HIgh tech question ? - Android Software Development

Hello see all the nice wonderful phones around the world and her in the US we are more or less locked out to a few by the fu.... Provider supplied models month later.
Locked around and saw there are 98% HTC Magic and Hero with UMTS 900/2100 mhz. Also a few with a UMTS 850/1900 for the ATT slaves. It is for me not realistic that HTS build a whole new model for each little US player.
I'm sure there is a quadband UMTS but do to FCC regulation and business restriction for the US market HTC jsut block those frequency.
This would be a more or less usefull patch to make those MOdels from the rest of the world also useable in the USA/Canada.
IS there someone who can confirm that HTC built just for this few US guys a total different hardware or my theories with the blocked Feature deep in the hardware.
Thanks

They dont have to build an entire phone to operate in diferent bands...so i guess its hardware related(just the modem i think) with proper software(radio protocol) to go with it.
If it was just software related or some kind of block in the hardware it would already been bypassed by someone in here...my guess.

Related

The Dream are all equal?

Good evening to all. has been a while I'm thinking of buying a Dream, and I'm looking at the prices in stores. I buy it again seems a bit expensive, so I turned to ebay and I saw that second-hand cost rather less. Now I'm wondering though: if I buy it outside of my country, like in America or in Germany (for example) can still use it in my country? or just not working. I ask this because I am about to go on holiday in America and I do not know whether to buy or not ...... You know where this goes from country to country?
be careful on eBay, lots of look alike phones are appearing! Make 100% certain it is truly a HTC phone!
No, that's ok it is that you resemble is fine, but for sure I care what you purchase, I do not want to buy it is a clone. However, then the Dream are all equal?
Ebay is ebay. People are trying to get the most money for their item. Some people will start lower prices than other. Some people are luckier and have more people interested and bidding higher. Some items are in better physical condition.
As others have said, don't accidentally buy a clone. They are VERY sneaky. You need to watch out for all the details and features and make sure nothing is missing.
But I am sure however that a German or American Dream can go well in my country?
the dream is a world phone, so it's going to work anywhere (gprs data, hsdpa data is only the frequency that T-Mo us runs, i think)
There are no differences between dream devices, other than the motherboard they come equiped with, and this can be the difference between been able to root and getting a brick if you try, but, again, afaik, they all come with the puny 192 mb ram and 256 mb nand flash.
I'm not sure which you want but they are NOT the same, the rogers dream will work on att 3g the tmo g1 is tmo 3g only, make sure the frequencies on the phone match your carriers...
All dreams should work, its a matter of how quickly (ie 3g or not)
I'm not sure which you want but they are NOT the same, the rogers dream will work on att 3g the tmo g1 is tmo 3g only, make sure the frequencies on the phone match your carriers...
All dreams should work, its a matter of how quickly (ie 3g or not)
Thanks for answers. If I had to take it, take the Dream brand T-Mobile or AT&T, or directy unlocked
Cadetto Entusiasta said:
Thanks for answers. If I had to take it, take the Dream brand T-Mobile or AT&T, or directy unlocked
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no ATT branded device.
ALL dream *except* rogers will work 3G *everywhere except* ATT/Rogers. ATT/Rogers are oddball carriers with frequencies that don't match anywhere else.
Note that asides from the frequencies, there are devices with different KEYBOARD LAYOUTS. Most will have QWERTY layout (i.e. from english-speaking places), there are also QWERTZ layout (German), and I don't know what layout is used from French-speaking places (AZERTY?).
if you live in europe it would almost make more sense to buy a tmobile g1
the tmobile version has both wcdma 1700 and 2100 bands....and 2100 should work where you are...so you won't lose 3g in the deal like you would with the rogers dream
newspeak said:
if you live in europe it would almost make more sense to buy a tmobile g1
the tmobile version has both wcdma 1700 and 2100 bands....and 2100 should work where you are...so you won't lose 3g in the deal like you would with the rogers dream
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A "tmobile g1" *** IS A DREAM ***, so your statement reads as "it would almost make more sense to buy a dream [than a dream]", which has absolutely no meaning.
And quit calling it a "tmobile g1"... tmobile is NOT the manufacturer, and "g1" is NOT the model name -- "tmobile g1" is just tmobile's way of pretending that they actually had something to do with something and tricking people into contracts and limitations on features.
As someone who is becoming rather aggravated about the continuing lack of ETA for the Tilt 2 I was wondering if a Rogers version of the Dream would be a good alternative for me?
Specifically I am looking for a smartphone with a bigger screen than my 8525, a physical keyboard, wifi, the ability to surf the web and use Logmein to access PC's, and the ability to read various ebooks (txt's, doc's, rtf's, lit's, pdf's, etc). I would also like to be able to listen to mp3's on headphones and play some bejewelled/popit style games however these are less important. I am also restricted to the AT&T network as my cellphone is on my company's AT&T plan (which is why I was thinking that the Rogers version of the Dream would be better than the other versions as from what I understand it should allow it to be compatible with the 850/1900 band?)
Anyways, I was wondering if the Rogers version of the Dream would meet my requirements or if there are any other Android phones that might do so? Thanks in advance for any information and advice and sorry if I'm not asking this in the correct place.
Yes.
......
coscom said:
As someone who is becoming rather aggravated about the continuing lack of ETA for the Tilt 2 I was wondering if a Rogers version of the Dream would be a good alternative for me?
Specifically I am looking for a smartphone with a bigger screen than my 8525, a physical keyboard, wifi, the ability to surf the web and use Logmein to access PC's, and the ability to read various ebooks (txt's, doc's, rtf's, lit's, pdf's, etc). I would also like to be able to listen to mp3's on headphones and play some bejewelled/popit style games however these are less important. I am also restricted to the AT&T network as my cellphone is on my company's AT&T plan (which is why I was thinking that the Rogers version of the Dream would be better than the other versions as from what I understand it should allow it to be compatible with the 850/1900 band?)
Anyways, I was wondering if the Rogers version of the Dream would meet my requirements or if there are any other Android phones that might do so? Thanks in advance for any information and advice and sorry if I'm not asking this in the correct place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Why don't quad-band phones also support international UMTS/3G frequency bands?

