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Hi Guys, I am wondering if I have the unlimited Data package for the vogue for $7 a month. And I were to swap out the phone and change the ESN on the account would I get in trouble for that? I was told that if I were to upgrade my phone I would have to change the data portion of my plan. The Pro is a Data phone and the vogue is not. (That did not make sense to me). Would my plan even work with the phone or would I have to upgrade to an unlimited plan for around $40? Also would I just be able to change my ESN via "phone codes" or would I have to call it in to them?
i couldnt confirm that for you cuz... pretty risky though.. i would think they go by tha ESN to tell what phone you have, like GSM and IMEI... bells winmo's all seem to dail #777 to access data .. (my 6800 and touch do) and tha touch is just as much a data phone, just bells conspiracy to get us all hooked on smartphones, then get us from $5 unlimited data to $40 or whatever on an upgrade..lol kinda like tha first hit of crack is allway free lmmfao...
sorry.....
let us kno if you have any luck, or what your data charges top at.. herd they can take your right to use there service or a mobile device all together away.. it is illegal isn't it? lol
4real goodluck tho
Yeah I kinda figured that. I think I will probably just upgrade my package to the new phone with the more expensive plan. I don't feel like getting in trouble or having my contract canceled. Thanks for the quick reply.
lol.. depending on ur current voice plan there smartphone plan that include voice&data are fairly good value..
did want to hear if that works tho.. lol
No, you can't ESN swap from Vogue to TouchPro. Touch Pro uses not only the ESN, but IMEI as well.
was at Bell earlier today and was thinking about upgrading to the Touch Pro from the Vogue, and the sales rep said that I would get to keep my current plan. But I was not eligible for a hardware upgrade yet so will do that later
masalma said:
was at Bell earlier today and was thinking about upgrading to the Touch Pro from the Vogue, and the sales rep said that I would get to keep my current plan. But I was not eligible for a hardware upgrade yet so will do that later
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You should call *611 because I too asked my rep at the store and he told me something very similar to what you were told. But when I called customer Service to inquire in more detail, I was told that I could not keep the same plan. Well I could but the Data portion would be considered pay-per-use. So unlimited is limited to the Vogue (Well at least the $7 package)
thats just bells stupid customer service.. bell store rep told me i needed to get a data an on tha Touch.. then it was $25 for 4MB's witch i laughed in his face!!!! on tha phone a rep told me i needed to keep my old $5 msn emaik//IM option or would be charged using tha preinstalled app on tha touch, i allso laughed and call derectly back to remove it.. countless other missinformation etc.. i hate bell rep.. if it wasnt for there Truly unlimited data and superior voice and data quality // speed even in tha country i would have left long ago
I still fail to understand how they come up with prices for data plans for different phone. It doesn't matter if you are using WM phone, Blackberry, wireless card, or just a simple phone. They all use the same data stream. Why would the data plan on the Touch Pro ve more than on the Touch? This makes absolutely no sense & exactly the reason I refuse to purchase a data plan in the first place. With Verizon you have to have a data plan with the Touch Pro & that is why I am stuck with using the Touch.
Carries should base their data plans based on usage & adjust accordingly. At least give you the option to purchase limited data plans.
I made this thread a long time ago but now that its coming out to tmobile soon and there is more information about it there are likely to be more reasons for people to think it will or will not require a data plan.
According to this http://www.tmonews.com/2009/05/small-changes-to-datamessaging-plans/ it will...but we really won't know until it is released.
Don't buy it from tmobile. You should be able to use tzones with touch pro2 if purchased from ebay/craigslist.
