Database Users

How to get a cheap Universal

Hi,
First off: thanks to this forum and it's users! I am now a happy owner of a Blue Angel AND a Universal.
I thought it would be nice to share with you guy's these facts:
1) The Universal costs in Portugal 799 Euro in stores and providers tend to ask 849 Euro for it.
2) You may start to find some discounts. Currently they are sold a http:\\www.fnac.pt for just 649 Euro. Obviously the end of commercialization is arraving for this great phone...
3) The cheapest way to get one is through eBay: I got one for 255 Euro + shipping (280 Euro total).
How to do it and why it's so cheap:
1) In Germany, many Universal's are sold by T-Online, branded as MDA Pro.
2) People seem to get them cheap there with a 1-2 year contract.
3) After 6-12 month they want to get rid of it because it is probably TO BIG for them (being a BA user, I will have to get used to this oversized phone, as well - it is really big and clumsy to handle).
4) Because it is normally SIM-Locked (unlocking it at T-Online costs 99 Euro) and because it is branded, it's value is not so high for normal users (I am a freak, so I would pay it's weight in gold, if I had any gold...).
5) There are lot's of them being sold on http://www.ebay.de.
How to do it:
1) Take your time and start observing current auctions.
2) Make a search for all MDA Pro's on the german eBay.
3) Ask each seller if they would ship to your country and if the phone is really in mint condition.
4) If they don't answer fast, remove them from your list.
5) If they have negative feedback (more than 1%), remove them from your list.
6) If they have strange remarks on positive feedback (i.e. difficult contact), remove them from your list.
7) From the remaining, select the ones that offer phones in mint condition without accessories like SDCards (they are cheaper new and will make noobs lose their heads when bidding).
8) Monitor the remaining ones and bid only in the last minute!!! Keep two pages open: one to monitor current bid, one with your bid ready to go.
9) You should not spend more than 300 Euro - if you monitor auctions of these devices, you will see many being sold for less than 300 Euro.
BEAR IN MIND THAT THERE IS OBVIOUSLY ALWAYS A RISK WHEN PURCHASING STUFF LIKE THIS AT EBAY!
What to do next:
1) Use the great SIM Unlock tool available from Buzz.
2) Flash WM6 in WWE.
3) Patch the registry so that it matches the german keyboard. The german keyboard is perfectly OK, the only annoyance is the swapped "Z" and "Y".
4) If this is not acceptable, you can by an english keyboard at eBay as well. It will cost you some 25 Euro, though. Also, you will need to dismantle the whole phone for this replacement.
It is always better to get a second hand Universal from a friend you trust, but if you live in Portugal or other periferic country, it might not be easy to find someone willing to sell his Universal for such a low price.
Hope this helps someone.
Cheers,
vma

Ops - wrong forum! Could a Mod or Admin please move this to the Universal - Universal section?
Thanks,
Vitor

Don't these machines then have the wrong (german) keyboard?

doodle you should read
nice guide vma, also nice to see someone else puls the same tricks as i do on ebay with 2 pages open.. bidding with only 3 seconds left ftw

bidsniper ftw, it bids with 0.5 seconds to go

Does this mean shipping is worldwide?
Versand nach: Weltweit

panzer said:
Does this mean shipping is worldwide?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It means the seller will ship to anywhere in the world

For those who can't understand german, here is a nice link for you:
http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/trurl_pagecontent?lp=de_en&trurl=http://www.ebay.de/
Thanks go to Babelfish, Altavista and of course to Douglas Adams.
Regarding eBay-Tools: I have tried them, but are not very fond of them:
1) Most cost money.
2) You need to give an (unknown) software your eBay-passwords
3) I don't feel confortable having a software bidding for me
The thing is: if you loose in the last minute, then just wait for the next auction. never buy completly out of impulse. Take your time to find the right product being auctioned. Settle the price you are really wanting to pay at maximum. Bid in the last 1-2 minutes with your maximum price. That has always worked for me.
Cheers,
vma

