas to cover the distances involved with a longer wavelength. Such areas need less bandwidth too, because of the lower population densities
Politics plays no part here, thank goodness.
2) the "international standard" for cities is 1900/2100Mhz. All the cities I know that have UMTS broadcasting use these frequencies, including cities in the above listed countries
The concept of larger, less-populated areas is probably not easy for city-dwellers to grasp, but the "international standard" for such areas is UMTS 850Mhz. The only "odd-ball" aspect here is that city-dwellers don't understand this, I think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In which case, there is no reason 850MHz couldn't be the standard as I assume that even here in the UK our less populated areas would equally require less bandwidth and could live with the extra coverage, of course you would then have to count the rest of Europe and Asia who also use this band. A lot of Europe has wide open spaces just as much as they have cities, there are few countries that don't fit into both categories.
The question, I guess, is how much extra bandwidth are we really getting from those extra 50MHz, or extra coverage from the 50MHz less that determines that there can't just be one standard everywhere in the world.
Of course that's before you get into the fact that some countries may have already allocated the band to something else, making it impossible. (As with USA and the 1700(?)MHz band.

X1a and X1i differ in hardware:
i.e. different UMTS power amps for 850Mhz and 900Mhz
check out:
http://www.phonewreck.com/2008/12/12/sony-ericsson-xperia-x1-review-and-teardown/
also:
http://www.avagotech.com/pages/en/rf_for_mobile_wlan_mmw/mobile_power/w-cdma_pas/
perhaps this hardware cripple was part of the broadcom vs qualcom court ruling

alias_neo said:
...because the 900MHz can easily be set to work at 850MHz in software.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could probably make a small fortune telling us how to do that.

George Knighton said:
You could probably make a small fortune telling us how to do that.
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Click to collapse
Hehe, like I explained before, and as the poster above has just shown. They are infact made by entirely different manufacturers for different bands, and by software I meant the code actually "burned" into the chips by the manufacturer, ad only by them I meant it could be done, not by some software you install/run on the device.
Anyway, in this case I was incorrect and as I stated earlier, it is possible (which is in fact the case here) that they would use the good old fashioned way of making the chips by actually designing the individual circuits into the silicon directly rather than using programmable chips.
This of course would be because of how critical obtaining an exact frequency is and designing dedicated chips like this ensures that.
In conclusion, you might as well disregard everything I have said on the subject. Either way, it would have made no difference to us the end user, just that the manufacturer could easily (if they wanted) made the cips run either speed.