I'm trying to buy an Android phone that would support AT&T's 3G in North America, but for some reason they all only support T-Mobile's 3G frequencies. What's up?
So pretty much every smartphone nowadays is quad-band, GSM 850/900/1800/1900, and works pretty much anywhere in the world.
Why don't phones also support international 3G frequencies: 850/1900 as well as 900, 1700 and 2100 Mhz?
That should be a rule in all modern devices
100% all communication in all the world!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quad-band#3G
if you look at the population in the various places
and add the extra cost it seems to currently offer
feature you request it would most likely
not be worth it for htc and other manufacturers
but maybe in time as first we had dualband phones then triband and now quadband 2g
of cause with 4g starting to take off some places maybe it will be absolute before
universal 3g chips get cheap enough
How do the current business travelers manage?
orb3000 said:
That should be a rule in all modern devices
100% all communication in all the world!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The area lot of business people who travel all over the world. How do they manage data access? Do they carry more than one phone all the time?
but as I state the only large user groups of 850 3g is in america
like CDMA is also only supported there
it all comes down to if the inc in cost is enough to justify the inc in
revenue
business people from the rest of the world don't have those issues
people here have also been requesting htc phones which does both cmda and gsm
it' all about GREED!
do you know how many channels your radio or TV receives?
those HTC fools just discriminate against USA users! (my opinion)
Q
I would really like to know how much "more" its going to cost to make a quadband, and 5 band UMTS phone. . . . .
think only qualcomm can answer that question
Rudegar said:
think only qualcomm can answer that question
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it doesnt matter how much! i'm sure qualcomm 1G snapdragon cpu is more expensive than 528mzh cpu, that doesnt stop toshiba or Acer from using it!
it' all about GREED!
htc wants to make it with the cheapst parts, and sell it at the highest price possible! (my opinion)
well yes
even if greed is a negative word for the general capitalism which drive all these company's
it's not like htc are the only ones on that ship :S
Quad band UMTS are rare indeed. Blackberry and Apple have them. Nokia has a quint band unit coming out in about 3 weeks, N8-00 (I have one on pre-order).
The Galaxy S Captivate is a tri band unit that will work in most of the world. It is missing the 900 MHz band. I can't recommend it because GPS is broken while awaiting a software patch and AT&T refuses to unlock the sim for 10 months. There is no known way to unlock the phone at the present time.
netnerd said:
it doesnt matter how much! i'm sure qualcomm 1G snapdragon cpu is more expensive than 528mzh cpu, that doesnt stop toshiba or Acer from using it!
it' all about GREED!
htc wants to make it with the cheapst parts, and sell it at the highest price possible! (my opinion)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't be so hard on the manufacturers (please, note that HTC isn't the only phone manufacturer in the world...) AT&T only just started selling Android phones. Why would Android phone manufacturers make a phone that supports AT&T bands if AT&T won't support them in return? With the delays in so many phone shipments, I'm sure the companies don't need that much more business than they already have. Now that AT&T has decided to play ball, however, I'm sure there'll be a reciprocal increase in the number of Android phones with AT&T 3G bands
ua549 said:
Quad band UMTS are rare indeed. Blackberry and Apple have them. Nokia has a quint band unit coming out in about 3 weeks, N8-00 (I have one on pre-order).
The Galaxy S Captivate is a tri band unit that will work in most of the world. It is missing the 900 MHz band. I can't recommend it because GPS is broken while awaiting a software patch and AT&T refuses to unlock the sim for 10 months. There is no known way to unlock the phone at the present time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can buy an unlock code for like $25 .