I did the same thig as vma and recently got a UNI next to a BA. eBay is a good place to shop for these phones. But instead to look just for MDA Pro, it's also good to look for the other aliases of the UNI. Like the SPV M5000. Less people will know that this is the same phone and the price is likely (hopefully) a bit less then for a MDA Pro. (at least that worked for me when I bough my BA).
vma said:
....
4) If this is not acceptable, you can by an english keyboard at eBay as well. It will cost you some 25 Euro, though. Also, you will need to dismantle the whole phone for this replacement.
....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The german keyboard layout is quite annoying to me. So I would like to opt for the english keyboard, but haven't been able to find it on ebay yet. You have any links to it?? The problem for me is not with the Z and they Y, but with the special character, eg those above the numbers. So, I rather keep the keyboard layout in english, just like the keyboard of my PC. But the 25 euro would be well worth it.
While replacing the keyboard, it's probably also a good oportunity to fix the little plastic thingie that is preventing the pen from falling out. At least that was a small operation I have done on several BAs in the past and plan to do this soon on my UNI as well, since the pen keeps dropping out.
Talking about pens: On ebay, you'll also be able to find a few shops that sell pens for the UNI. One of the shops in Hong Kong sells you a set of 3 for less than 7 euros including shipping. (just search for "Qtek 9000 stylus" and you'll find several shops)

Look here for example: item # 300098533646
This seems to be a black one, but I have seen many silver ones as well. Beware that they come from Hong Kong!
I don't know how much customs charge for something like this.
Cheers,
vma

Thread moved as requested.

not a reallygood idea since the German keyboard is in QWERTZ!!

Read what I wrote! I mentioned that fact.
Also, you can configure WWE through a registry hack to this keymap, so the only annoyance is that the Z and Y key's are swapped. But they will correspond to the labels on the keyboard.
Also, you can purchase a keyboard at eBay and replace the german one.
Cheers,
vma

i got my pro from t-mobile for sale...,so who ever is interestet please pm me for this..

HTC Touch probably NOT original

I have been offered to buy a HTC Touch, but I am not shure if it's original HTC. Do you know anything if its exists a replica of this phone? I will post here some pictures of this unit. Please tell me if, it's an original HTC, so I can decide to buy it or not. Many thanks ahead!

It may be fake - I can't see external antenna connector above camera.

fake
yes its seems to be fake touch there our many fakes out there from china honkong you have companies that almost make any htc phone a copy of stick to the real thing
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

gronostaj said:
It may be fake - I can't see external antenna connector above camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no HTC logo on front or back
made in china
i guess it's fake

It's probably an OEM one.
I believe they are manufactured by HTC themselves but are branded as a Dopod S1, i have one (though mine has got HTC logos on it) and it works exactly the same as a branded HTC touch. It still has touchflo and wifi and everything is exactly the same it is just a fraction of the price They are awesome value in my opinion, i paid $296 AUD for mine.

Not seeing an HTC logo, or the internal antenna attachment both seem fishy to me, same goes for the little big thats beside the CE logo on the body of the phone as my Touch doesn't have that.
Usually the failsafe way to check if its fake or not is to see if you can get the phone into bootloader.

maybe
maybe they just changed the external case (probably it was scratched) with a cheap chinese one?

Red_Baron said:
I have been offered to buy a HTC Touch, but I am not shure if it's original HTC. Do you know anything if its exists a replica of this phone? I will post here some pictures of this unit. Please tell me if, it's an original HTC, so I can decide to buy it or not. Many thanks ahead!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Call HTC and verify the S/N and IMEI shown in the pictures is genuine.

Ahh one of the China replica's
1st: no antenna connector
2nd: You can see the green color from the PCB beneath the battery
fake! 100% sure!

Thank you all for hellping me solve my doubts! Finally I decided to not to buy this phone. Anyway his price was $200 and was brand new. When I told him that is NOT an ORIGINAL HTC, he didn't wanted to convince me MAny thanks again for helping me!

less than $100 in Shenzhen, China
you can buy this replica on the street.
I must say it is a very good replica, and it works, but it is not the same....
try entering bootloader... impossible... there's not bootloader menu, you can enter a kind of bootloader menu for SD only, pressing volume up and reset at the same time... I think it runs windows CE.