Related

Xperia X1a Question

Hi X1-ers,
After looking at the HTC Touch HD, the lack of a U.S. 3G internet connection has swayed me towards the X1.
I had a quick question. I'm looking to purchase this on www.clove.co.uk but I can't tell whether it's a X1a or X1i they're selling.
I'm looking at this one in particular:
http://www.clove.co.uk/viewProduct.aspx?product=AEE666D8-F441-4CE9-B69E-1539D4E16EBA
Under Networks it says:
GSM (QUAD-BAND) 850, 900, 800, 1900
EDGE
HSDPA
HSUPA
UMTS 900, UMTS 850, UMTS 1900, UMTS 2100
But under Connectivity it says:
Bluetooth (A2DP)
WiFi
Any help clarifying this would be awesome, thanks!
P.S. On a side note, there are numerous threads as to whether the inability of the 3G connection speeds on the Touch HD is a software or hardware issue. Safe to say, regardless of whether it's software or hardware problem, this current version of Touch HD will never see 3G connection on U.S. soil, correct?
markgencorelli said:
Hi X1-ers,
After looking at the HTC Touch HD, the lack of a U.S. 3G internet connection has swayed me towards the X1.
I had a quick question. I'm looking to purchase this on www.clove.co.uk but I can't tell whether it's a X1a or X1i they're selling.
I'm looking at this one in particular:
http://www.clove.co.uk/viewProduct.aspx?product=AEE666D8-F441-4CE9-B69E-1539D4E16EBA
Under Networks it says:
GSM (QUAD-BAND) 850, 900, 800, 1900
EDGE
HSDPA
HSUPA
UMTS 900, UMTS 850, UMTS 1900, UMTS 2100
But under Connectivity it says:
Bluetooth (A2DP)
WiFi
Any help clarify this would be awesome, thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I purchased one from Clove on the basis of UMTS 850Mhz capability. I even emailed and phoned them on precisely this issue before purchase and was assured it was true.
It is NOT. The device they are selling is an X1i, and not capable of UMTS 850Mhz connection. BTW, for those on the forum who maintain that this doesn't matter to them (mostly EU denizens), Canada, US, South Americas, Australia and South Africa all use the 850Mhz frequency for 3G in regional areas.
It is a hardware issue - the X1i uses a Qualcomm MSM7200 cpu, the X1a uses an MSM7201A (850Mhz enabled)
Negri Electronics is now offering on back order (ie. no stock) a black X1a with quad-band GSM and tri-band UMTS:
http://www.negrielectronics.com/sony-ericsson-xperia-usa3g-unlocked-black-p-1812.html
Why HTC has decided to offer either 850/1900 Mhz or 900/2100Mhz, but not 850/2100Mhz, is a very irritating mystery (look at the specs on the new slew of devices)
Wow, ianl8888, thanks for the heads-up!
I was about to just purchase it without running it by this forum, assuming it was X1a. Good thing I didn't make such an idiotic mistake
My gawd, this thing is a near $300 dollars more expensive than the X1i
Right when I came to grips that the HTC Touch HD would not be my phone and X1 was the right choice.....a huge price difference gets in the way.
Frustrating.
markgencorelli said:
My gawd, this thing is a near $300 dollars more expensive than the X1i
Right when I came to grips that the HTC Touch HD would not be my phone and X1 was the right choice.....a huge price difference gets in the way.
Frustrating.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, we're paying the royalties from Qualcomm to Broadcom for the 850Mhz capability in the MSM7001A chips
BTW, I wasn't "idiotic" - I phoned and emailed Clove on exactly this point prior to purchase, since I trusted no-one on this. Yes, refund was quick.
you can pick one up from dell.com (yes, yes, i know, but they have it )
they are on "sale" now, still 700+
or you can always pick one up from sonystyle, or if you are in NYC, you can get it from jr.com
There isn't a black X1a I believe...
ianl8888 said:
Well, we're paying the royalties from Qualcomm to Broadcom for the 850Mhz capability in the MSM7001A chips
BTW, I wasn't "idiotic" - I phoned and emailed Clove on exactly this point prior to purchase, since I trusted no-one on this. Yes, refund was quick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope you don't think I was implying you were "idiotic".
I'm the only dunce here - I shouldn't assume anything when it involves such a big purchase, and that's what I was about to do before I had a brief moment of sanity.
Hmmm...the dell price is a little more tempting. But at $722, I might just bite the bullet and get an HTC Touch HD at $100 cheaper.
This sucks. Oh well...
markgencorelli said:
I hope you don't think I was implying you were "idiotic".
I'm the only dunce here - I shouldn't assume anything when it involves such a big purchase, and that's what I was about to do before I had a brief moment of sanity.
Hmmm...the dell price is a little more tempting. But at $722, I might just bite the bullet and get an HTC Touch HD at $100 cheaper.
This sucks. Oh well...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but 3g is more tempting lol
IMHO, you are going to be constantly frustrated by the Touch HD's inability to grab UMTS and HSDPA in the NAM.
With the recent expansions of the AT&T 3G system, I am no longer sure that it makes sense to have a non-NAM 3G phone, especially since the expansion of 850 MHz 3G has frequently meant the contraction of conventional GSM service.
Wait for Dell to have one of it's 20% off E&A coupons. Monitor the forums or vendor pages at www.fatwallet.com.
THESpideyWVU said:
There isn't a black X1a I believe...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i wish theres a black x1a too, i would get it over the silver version anytime... ironically i always wanted a silver psp and ps3, but when i got the psp, they only offer black version
williamn said:
Wait for Dell to have one of it's 20% off E&A coupons. Monitor the forums or vendor pages at www.fatwallet.com.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I could get the Xperia X1a at 580 which is the price after the current "ON SALE" price and 20% tacked on to it, I'd jump all over that. But I doubt that'll happen, probably end up being one or the other in terms of savings.
Does anyone have any suggestions on any phones I may have missed that are comparable to the Xperia X1a (other than the Touch Pro) or HTC Touch HD?
I love both phones but lukewarm about the lack of 3G on the HD and pricetag of the Xperia.
markgencorelli said:
If I could get the Xperia X1a at 580 which is the price after the current "ON SALE" price and 20% tacked on to it, I'd jump all over that. But I doubt that'll happen, probably end up being one or the other in terms of savings.
Does anyone have any suggestions on any phones I may have missed that are comparable to the Xperia X1a (other than the Touch Pro) or HTC Touch HD?
I love both phones but lukewarm about the lack of 3G on the HD and pricetag of the Xperia.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can try nokia 5800, symbian s60v5 is pretty good
OR omnia... dare you to get it