Is HSDPA/UMTS band a software issue?

Hi guys, I don't know if this is a basic question but I have to ask it since I haven't find an answer yet...
Can I modify the HSDPA/UMTS band via ROM or SPL update?
I bougth a HTC T-mobile myTouch (1700/2100 MHz bands, UMTS/HSDPA) but later I realized that here in CHILE my provider uses the 850/1900 band for 3g .
So, can I do somethig to make it work here or is it a matter of hardware?
Thanks
birutilla said:
Hi guys, I don't know if this is a basic question but I have to ask it since I haven't find an answer yet...
Can I modify the HSDPA/UMTS band via ROM or SPL update?
I bougth a HTC T-mobile myTouch (1700/2100 MHz bands, UMTS/HSDPA) but later I realized that here in CHILE my provider uses the 850/1900 band for 3g .
So, can I do somethig to make it work here or is it a matter of hardware?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No you cant change ur radio bands with software, its a hardware issue and im afraid your stuck with what you got, even flashing a new radio wont change things . . . sorry
it's too different versions of the qualcomm cpu's which makes the band difference
it's hardcoded inside the cpu
You should have bought the Canadian/Rogers version of the phone.
Fvcking HTC builds 3 versions of the phone (mytouch, rest of world, Canada) and people like you and me get fvcked. We have to pay an extra $150 to get the canadian version.
Let it be a lesson: do NOT buy HTC! Acer, Dell, Apple ... they all build phones that work everywhere. NOT HTC.
Rudegar said:
it's too different versions of the qualcomm cpu's which makes the band difference
it's hardcoded inside the cpu
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually the CPU (Qualcomm MSM7201a) is capable of supporting five different UMTS frequency bands, however only three at once. Those bands again are indeed preset by the built-in RF chips, so there is no chance of changing frequencies.
Here's the datasheet of the MSM7200 (identical to the MSM7201a in terms of RF support) with an overview of possible RF chip configurations at the bottom of page 3: http://www.ent.eet-china.com/PDF/2007FEB/DTCOL_2007FEB15_AVDE_RFR_AN_01.pdf
inquisitor said:
Actually the CPU (Qualcomm MSM7201a) is capable of supporting five different UMTS frequency bands, however only three at once. Those bands again are indeed preset by the built-in RF chips, so there is no chance of changing frequencies.
Here's the datasheet of the MSM7200 (identical to the MSM7201a in terms of RF support) with an overview of possible RF chip configurations at the bottom of page 3: http://www.ent.eet-china.com/PDF/2007FEB/DTCOL_2007FEB15_AVDE_RFR_AN_01.pdf
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whether a specific band is supported or not in a particular RF topology also depends on the type of RF amplifiers coupled with the baseband IC. Traditionally HTC has been using universal amplifiers for 2G/2.5G hence all recent phones support GSM/GPRS/EDGE on any frequencies. Due to Qualcomm vs. Broadcomm patent lawsuits, they had to stop using universal amplifiers for 3G around 2006, hence most modern phones only support WCDMA/UMTS frequencies that they have individual amplifiers for.
I think it's not HTC specific, any vendors using Qualcomm MSM basebands are doing this as well. So the bottomline is - in most cases it's a hardware issue. In some rare cases (when universal or multi-frequency WCDMA amplifier is installed) frequencies are disabled in software. I can't recall any HTC device that would have this kind of software only limitation.