Good you didnot buy it !00% fake even the box is very different from original htc one

About buying Universal

Hello,
Im thinking about buying Universal, but i have some questions about it.
1.Where to buy it, i would like to get it in good shape/now, not some old cheese.
2.Has it any defects or easy brokening parts.? Warranty after buying via. internet is a pain.
3. I read somewere that there are some fake models avabile?
Is it real talk or some WomensInSaunaToldMe story?

Your best bet would either be eBay or the Marketplace. I think the latter is a better choice because you'll probably find it much cheaper with details.

Just looked, at the ebay.
I could get for 350$ from there.
Now i need some info abot the fake thing.
And one question more:
Is this mobile still sustainable (this may be wrong word ) or is there a hope for support in XDA nexr 2-3 years?
But yeah, Wallaby is much older

Do not hessitate on buying an Universal!
Is one of the best devices ever!!
Thanks to the Chefs and Devs here you´ll have Universal for a long time!
Have a look here to see another buy options
http://forum.xda-developers.com/search.php?searchid=25385196

jaank said:
Just looked, at the ebay.
I could get for 350$ from there.
Now i need some info abot the fake thing.
And one question more:
Is this mobile still sustainable (this may be wrong word ) or is there a hope for support in XDA nexr 2-3 years?
But yeah, Wallaby is much older
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haven't heard of this "fake" business you speak of but i'm pretty sure eBay is safe. I'm also sure you can get one for much cheaper than that.

kareem9nba said:
I'm also sure you can get one for much cheaper than that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheaper than the Ebay?
Where?I think 350usd for that kinda High-End device is pretty cheap.
All im worried about is, that maybe it doesn't fit into my pants pockets, because im only 12 and my pocket's arent very big.
edit: Orb3000 could you please fix the link. I like'd to read it.

Enter here and do a search with the word "Universal"
You´ll see many options:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=476

price and size
jaank said:
Cheaper than the Ebay?
Where?I think 350usd for that kinda High-End device is pretty cheap.
All im worried about is, that maybe it doesn't fit into my pants pockets, because im only 12 and my pocket's arent very big.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi jaank.
On Ebay in the UK, Universals are selling for £100-£130. that is 1840-2390 Krooni (you live in Estonia, right?) You could probably get a better deal on this site in Marketplace.
If you are worried about the size for your pocket. A Uni is 130mm X 78mm X 23mm. Maximum. make up a cardboard one and try it out. that was what I did before I bought my Athena.
A Uni is pretty tough but so is school.(at least mine was) you need to be careful. You already have a Wizard so you know that. Best of luck. let us know how you get on.

Oh, cool answer
But, has Universal some weak spots?
Like the screen turning system or so?Im thinking about some other mobile, at the weekend.
Im in Middle schoool , so im pretty peaceful and im pretty peaceful at all, but im sportly active and so having second phone is pretty good idea I think.
And the point for buying Uni IS school.
Im a boy, so i sit at the back and our school has wifi.
And as you all know (I hope) is school pretty booring.
Thank you for the help, and sorry for my English.I started learning English in third grade and Im going to Six't grade so I'm not really experienced about english.
Thank you, and i love PayPal.
EDIT: Where did you see NEW uni for 2000eek. I talked to my parrents and it's have to be new
EDIT2:About future Is there some roms wiht the latest Manila as in the Touch Pro/Hd

SorryForDouble
Looking for the Cheapest NEW uni.
My old mobile battery is diening so needed fast.