Enabling HSPA on HTC HD2?

Does anyone know where to find the tweak cabs to enable HD2 support for AT&T HSPA? Ordered my HD2 from Expansys-USA and am wondering whether the device supports that band here too.
Thanks.
It's not possible. The Euro 3g is different from American 3g. We're stuck with Edge.
Hello,
/the UMTS bands are:
1) Physical Hardware that set and only work on those bands of hardware?
2) Band are set by the flash .rom?
For example, the euro model has UMTS of 900/2100 mhz. Could a flash change those to 1700/2100 mhz?
Thank you,
Monnie
No, it requires new hardware.
Sc4Freak said:
No, it requires new hardware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not entirely true, it's all based on the chipset that is being used and if a particular band is available and unlocked. We've seen in the past extra bands being unlocked on a phone that originaly didn't have (supposedly) any additional bands.
The QSD8x50 platform consists of the QSD8250 (HTC Leo) which supports GSM, GPRS, EDGE, HSPA networks while the QSD8650supports CDMA2000 1X, 1xEV-DO Rel 0/A/B, GSM, GPRS, EDGE and HSPA networks. Both chipsets include:
•1 GHz CPU
•600MHz DSP
•Integrated 3G mobile broadband
•Support for Wi-Fi® and Bluetooth® connectivity
•Built-in seventh-generation gpsOne® engine with Standalone-GPS and Assisted-GPS modes
•High-definition (720p) video decode, and multiple video codec support
•High-performance 3D graphics – up to 22M triangles/sec and 133M 3D pixels/sec
•High-resolution up to WXGA (1280x720) display support
•12-megapixel camera support
•Multiple audio codecs: (AAC+, eAAC+, AMR, FR, EFR, HR, WB-AMR, G.729a, G.711, AAC stereo encode)
•Support for mobile broadcast TV (MediaFLO™, DVB-H and ISDB-T)
•Support for Windows Mobile®, Android, and a number of Linux®-based operating systems
•Qualcomm’s hybrid mode alternative solution
I personaly would like this processor, also Snapdragon: QSD8672
The single-chip, dual-CPU QSD8672™ includes most of the above features, in addition to:
•Dual CPUs, up to 1.5 GHz for faster response and processing
•Low-power 45nm process technology for higher integration and performance
•Higher-resolution WSXGA (1440 x 900) display support
•High-definition (1080p) video recording and playback
•Support for HSPA+ networks - 28 Mbps downloads and 11 Mbps uploads
•Supports CDMA2000 1X, 1xEV-DO Rel 0/A/B networks
•Improved 3D graphics - up to 80M triangles/sec and 500M+ 3D pixels/sec
What I am trying to find is what GSM, HSPA bands the 'chip' supports, hard to find...
Nighthawk said:
Not entirely true, it's all based on the chipset that is being used and if a particular band is available and unlocked. We've seen in the past extra bands being unlocked on a phone that originaly didn't have (supposedly) any additional bands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
Not that I have any experience with phone platforms but, my logic tells me, It is all the same system boards and the bands are "set" at the factory. I can not imagine that a different system board is used for different bands.
My real question is, is there a technique to change these bands other than at the factory?
Thank you,
Monnie
MonnieRock said:
Hello,
Not that I have any experience with phone platforms but, my logic tells me, It is all the same system boards and the bands are "set" at the factory. I can not imagine that a different system board is used for different bands.
My real question is, is there a technique to change these bands other than at the factory?
Thank you,
Monnie
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They can disable/enable bands on a chip if they want too by a lot of different methods (software, not connecting pins etc.), assuming the chip is capable of using the bands. Now, not every phone chipset is capable of handing more bands than what is listed as specs by carrier, but... As I said earlier, there have been phones that were capable of using more bands than originaly listed (spec'd) and those bands were activated at a later date.
One way to keep a phone exclusive is to restrict what band it uses.
A simple example of this would be the 802.11n registry fix on HD2, all it took was a registry entry to enable it (chipset was capable, just not activated by HTC).