Wow Very informational posts
Thanks Guys!!!
Hey I'm an old (ancient pre-Intel <BG>) micro hacker
but fairly new to phones. I'm currently very happy with
my cooked AT&T Pure/TopAz with the Tess Leo 1 Rom
I've had most every model of HP IpAQ upto the 4700s
So the PPC side is pretty comfortable for me.
I'm an old programmer with EE background
But really ready to try and get my teeth into the radio side
of phones just trying to understand enough to make some
resonable qualitative and quantitative benchmarks on some these radios
Maybe more to the point is understand if so and so's great looking nice
new task bar should and is properly displaying "3G" or "H" or ?)
But its been hard sorting the Euro vs US and GSM vs CMRS
Phone info.
Can anyone suggest a good "newbie guide" ? or any source of info
(I kinda hate the term "for dummies" but.... )
to the radio end, signal strength, band, networks etc ?
Sorry if this has been asked a million times or its only "two posts" away
but the amount of info here is great! but the s/n is NOT so great <BG>
Thanks Alot
Kenn Lynch
Hey is there a spell checker in this xda forum?
my apologies
I love my phone
if you are on a pc most internet browsers these days got their own spellchecker
Spell check thanks
You know its amazing what some people consider "most" Web Browsers
I was thinking "largest" web browser (Internet Explorer 8.XX on XP)
Spell checking is not natively included, so all my checking has been with
local docs or remotely using the web pages own checker for web based mail and forums.
So I started thinking no wonder this guys name starts with "Rude"
But I looked around and there is a free plug-in for IE called ieSpell.
I seldom bother with the other browsers so I can't say if
spell checking is included right "out of the box" in them either.
but I just installed ieSpell here and it hyphenated "plug-in" nice and easy
Thanks
when you are right you are right
Guess you can teach and old dog <BG>
KJL

[Q] HSDPA Frequency limitation - hardware or firmware?

Is HSPDA frequency a hardware limitation? HTC is making phones for Australia, UK and US with different chips in it for limiting the frequency? Or, is the chip is same but somehow they limit the usage bu Radio or with something else?
I searched the whole internet and the answer is its a hardware limitation and cannot be hacked. Bu my question is, did any engineer out here tried it seriously?
sundar_amn said:
Is HSPDA frequency a hardware limitation? HTC is making phones for Australia, UK and US with different chips in it for limiting the frequency? Or, is the chip is same but somehow they limit the usage bu Radio or with something else?
I searched the whole internet and the answer is its a hardware limitation and cannot be hacked. Bu my question is, did any engineer out here tried it seriously?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its not USUALLY possible. Its mainly hardware. I have seen windows mobile and maybe a dumbphone where they made it for europe and disabled 850mhz, and someone finding a way to re-enable it but thats different. The radio in the phone already had that capability but it was disabled. The hd2 sold by t-mobile physically does NOT have the capability to get 850mhz 3g from a carrier like at&t. The ONLY device i know of that t-mobile usa sells that works on At&t 3g (850mhz and 1900mhz 3g) is the dell netbook. I don't know of any other current selling phone that has that capability. (But the dell netbook includes NO roaming of any kind. Not even on the t-mobile affiliate i wireless. grr!)