Uni's can be bought cheap at the German eBay. Current prices are at about 100 Euro, I saw auctions finishing at 90 Euro. This is madness, for such a great device.
You need to search for "MDA PRO", as this is the name given by the German phone operator.
I actually own two of them, so that is a good sign on how much I like this phone!
Drawbacks: whilst driving, my phone holder does not allow the Universal to be placed such that the keyboard is accessible. This means, I can't type while driving (one shouldn't do that anyway). Also, Internet Explorer will render quite small fonts.
When I am driving, I do prefer the form factor of my VDA GPS (like a Motorola Q9).
Other than that, this phone is simply great.
No known issues.
You should consider:
- new battery
- screen protector
- proper car holder
Cheers,
vma

i got mine about a month ago. i got it off ebay germany, i paid 88eur for the universal g3, plus a 3200mah battery, a tomtom mkii sirf3 gps receiver and a docking station.
that was about the best 90eur i ever spent, although i didn't get a stylus, a case or a handsfree, which i thought, was standard accessories, the gps alone is priced at 75eur in germany

VMA:
- new battery- IDK, I'm scared about weight.
- screen protector- Shure
- proper car holder- Dont have a car so not needed.
If you buying MDA Pro than you can still flash it?
EDIT: Is MDA pro software in germany?

Hi,
With new battery I meant the fact that most MDA PRO's sold nowadays at eBay are over two years old, so you should not expect to much from the shipped battery. You certainly will need to purchase a new one soon to get a full day of heavy usage out of your device.
I agree that the extra capacity batteries increase the size and weight of the Universal beyond reasonable lilmits (for me at least), so I would stick with the normal sized batteries.
Basically I wanted to alert you that you should not spend *ALL* your money on the Universal - save some for an extra battery...
The German MDA PRO will in most cases come with a German falvour of WM5 and with a SIM lock.
You can, however, unlock the SIM by following the procedure of the Unlocker (search forum) and you can certainly flash a different ROM. I personally like Tomal's modified WM6.1 ROM's a lot.
The only remaining issues you will have with the German version of the Universal:
- MDA / T-Mobile logo on the inside, T-Mobile logo on the outside
- German keyboard: essentially you will have the "Y" and "Z" keys swapped - and no, you can't physically exchange the keys, because they have different size
I can live perfectly well with both issues and they don't affect the usability or the value of the device at all.
Cheers,
vma

Now it's about Ebay safety.
How to chose seller?
http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-New-O2-XD...trkparms=65:12|66:2|39:1|72:1205|293:1|294:50
What do you think about that?

Check on marketplace first!
I saw yesterday a great Uni selling from a trustable member

There is always a risk involved in any internet related purchase...
At eBay you should look for:
- sellers with more than a minimu of 5 feedbacks
- sellers with 100% rating - in case of 99.x% rating, check what was the cause of the negative feedback (sometime's it is not the sellers fault)
- check what other products the seller has been selling
- pictures of the real device, not just standard marketing images
- ask the seller a question and see how long it takes him to respond - avoid sellers who dont respond
- avoid sellers accepting Western Union or similar payment forms
- don't relay totally on PayPAL - it is not that secure
- check shipping costs
- check taxes - specially in case of imports from other economic areas
If nothing is strange so far, nothing fishy, then you can take the risk.
Regarding the Marketplace here at XDA-DEVELOPERS: I have never purchased anything, but would do so from respected members. Check how long they are registered and how many postings they have. No crook would be wasting time with hundreds of posts over years just to sell you a broken Universal...
However, in case things go wrong and if you bought something from someone on the other side of the world, there is nothing much you can do.
That is the price you pay, for getting the device with a discount of aproximatly 50%.
Cheers,
vma

OK - sellers with more than a minimu of 5 feedbacks
OK - sellers with 100% rating - in case of 99.x% rating, check what was the cause of the negative feedback (sometime's it is not the sellers fault)
OK - check what other products the seller has been selling
OK - pictures of the real device, not just standard marketing images
OK - ask the seller a question and see how long it takes him to respond - avoid sellers who dont respond
OK - avoid sellers accepting Western Union or similar payment forms
OK - don't relay totally on PayPAL - it is not that secure
OK - check shipping costs
OK - check taxes - specially in case of imports from other economic areas
So look's pretty good.
I was just asking your opinion .What do you think about him.
Gonna order soon.