No HSPA on the HTC HD2? rediculous...
Hi all,
I switched from a HTC Advantage x7500 class device which is 2 years old, and it did HSPA no problem.... I saw a "H" (for HSPA) in the top menu bar icon for data connect. Now with the HD2, a newer phone from the same manufacturer, all I get it "E" (for EDGE) on the same networks. LAME.
If thats the case, and EDGE is the best we can get on this phone where hspa worked clearly before, then HTC really blew it on this and this phone is a big mess-up to put it mildly. I was going to standardize my entire workplace on this phone--but not with this crippling limitation... rediculous.
Can anyone get around this with a piece of software/registry hack? I am appalled...
What about "wait until it's released officially on your network"? Then you'll get a version that can.
There's more than chipset, rom settings etc to getting compatibility on a band. Power amps, filters, etc... which are strictly hardware defined.
Why would a manufacturer make their radios WORSE or at least LESS COMPATIBLE in a newer model than a previous flagship version and lose something so data-critical like HSPA support... makes so little sense when making unlocked phones.
Because there's not enough physical space available, because it's significantly more expensive, because the chipset doesn't support it, because you don't want parallel imports, for licensing reasons,... many possibilities.
I'm inferring you bought a phone that isn't native to your market.
Odds are that you simply bought the wrong model. I'll guess you bought a T8585 instead of a T9193 (look on the back, at the bottom you'll see a T and a NextG icon.) If 3G matters to you, sell the 8585 and buy the 9193 and you'll get the 3g you so desire.*
*Unless you're in Japan, or something
mazzarin said:
I'm inferring you bought a phone that isn't native to your market.
Odds are that you simply bought the wrong model. I'll guess you bought a T8585 instead of a T9193 (look on the back, at the bottom you'll see a T and a NextG icon.) If 3G matters to you, sell the 8585 and buy the 9193 and you'll get the 3g you so desire.*
*Unless you're in Japan, or something
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 on this
I like the idea of buying a handset without doing research or have a proper understanding of it before hand.
lude219 said:
I like the idea of buying a handset without doing research or have a proper understanding of it before hand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go buy an iphone... it's everything u would want in a phone.. you don't need any knowledge at all b4 buying one.. looks like that's what u would be needing. =)
I will pose another question.
My htc pure will not go past 1.5 mbps hsdpa.
The phone comes with HSPA 7.2 ready built.
Eventhough AT&T has opened the 7.2 to be used used with
HTC Aria & Samsung Captivate which are running in speed tests beetween 3.2 mbps and 4.0 mbps. My pure refuses to work at such a speed.
My question is...
Is there a way for me to manipulate it with new configuration, or is is automatic, therefore being blocked by AT&T.
if anyone has any good advice, please write
skrachmo said:
I will pose another question.
My htc pure will not go past 1.5 mbps hsdpa.
The phone comes with HSPA 7.2 ready built.
Eventhough AT&T has opened the 7.2 to be used used with
HTC Aria & Samsung Captivate which are running in speed tests beetween 3.2 mbps and 4.0 mbps. My pure refuses to work at such a speed.
My question is...
Is there a way for me to manipulate it with new configuration, or is is automatic, therefore being blocked by AT&T.
if anyone has any good advice, please write
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
7.2mbps is theoretical, i.e. if the Gods are having a good day and all the planets are in alignment, then maybe, just maybe, you might get 7.2Mbps*
If it is stuck at 1.5Mbps, it sounds like a limit imposed somewhere as its a bit too rounded a number to be to do with distances, angles and interference. It could be your local cellsite isn't capable?
*it'll depend on things like distance from cell and stuff like that too.