Precautions before buying used Venue Pro

Hi everyone. I'm buying a used, unlocked T-Mobile DVP 8GB soon, manufactured around January 2011 and is supposedly running Mango. I realize the phone is filled with issues, but they have supposedly been fixed by now. I'm just wondering if there are any specific issues I should check for before going ahead with the sale. Thanks!
No compass...yet
That's fine with me. I was thinking more along the line of things like checking all the keys to make sure they type the right letter (saw in another thread that x and z were switched for some reason), the device can be detected by a computer when connecting through USB, the phone doesn't reboot when you touch the screen, etc...
Also, what's the latest firmware/OS version for the DVP right now?
khara said:
That's fine with me. I was thinking more along the line of things like checking all the keys to make sure they type the right letter (saw in another thread that x and z were switched for some reason), the device can be detected by a computer when connecting through USB, the phone doesn't reboot when you touch the screen, etc...
Also, what's the latest firmware/OS version for the DVP right now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had absolutely no problems out of my DVP. 7.10.7720.68 is the latest OS version on mine. Yeah, the compass is a strange omission considering the hardware is there and was originally implemented but maps seems to orient just fine when I need directions. GPS is crazy fast.
Sounds good! Do you know the latest firmware version number as well?
khara said:
Sounds good! Do you know the latest firmware version number as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
latest DVP update is 7.10.8107 if the mobile is a factory unlocked version
if you have operator specific model like say T-Mobile / ATT then it would be 7.10.7720 or in some cases 7.10.7740
I too am considering a Dell Venue Pro. I am on Mobilicity in Toronto area and getting a decent Windows Phone that operates on AWS frequencies (1700/2100) is a challenge. T-Mobile phones are the only option but ordering a T-Mobile phone into Canada is a challenge too. It would be simply easier to drive to the NY State or Michigan and buy from a T-Mobile store and then unlock but I don't have 3-4 hours to burn. The Dell Venue Pro is easily available and is unlocked even ordering from Amazon.com.
If anyone has serious reservations please advise. Even better if someone is reading this and is on Mobilicity with this phone, I would appreciate any comments good or bad.
DVP !!
Hey,
M in India, and I got a DVP unlocked 16 gig, and I have no issues with it.
For me its the best looking phone out there
I dont care much about the specs(I mean if you compare the phones out there today, DVP lags behind), and the specs that a DVP has, is enough for me.
I have had only one stuck up, where I had to remove the battery to power it back on. That's it. Otherwise it has worked smoothly.
No other random reboot, no lag.
One thing, the camera is bad. You wont be able to take motion pictures. It will be blurry.
After Mango update, and making some changes in the settings, the still pics are gr8, but if you are trying to capture something that's moving, then m sorry, this aint the phone for you
I bought it in November 2011.
Current version:
OS version: 7.10.8107.79
My verdict: If you like classy, go for the DVP !!!
Excuse me for any typos or wrong grammar, English ain't my first language.
I picked it up yesterday, and so far I love it! There are a few things tripping me up, but nothing that i feel would push me over the age to abandon the platform like I did with Android. For one, it would be nice to be able to push enter to send an SMS using the keyboard, rather than having to touch the send icon on the screen. It would also be nice to be able to block certain numbers from calling.
Battery life does seem like an improvement over my old phone, though.
If you are purchasing new, in the US, I would question it. The phone is old hardware, at least 18 months old, I'd not more. Does not do 4g or wifi n. Simply put, why would you invest in an old device.
If you are buying used, or cheap with no contract, its worth it. But, buyer beware. A lot of used phones are showing up in a less than ideal condition, with damaged SD slots, or with the ability to reset missing. In these conditions they are virtually impossible to fix. Just be careful
That being said, these are good devices, well made and sound. I do not regret purchasing mine way back when. It was a most amazing Christmas present when received on December 21st, 2010.
Just to let you know I opted for a Nokia Lumia 710 !