I'm making a guess here that you are thinking of using wifi for data purposes? Unless you are careful to turn off all data you will suck up a months cost in data in less than a day. Possibly more. I had my data turned off while I was in between phones using my backup for a few weeks. When the NAM unlocked diamond became available I purchased it at about 7pm. I spaced the data and turned it on at 10am the next morning. I did little other than fiddle with the phone for an hour or so in the evening while it was charging and then an hour or so in the morning before I called in to get my data back up. That was 47 bucks and all I did was open opera to scope it out, set up my email and exchanged a few, set up the weather, about it. Didn't dl any videos or anything of that nature. I'm guessing that tmo or AT&T (should they pick it up) will require a data plan and of course you can do what you want if you buy unlocked. Realistically I think while data may not required its not a bad idea.
krabman said:
I'm making a guess here that you are thinking of using wifi for data purposes? Unless you are careful to turn off all data you will suck up a months cost in data in less than a day. Possibly more. I had my data turned off while I was in between phones using my backup for a few weeks. When the NAM unlocked diamond became available I purchased it at about 7pm. I spaced the data and turned it on at 10am the next morning. I did little other than fiddle with the phone for an hour or so in the evening while it was charging and then an hour or so in the morning before I called in to get my data back up. That was 47 bucks and all I did was open opera to scope it out, set up my email and exchanged a few, set up the weather, about it. Didn't dl any videos or anything of that nature. I'm guessing that tmo or AT&T (should they pick it up) will require a data plan and of course you can do what you want if you buy unlocked. Realistically I think while data may not required its not a bad idea.
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But the thing is that no WM phone has ever needed a data plan before, and also wm phones cost a lot more than other phones that do require data plans like the G1,or iphone, and would be very disapointed if it requires a data plan because I don't really have a use for one espcially cause I have wifi around me almost all day.
99.9% of phone companies will not activate without a smartphone plan.
Which a data plan is part of the smartphone plan.
So unless you're with one of those 0.1% of companies that do not require it themselves,
then you will need a data plan.
It is not the phone, it is the company.
codybear said:
99.9% of phone companies will not activate without a smartphone plan.
Which a data plan is part of the smartphone plan.
So unless you're with one of those 0.1% of companies that do not require it themselves,
then you will need a data plan.
It is not the phone, it is the company.
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Are you talking about in the future? cause so far I don't think any wm phones have required data plans, so does that mean the touch pro 2 will be in the 0.1%? I really hope it is
Things are definitely trending towards requiring data plans for data-centric phones. The companies claim they don't want consumers to be accidentally caught in massive per-kb charges or to miss out on the phone's functionality, but the real reason is precisely what the OP is planning to do--just use wifi. I'm hoping for that option as well. That's precisely the reason that carriers were so reluctant to allow wifi on phones in the first place. Plenty of manufacturers were willing to put it in years ago--pre-iPhone, but the carriers didn't want people using wifi to avoid their data plans.
Although the common wisdom on many forums seems to be that going without a data plan for phones like this doesn't make any sense, the common wisdom is, as you'd expect wrong. Or at least wrong for some people. Plenty of people have wifi at home, work, school and most of the places they hang out, and also have a data-use pattern that doesn't require 24/7 data access.
Carriers subsidize the phones, and then make their money back on monthly contract plans. It's only very recently that viable and broadly appealing pay as you go plans have been worth looking at. Anyway, now that data is so much more pervasive, it's becoming part of how Carriers decide on how much to subsidize a phone. They can either figure what percentage of people will get data, and calculate the subsidy from that, or they can require data and not mess with figuring percentages.
WinMo is a great platform to go data-less, because you can alter the winmo registry using a program like NoData, and actually turn off the carrier data radios, to ensure that there's no data access happening in the background running up per-kb charges.
Personally, I'm looking at TP2 with ATT, and I haven't yet heard whether they have plans to require data or not. Or whether any such requirement is attached to the phone itself, or just the 2-year contract price.
fortunz said:
Things are definitely trending towards requiring data plans for data-centric phones. The companies claim they don't want consumers to be accidentally caught in massive per-kb charges or to miss out on the phone's functionality, but the real reason is precisely what the OP is planning to do--just use wifi. I'm hoping for that option as well. That's precisely the reason that carriers were so reluctant to allow wifi on phones in the first place. Plenty of manufacturers were willing to put it in years ago--pre-iPhone, but the carriers didn't want people using wifi to avoid their data plans.