Nexus One has hardware to work on AT&T 3G

I was looking at the Nexus One teardown here. http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Nexus-One/1654/2
Interesting to note that the RTR6285 RF transceiver does indeed support Band 5 UMTS, which I think is AT&T, according to a cached press release here. http://74.125.153.132/search?q=cach...l+RTR6285+umts+bands&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
Note it says...
North American triple-band UMTS (bands 2, 4, 5)
Japanese triple-band UMTS (bands 1, 6, 9)
European, Chinese and rest-of-world triple-band UMTS (bands 1, 3, 8)
Also... the power amplifier SKY77336, according to this document... http://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://www.skyworksinc.com/uploads/documents/200780E.pdf
Does support the GSM850 band. Isn't that AT&T?
So what is really preventing the Nexus One from running on AT&T? Did they just not "bother" to certify it with the FCC because T-Mobile is their launch partner?
This could mean then the radio software, or some other configuration option in the firmware simply has AT&T 3G disabled.
I'll let you guys debate this, but I can't see any hardware reason why this phone couldn't work on AT&T 3G, with proper software/hacking of course.
-James
Actually the real question is, why didn't they certify with the FCC for AT&T 3G? My only idea is that T-Mobile was the launch partner, but the hardware can do AT&T 3G technically, it's just not certified and enabled.
No reason they couldn't certify and enable it later.
And I have to say, I would have no trouble going to T-Mobile, but in Salt Lake City, AT&T coverage is far superior and so are the 3G speed tests. There are many locations my T-Mobile friends can't get make calls to save their life. I hear T-Mobile is much better in other cities.
-James
Doesn't AT&T use both 850 and 1900 for 3G? Does this phone have 1900?
jimbo831 said:
Doesn't AT&T use both 850 and 1900 for 3G? Does this phone have 1900?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Believe the transceiver and amplifier support both.
I want to get people digging around on this.
-James
Very interesting stuff.
I bet a community could get a pot together and have a prize for whomever can get the n1 working on att first, assuming it actually will work
Thanks for digging up this info, I was actually in the process of starting to research this myself for when I grew tired of living on edge.
Does support the GSM850 band. Isn't that AT&T?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You've already answered your own question here, GSM is not UMTS.
I'm in the smae boat btw, Telstra in Aus use 850UMTS and I know how painful it can be to have 2G access in most places.
YorikR32 said:
You've already answered your own question here, GSM is not UMTS.
I'm in the smae boat btw, Telstra in Aus use 850UMTS and I know how painful it can be to have 2G access in most places.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well technically UMTS is a GSM standard, could be the same thing. Same frequencies certainly.
I was just checking the brochure for the http://www.rfmw.com/data/BRO254-08B.pdf
No where does it make mention of UMTS, like say... T-Mobile's AWS... but it does specifically have the correct frequencies listed for both T-Mobile AWS and AT&T 3G.
I'm going to make the assumption that this indicates it works with UMTS is both bands since it doesn't mention UMTS specifically at all, yet it does work on T-Mobile AWS.
James I love you man! tell me there's a way to "jailbreak" this thing.... what kind of people do we need? someone has to be willing to help with this. Oh why oh why am i only a MBA.... I need a tech degree of some kind!
I don't think it has to do with the FCC. Though we are all in love with the nexus one... remember that google and apple are nearly HALF of the same executive board. They don't want to compete with the golden goose that keeps thier stock portfolio's up that much.
We just need to find out how to activate/change which airwaves this thing is listening too and THEN we will have the first truely unlocked machine!
subscribing to this thread for an outcome.
I've been doing more reading and it seems this isn't the first phone with hardware disabled. I haven't found anything yet on if anyone has made the change yet :+\
Here we go, the Blackstone all over again .
~~Tito~~ said:
Here we go, the Blackstone all over again .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, maybe. The Blackstone has a hardware limitation for the US 3G frequencies. There have been phones in the past that had software limitations that were overcome with a hack. So if the Nexus has the hardware capabilities to do ATT 3G frequencies there is a good chance that someone will figure out how to unlock it.
uh...wow. Yeah, I'll be watching this thread.
Matterhorn said:
Well, maybe. The Blackstone has a hardware limitation for the US 3G frequencies. There have been phones in the past that had software limitations that were overcome with a hack. So if the Nexus has the hardware capabilities to do ATT 3G frequencies there is a good chance that someone will figure out how to unlock it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which phones? Do you have any links we can read so we can start looking for similar solutions?
I found this link to the Diamond on XDA which they supposedly change to 3g at&t but I have read the whole thing it's long.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=432770
I'm still looking for answers! I'm just not smart enough to "create" the answer. I have hope that a future rom will help us but not for a while. For now I'll keep researching.
P.S. my phone comes tommorrow!!!!!!!!11 I'm so excited!!!!!!!!!!!111111
The radio chip supports all the UMTS bands it but unfortunately the UMTS power amplifiers (eg. http://www.skyworksinc.com/Product.aspx?ProductID=597) are NOT in the chip. Like the G1 it probably only has amplifiers for 900/1700/2100.
The quadband power amplifier only supports GPRS/EDGE: http://www.skyworksinc.com/Product.aspx?ProductID=437
Looking at the chip diagram here (http://s2.guide-images.ifixit.com/igi/ZhrRALhPFhWyLGKC.large) the two chips next to the SKY77191 look awfully like power amplifiers as well.. if so, conveniently for 900/2100
coolbho3000 said:
The radio chip supports all the UMTS bands it but unfortunately the UMTS power amplifiers (eg. http://www.skyworksinc.com/Product.aspx?ProductID=597) are NOT in the chip. Like the G1 it probably only has amplifiers for 900/1700/2100.
The quadband power amplifier only supports GPRS/EDGE: http://www.skyworksinc.com/Product.aspx?ProductID=437
Looking at the chip diagram here (http://s2.guide-images.ifixit.com/igi/ZhrRALhPFhWyLGKC.large) the two chips next to the SKY77191 look awfully like power amplifiers as well.. if so, conveniently for 900/2100
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Killjoy
jk
Wii60 said:
Killjoy
jk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't get me wrong, I wish this worked on AT&T (points at logo). Guess I'm EDGE-only until my contract expires.
Just wish all carriers would have stuck to one standard
whoever helps figure this out will definitely be getting some donations from me!! i have att and no purpose of buying a N1 without 3g...