HD2: How to spot a fake? [Closed]

Hi guys,
How would I know if my intended HD2 buy is not a fake?
Where do I need to look for and what?
Serial numbers?
etc.
-Im from Holland (the netherlands)
-Asking price is 350
-Its a private seller, no retailer and the guy is unknown (besides first name and phonenumber)
-It comes in the original box with all the accessories and warranties according to seller
-Guy sounds legit, when communicating
-I want his HD2, Im a HTC user since 2002 (1e was a Artemis: P3300, 2nd and current: Touch Pro with custom ROM)
-I have great knowledge about an HD2 from pictures/videos/youtube, specs, etc. but never held one in person
Therefore I ask owners or similair intended buyers who know specific things on their HTC to look for what makes it a legit HTC. Is it serials, is it logo's? Things that are really hard to copy to make a fake one.
Kind Regards.
Paul

From where you get it ^^?

paultje_007 said:
Hi guys,
How would I know if my intended HD2 buy is not a fake?
Where do I need to look for and what?
Serial numbers?
etc.
Kind Regards.
Paul
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there a specific model you want?
Where are you buying it from?
Can you touch it before you buy it?
How much are you planning to spend?
Have you seen HD2 videos on YouTube?
Do you know what it looks like?
Do you know the seller?
There are lots of questions you should think about before posting and asking us a very vague question.

Its hardly a vague question is it? Hopefully someone a bit more helpful will be able to offer more advice...

If you go to the HTC web site and look for a list of resellers in your country (you haven't said what country you are in) or go to the web site or store of an international mobile phone company I believe that you would only get a genuine phone. If you buy sight unseen from an auction site or a little known consumer electronics site in a country well known for being able to make fake consumer electronics then you are more likely to be sold a fake. How many people here have seen a fake HD2? I've personally never heard of anyone. Serial numbers can be duplicated, in fact they are sometimes shared in public fora for ROM download purposes so are not all quite as unique as they could be.

First post edited:
-Im from Holland (the netherlands)
-Asking price is 350
-Its a private seller, no retailer and the guy is unknown (besides first name and phonenumber)
-It comes in the original box with all the accessories and warranties according to seller
-Guy sounds legit, when communicating
-I want his HD2, Im a HTC user since 2002 (1e was a Artemis: P3300, 2nd and current: Touch Pro with custom ROM)
-I have great knowledge about an HD2 from pictures/videos/youtube, specs, etc. but never held one in person
Therefore I ask owners or similair intended buyers who know specific things on their HTC to look for what makes it a legit HTC. Is it serials, is it logo's? Things that are really hard to copy to make a fake one.

Only buy from a trusted reseller- Amazon or one listed by HTC. Here, from a senior member-I'd be hesitant of a noob (no offense to noobs).

get a surname, address and landline phone number, then look them up in directory enquiries. Call them at the landline number you get from directory enquiries.
Not perfect, but can be useful in spotting a dodgy seller.

It's bought! I'm a proud owner of a 3 month old legit Leo (HD2).
The guy was more like a tester like everyone here on XDA than some dodgy tracksuit fellow with a loose phone. (the box with all the paperwork was there, plus he had an extra battery and an 8GB MicroSD card, but he lost the earplug...)
So 350 E is I think not a rip off!
(normal = 492E for a new retailers one and 50E for a 2nd battery + 8GB card)
(3 months old, no wear & tear!, is 542 - 350 = 192 E savings)
I reckon good deal!
Topic closed.

X7500 Chinese copy myPad

Just read Chinavasion news.
There is a device called myPad which looks very much as the X7500.
http://www.chinavasion.com/product_...-windows-smartphone-with-5-inch-touch-screen/
No keyboard though and lack of 8/16GB HDD.
I thing GPS is also missing.
Same processor, memory, screensize and camera.
Would be very nice if we can flash this cheap myPad with WM6.5!

Hi there,the O/S could be WM6.1 CHINESE VERSION!!!

Any idea if this is actually a X7500? I would like to get one of these and put Android on it.