Although the common wisdom on many forums seems to be that going without a data plan for phones like this doesn't make any sense, the common wisdom is, as you'd expect wrong. Or at least wrong for some people. Plenty of people have wifi at home, work, school and most of the places they hang out, and also have a data-use pattern that doesn't require 24/7 data access.
Carriers subsidize the phones, and then make their money back on monthly contract plans. It's only very recently that viable and broadly appealing pay as you go plans have been worth looking at. Anyway, now that data is so much more pervasive, it's becoming part of how Carriers decide on how much to subsidize a phone. They can either figure what percentage of people will get data, and calculate the subsidy from that, or they can require data and not mess with figuring percentages.
WinMo is a great platform to go data-less, because you can alter the winmo registry using a program like NoData, and actually turn off the carrier data radios, to ensure that there's no data access happening in the background running up per-kb charges.
Personally, I'm looking at TP2 with ATT, and I haven't yet heard whether they have plans to require data or not. Or whether any such requirement is attached to the phone itself, or just the 2-year contract price.
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EXACTLY!!! Its just another way of them to get money out of customers, if somebody really needed a data plan they could just get one themselves. But I think its likely that this phone wont need one cause no wm phone has ever needed one, so it probably won't, but I just wanted to know other people's opinions on this cause its not like its impossible.
^I'm not aware if any Tmob store requireing data plans where I live...hopefully they won't in the future.
Sprint just tweeted about the Pre: The Pre requires an Everything Data plan - SERO plans will need upgrade to Everything Plus plan or other Everything Data (450/900/S.E.).
So I'm guessing there is a good chance they will make the same bonehead move for the TP2. This will probably affect my ability to upgrade.
ajbopp said:
Sprint just tweeted about the Pre: The Pre requires an Everything Data plan - SERO plans will need upgrade to Everything Plus plan or other Everything Data (450/900/S.E.).
So I'm guessing there is a good chance they will make the same bonehead move for the TP2. This will probably affect my ability to upgrade.
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It's possible, but don't forget the Pre is not just a Sprint exclusive, it's one of the most talked about Sprint exclusives that I can remember. They're putting a lot more effort into that phone than they will for the multi-carrier TP2, as such, they might be expecting to get more out of each sale.
fortunz said:
It's possible, but don't forget the Pre is not just a Sprint exclusive, it's one of the most talked about Sprint exclusives that I can remember. They're putting a lot more effort into that phone than they will for the multi-carrier TP2, as such, they might be expecting to get more out of each sale.
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That's a good point about the exclusivity. I hadn't considered that. Well, we'll just have to wait and see. I don't expect to see TP2 from Sprint before November in any case, so there's lot's of time I want to NOT spending worrying about it
ajbopp said:
That's a good point about the exclusivity. I hadn't considered that. Well, we'll just have to wait and see. I don't expect to see TP2 from Sprint before November in any case, so there's lot's of time I want to NOT spending worrying about it
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One other thing that does make me think that this phone will not require a data plan is that the G1 for example, cost 180 with a new contract, but requires a data plan, and then phones like the fuze, are over 300 with a data plan and doesn't require a data plan, maybe that is part of the benefit of getting a pricier phone, no data plan required, kinda like if a printer sells for cheap usually the ink is expensive, and if the printer cost more it's probably priced more reasonably. so even though a lot of phones do require a data plan maybe the reason wm phones don't is cause they cost so much more.
i want to get the TP2 on the verizon network.. does anyone know if they are going to charge for a data plan??? iv never had a winmo phone b4.
Lw00d said:
i want to get the TP2 on the verizon network.. does anyone know if they are going to charge for a data plan??? iv never had a winmo phone b4.
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LOL...Verizon is just getting set to come out with the original TP. I wouldn't look for the 2nd gen version of it from them for at least a year.
Then again, I'm the guy who said Sprint wouldn't come out with it before November, so you know how far you can take my word on things!
ajbopp said:
LOL...Verizon is just getting set to come out with the original TP. I wouldn't look for the 2nd gen version of it from them for at least a year.