[Q] 'R' above signal bars. Sound echoes. Phone is from China. No internet.

Please bear in mind that I'm a complete beginner and this is my first smartphone.
I've been wrestling with my phone for months and would really appreciate your help.
I have a 'GooApple V5 3G' (relatively high quality China phone) with Android 2.3.6:
http://www.gooappleblog.com/gooapple-v5-3g-review/
NETWORKING:
GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz & WCDMA /HSPDA + 2100MHz
UMTS HSPA 900, 2100 (Global except Americas)
UMTS HSPA 800, 850, 1900, 2100 (Americas)
I live in Sweden and as far as I've read, Swedish operators can use WCDMA on 2100MHz.
Here are the problems I experience:
- On the top of my screen there are three white bars and one gray (I think they should be blue?) and there is a tiny 'R' above the bars.
(I don't know if the 'R' stands for 'Roaming' or for 'Restricted network access'?)
- Whenever I call, I hear "echoes" and it feels like I speak to someone on the other side of the planet, which is extremely annoying for me and the person I talk to.
- In order to get internet to work I have to enable 'Data roaming', which feels risky since it could result in large fees in case I'm on a ferry or near the country border sometimes.
- My operator(Mobil2.se) is quite new, and it in turn uses the network of Sweden's largest operator(Telia.se) (Both companies are Swedish though, and I am in Sweden.)
I've tried contacting Mobil2 about this but gets no reply.
Please help!
The R normally stands for Roaming; I get this on my device (Xperia PLAY) quite often. The issue with the echo's is also something I have experienced, but mine only lasted around 30-45secs and I had that more than once also.
Sorry I couldnt help any more..
PS: Roaming only allows allows the user to get charged more when they "roam" from their usual territory; in your case Sweden, so If you travelled to Norway or any other country you may get charges then..
When you buy crap, you should expect it to work like crap.
Perhaps the phone thinks I'm roaming because mobil2 uses another company's network?
I read somewhere that this phenomenon is called: "national roaming".
Does someone here know more about this?
I don't think the phone is to blame for the echoes. People from other European countries (mostly UK) rave about how good the phone is.
white-k said:
Perhaps the phone thinks I'm roaming because mobil2 uses another company's network?
I read somewhere that this phenomenon is called: "national roaming".
Does someone here know more about this?
I don't think the phone is to blame for the echoes. People from other European countries (mostly UK) rave about how good the phone is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Given the price of it, i somehow doubt there's much quality control during manufacture, it'll be comprised of the cheapest components they could find. You have to pay for quality, you didn't, and now you're paying the price.
Joey2o11 said:
Given the price of it, i somehow doubt there's much quality control during manufacture, it'll be comprised of the cheapest components they could find. You have to pay for quality, you didn't, and now you're paying the price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like the words of a bitter person who paid a lot for his phone and don't want to accept there are cheaper phones that work well (if all is configured right).
A funny thing happened yesterday. As soon as I set up a mail-account for the phone, the bars turned green!
The Roaming-symbol is still there though.
Visit GOOAPPLE's service centre, if they have one.
Accidentally sent via XDA Premium for GT-I9103.