PaulMdx said:
Any idea if this is actually a X7500? I would like to get one of these and put Android on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My experience with ChinaVasion Support is that they are quick and pretty complete. Info they don't have they seem to cannot find.
I myself have no hardware programming of Android.
And "Cross posting" is not allowed here I think?
The processor, ROM, RAM, GSEN and wifi looks the same to me and things like GPS are extra chips on the mainboard so if Android will be build for X7500 I am pretty sure it will work on the Chinese myPad too.
Maybe someone with the right knowledge can mail Kayode Enunekwu who bought one (see below at link).

If you use iPhoneToday you can pretty much setup your x7500 to copy an ipad's home screen OS look and even use the same background image as the ipad. It works really well with the Advantage-- autorotates, displays icons bubbles with counts, etc
still the android port is what I am waiting for

Hi there,has any forum members bought and using this device myPad,would like
to hear some first hand experience

I'm having a hard time trying to buy one on Chinavasion.
Paypal is refusing my current credit card, then I've tried add a new one, but Paypal give me a invalid zip code error. I'm not confident enough to try bank transfer.
A huge 5'' touchscreen plus Wi-Fi for only 310?
I must not miss this chance.
Sorry for my poor English.

ED-Z said:
I'm having a hard time trying to buy one on Chinavasion.
Paypal is refusing my current credit card, then I've tried add a new one, but Paypal give me a invalid zip code error. I'm not confident enough to try bank transfer.
A huge 5'' touchscreen plus Wi-Fi for only 310?
I must not miss this chance.
Sorry for my poor English.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Strange, have you contacted Paypal about it?
I have bought a couple of phones and a car stereo in a few years from them and never had any problem with my creditcard and delivery.
I am no wholesaler or shop myself so could just have been lucky.
I would never buy with bank transfer indeed. No insurance whatsoever that you get the product or the money back.

I just ordered one.. the chinavision model is last years model.. the manufacturer is actually a company called QIGI (qwee-gee..) and the model number is the u1000 smartbook.. I ordered the newer model U2000 which comes with WM6.5.. should be here by next week..

pvanhaaren said:
Just read Chinavasion news.
I thing GPS is also missing.
Same processor, memory, screensize and camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like both versions have GPS. What's more interesting is the older version supports the 850 band but the newer one doesn't. I see one BIG problem with both versions - they only support EDGE, no 3G! I would buy one today if it had 3G. No 3G (or 4G), no sale...
http://pdadb.net/index.php?m=specs&id=2328&view=1&c=qigi_smartbook_u2000

Just saw that the Athena is also called "Dopod U1000".
That makes the name "QiGi Smartbook U1000" even more copycat.
Would be bad indeed if there is no support for UMTS/HSDPA!
CSD is for Chinese market, right?
There is a "C-Motech Mangrove" with whopping 7" screen.
http://www.pocketables.net/2009/11/...indows-mobile-tablet-with-snapdragon-cpu.html
Cannot find an international shop yet. Any tips?

Hee Hee!! I ordered one and mine will be here tommorrow!! I ordered the u2000 which is the current one with wm6.5.. I dont care about 3g support because there actually isnt that many 3g towers where I live so I use edge anyway.. I'll let ya know when its here!

@vinski208
May I ask where you have orderred your u2000? I have search the net but only got news about the u2000, no shops to order!
BK

Hi vinski208
would also like to know where you order your unit,understand that there is a new
device just lunch U3000 (article was in Chinese)

Hi guys
so r there any news / reports about this new toy?
rgds
mind

Hi all,
I couldn't resist and bought one off ebay..arrived today and it looks pretty sturdy for a china made device.
Problem is I've been trying to charge it for the last 3 hours and it doesn't seem to wanna charge..
I'll leave this charging overnight and if it doesn't charge in the morning, I'll have to return this for a replacement..quite annoying!

ROM U1000
http://www.iqigi.com/viewthread.php?tid=4508&extra=page=1

bad battery
Hi guys! I also bought and received on monday a u2000. Everything works fine, except the battery... few calls, some reading in word = battery down in 3 hours. Next day, not using it , except 1 call, battery down in 6 hours.
I don't know what to do... a replacement of the battery, a refund...I just want the battery to last for 12-14 hours.
How long does your battery last?
What is your advice?
Please respond to this message as soon as you can.
Thank you very much!