Then again, I'm the guy who said Sprint wouldn't come out with it before November, so you know how far you can take my word on things!
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if you read the post that i made.. you will see that FCC is testing two CDMA TP2. one of those phone is going to verizon.
Lw00d said:
if you read the post that i made.. you will see that FCC is testing two CDMA TP2. one of those phone is going to verizon.
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I don't recall the article being very clear about one of them being Verizon, just mentioned as a possibility.
I heard that the touch pro 2 will require a data plan and I was wondering if anyone knows if there will be a way around it, or if an unlocked version will also require a data plan?
It is supposed to come out in about a week or so so i was wondering if anyone had more information about this
if I buy the evo on ebay can I keep my old plan or do I have to change to an everything plan. If I just register the phone online how can they make me change plans
You have to change to an Everything Plan. It won't let you register the ESN online for your account unless you change plans.
shawnten said:
if I buy the evo on ebay can I keep my old plan or do I have to change to an everything plan. If I just register the phone online how can they make me change plans
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If you really want to see, try buying an instinct, Pre/Pixi, hero, moment or BB Curve/Bold online and keep your existing plan. The system will automatically advise you that you MUST switch to a compatable plan to use the device. There is no way that you can add a phone like that on an older plan. The only acceptable plan will be either the Everything Data or the Simply Everything.
shawnten said:
if I buy the evo on ebay can I keep my old plan or do I have to change to an everything plan. If I just register the phone online how can they make me change plans
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Because the plans are tied to the serial numbers. Try to activate a serial number that requires a certain plan, and it WILL change you over.
thanks you for the info. now I have an expensive decision to make
I'd like to piggyback on the OP's question. I already have an everything plan (Hero user). I've seen some good deals on used EVOs (clean esn), and have three questions:
1) How hard is it to activate an EVO from home for use on my existing plan, and
2) Is sprint's device checking specific enough to see that I'm on the Evo instead of a different smartphone and force me into the everything + $10 plan?
3) Assume 1 and 2 work out the way I want, when 4G comes to my market, will sprint be able to see my device using 4G and charge me extra for it?
As a side note, if they decide to pressure me into the +$10 i'll probably go with it anyway, but at this point I'm not in my upgrade window and have no intention of paying full list price for an EVO via the sprint store/Radio Shack. I was planning to buy an evo upon return from my last deployment, but went with Hero because of the arbitrary $10/month, but at this point i'm over it and suffering from chronic evo-envy. Thanks in advance for any useful input.
jdelforge5684 said:
I'd like to piggyback on the OP's question. I already have an everything plan (Hero user). I've seen some good deals on used EVOs (clean esn), and have three questions:
1) How hard is it to activate an EVO from home for use on my existing plan, and
2) Is sprint's device checking specific enough to see that I'm on the Evo instead of a different smartphone and force me into the everything + $10 plan?
3) Assume 1 and 2 work out the way I want, when 4G comes to my market, will sprint be able to see my device using 4G and charge me extra for it?
As a side note, if they decide to pressure me into the +$10 i'll probably go with it anyway, but at this point I'm not in my upgrade window and have no intention of paying full list price for an EVO via the sprint store/Radio Shack. I was planning to buy an evo upon return from my last deployment, but went with Hero because of the arbitrary $10/month, but at this point i'm over it and suffering from chronic evo-envy. Thanks in advance for any useful input.
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1) Not hard at all, but you have to call Sprint and give them the info from the new phone. They are going to know it is an Evo right away.
2) Yes; even if you could activate it without calling Sprint, they would know your ESN belongs to an Evo.
3) No; the $10 fee inlcudes 4G access.
jdelforge5684 said:
I'd like to piggyback on the OP's question. I already have an everything plan (Hero user). I've seen some good deals on used EVOs (clean esn), and have three questions:
1) How hard is it to activate an EVO from home for use on my existing plan, and
2) Is sprint's device checking specific enough to see that I'm on the Evo instead of a different smartphone and force me into the everything + $10 plan?