Great deal here in Canada for 254.99 (from Rogers no contract) then $10 for unlock code. I know it's a completely different phone from DVP but figured I may as well get on with latest model phone for fairly cheap price. It will give me an idea if next (more expensive phone) should be the Nokia 900.
Thanks everyone for the mainly good comments about DVP.
We've discussed it for a bit here
Though if you're on rogers you actually have the choice of any of the lumias. (as rogers uses the same 3g bands as at&t and regardless prob has more choices)
TmoUSA users dont though, it's either the 710 or the VP or radar. (there's very little selection for AWS devices, that's almost literally every AWS capable wp7 device)
Yes... actually I am on Mobilicity which is same band as T-Mobile (1700/2100).
The Rogers Lumia 710 is a penta band phone so yes it works with Rogers 3 G bands and AT&T bands, and of course it works perfectly with Mobilicity ! (had to unlock it though)
Wonder if the T-Mobile version is penta band ? Also wonder why Rogers doesn't advertise this? I did some reading and found out it's penta band but if you read the specs from Rogers website it's only showing as quad-band. Quick trip to a Rogers store and reading the label shows it's penta band.
http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_lumia_710-4276.php
Perhaps they dont want you purchasing one and turning it to another carrier?
For a carrier sold one the supported bands arnt really relevent, as long as it supports their own band obviously.
PaullikesWINMO said:
The Rogers Lumia 710 is a penta band phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I doubt this, because I am not sure that the Qualcomm chipset actually supports pentaband UMTS.
It's more likely that it's quadband UMTS, which would still allow it cover all UMTS frequencies for both ATT and T-Mo. As in, maybe they left out 850 or 900.
Reports are the rogers one works on wind, which is AWS like tmoUSA
That would mean it's at very least: 850/1700/1900/2100, with the question as to if it supports 900.
As: 850/1900 is what rogers uses (like at&t)
and: 1700/2100 for aws (it's more work to have a 1700 device without 2100 then to leave it in)
From my understanding, it's merely what amps the manu decides to put in, and what they decide is mostly politics.
All htc devices are dual band unless they're forced to add more
Most samsung international devices are triband or higher. (though they dont generally use qualcomm chips)
All dell devices are triband or higher (with the exception of the EU Streak 5 as the AWS is uncommon)
I cant actually confirm it as I dont actually recall seeing a 5+ band phone using a qualcomm chip.
Worst case you can do APQxxxx + MDMxxxx and use an external modem that does support it, i believe the MDM9200 explicitly supports 5 bands + lte bands.
All devices with APQ8060 chips do this, as APQ chips are by definition chips without modems. There's a few phones that use this setup.
tl;dr the rogers varient should support at least 850/1700/1900/2100, since at least on at&t they use both 850 and 1900 (not unreasonable to assume rogers does the same)
HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 - For Canada
http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_lumia_710-4276.php
TheManii said:
Reports are the rogers one works on wind, which is AWS like tmoUSA
That would mean it's at very least: 850/1700/1900/2100, with the question as to if it supports 900.
As: 850/1900 is what rogers uses (like at&t)
and: 1700/2100 for aws (it's more work to have a 1700 device without 2100 then to leave it in)
From my understanding, it's merely what amps the manu decides to put in, and what they decide is mostly politics.
All htc devices are dual band unless they're forced to add more
Most samsung international devices are triband or higher. (though they dont generally use qualcomm chips)
All dell devices are triband or higher (with the exception of the EU Streak 5 as the AWS is uncommon)
I cant actually confirm it as I dont actually recall seeing a 5+ band phone using a qualcomm chip.
Worst case you can do APQxxxx + MDMxxxx and use an external modem that does support it, i believe the MDM9200 explicitly supports 5 bands + lte bands.
All devices with APQ8060 chips do this, as APQ chips are by definition chips without modems. There's a few phones that use this setup.
tl;dr the rogers varient should support at least 850/1700/1900/2100, since at least on at&t they use both 850 and 1900 (not unreasonable to assume rogers does the same)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can confirm the ATT version works on Rogers bands. Sold my unlocked DVP (ATT) to a rogers users. He reported it worked fine on 3G.

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