Questions from a european about carriers in CA & US

Hello folks
I hope if there's any right place at xda for what I want to ask it is the "networking" subforum... If not then I'd like to apologize. :angel:
In the near future (heck in about one week!) I'm starting my journey to America. I'll be in New York for two weeks and then go to Toronto. After two to four weeks there I want to start travelling through Canada (backpacking). And as I have half a year time (or as long as my money suffices ) I really want to go everywhere (except for the far northern part of Canada). Now... I am asking myself what would be the best solution in terms of "connectivity"!?
As I am from small Switzerland I don't really know how it works with different carriers covering different areas because here all the carriers cover the whole country so it's nothing I'd consider when choosing a carrier. Is it like roaming when you're in a region where your carrier doesn't have his own antennas but another one has?
Some other questions are:
0. Will my Sony Xperia Z (bought in Norway ) work in CA & US? (Model Number C6603)
1. Is there any possibility to have a number in NYC and also use it for Canada without a lot of trouble?
2. Would you choose to have a contract (I guess you also call it a plan) or would you go with a prepay card for each of the two countries and just load it with money from time to time?
3. I found this pretty neat site called coveragemapper (unfortunately I cannot post the link... ). According to this site Bell / Telus and Rogers Wireless have the best coverage. Do you think either of them is a good choice?
I know xda is everything but a travelers-forum but I thought everyone who's here really knows the different plans and options from each carrier and how it all works! So I hope that you can help me out with some information!
greets from Switzerland
Michel
You will of course have GSM voice coverage, and decent LTE where it is available. 3G coverage is going to be spotty with that model. North America does not use WCDMA Band I which is the ubiquitous default band in most of the world and that model lacks most of the 3G bands used in the US. (As far as I can tell you only have band V available to you)
Yes, frequency bands in North America are a total mess compared with the rest of the world. (And the pervasiveness of cdmaOne and friends make it even worse)
evildave_666 said:
You will of course have GSM voice coverage, and decent LTE where it is available. 3G coverage is going to be spotty with that model. North America does not use WCDMA Band I which is the ubiquitous default band in most of the world and that model lacks most of the 3G bands used in the US. (As far as I can tell you only have band V available to you)
Yes, frequency bands in North America are a total mess compared with the rest of the world. (And the pervasiveness of cdmaOne and friends make it even worse)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi evildave
Thanks for your reply! Okay, that's good to hear at least it'll work. I do have an old Galaxy Nexus which I could use as well if that's any better. But anyways I won't be depending on my internet connection on my travels. At least hopefully.
hell-o-world said:
Hi evildave
Thanks for your reply! Okay, that's good to hear at least it'll work. I do have an old Galaxy Nexus which I could use as well if that's any better. But anyways I won't be depending on my internet connection on my travels. At least hopefully.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You would have more consistent and reliable data service with the Galaxy Nexus (at the cost of peak speed).
evildave_666 said:
You would have more consistent and reliable data service with the Galaxy Nexus (at the cost of peak speed).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, thanks. Actually I dislike the Nexus since I am an audiophile and need a lot of memory space for my music. But I'll see, maybe I'll take it anyways and have it as a spare phone.^^

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