3) Assume 1 and 2 work out the way I want, when 4G comes to my market, will sprint be able to see my device using 4G and charge me extra for it?
As a side note, if they decide to pressure me into the +$10 i'll probably go with it anyway, but at this point I'm not in my upgrade window and have no intention of paying full list price for an EVO via the sprint store/Radio Shack. I was planning to buy an evo upon return from my last deployment, but went with Hero because of the arbitrary $10/month, but at this point i'm over it and suffering from chronic evo-envy. Thanks in advance for any useful input.
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Its really easy to activate it at home. I got mine through Amazon about 2 weeks after it debuted and set it up no problem. I think I had to do it over the phone, but its pretty easy. Just follow the instructions after you turn it on.
It does know. When I activated my Evo, it appeared on my Account right away as an Evo and the $10 addon automatically appeared on my next bill.
Since the second one won't work, I guess number three doesn't need an answer. Hope that helps. I had Evo envy after the first time I saw it in a store (the day it came out) Bought it through Amazon for full price and now my fiancé uses my Hero as a wifi hotspot. Definitely worth the switch if you can afford it.
Thanks for the help folks.
I'm currently on the no longer available SERO plan from sprint. So i'm very reluctant to do anything that changes my plan considering how much i am saving each month.
Right now i have a touch pro2. I'm wondering if i buy an EVO somewhere (other then sprint) and activate it, will sprint know i am using an EVO? I'm not going to pay the extra $10/month considering that extra $10 doesn't get me anything extra that i wouldn't get with any other android phone.
I wasn't sure if the phone itself reports to sprint what phone it is. or if it does, if there's someway to have it report itself as something else.
I believe when they run the esn to activate it, it tells them what type of phone it is. If this is the case, you will have to pay the $10/month.
merkk said:
I'm currently on the no longer available SERO plan from sprint. So i'm very reluctant to do anything that changes my plan considering how much i am saving each month.
Right now i have a touch pro2. I'm wondering if i buy an EVO somewhere (other then sprint) and activate it, will sprint know i am using an EVO? I'm not going to pay the extra $10/month considering that extra $10 doesn't get me anything extra that i wouldn't get with any other android phone.
I wasn't sure if the phone itself reports to sprint what phone it is. or if it does, if there's someway to have it report itself as something else.
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I believe that if you try to activate an EVO on a SERO plan it will not only charge you the $10/mo premium data fee but it will also require you to change to an Everything * plan. They know what type of phone it is based on the ESN you put in to activate it.
yes Sprint knows what phone is active
Yes Sprint knows what phone you have because you have a serial number that is registered with sprint. This serial number is what the network uses to allow you to make calls billing etc. Being sprint uses a serial number they know what your phone is not like a sim where you can just switch to another phone. Hope this helps any more questions let me know.
Sorry for the confusion - i am aware i'll have to switch to an everything plan. Plus i will have to pay the $10/month on top of the everything plan.
I'd consider paying the everything plan. But the $10 fee really pisses me off since they are basically just making up an excuse to ask for an extra $10 and not giving me anything for the $10 that i wouldn't get with any other android or winmo phone.
How does the ESN # tell them what phone i have? Do they have a database with all the ESN numbers in it? or is the number formatted in a certain way that it containts the model number?
I don't suppose there's any way for me to spoof the esn and have it appear to be the same as my current phone?
thanks
HTC could very well give sprint and all of the carriers for which they develope exclusive phones the unique ESN numbers. That's how they would match the ESN to whatever phone you activate.
If anyone finds a way to spoof the ESN, you'd be cutting deeper into the pockets of sprint. They don't care too much that we modders get free tethering because the average person wouldn't go through all of the trouble rooting the phone, not to mention that they know, that we know, we're already paying for the data. It's kinda like Sprint saying, "Ok, you are paying for it anyway, so, if you can do it, go aheadn and root your phone."
Once you start spoofing ESN numbers on a mass scale, and circumventing that $10 surcharge, you can guarantee all of this rooting will be put to an end.
merkk said:
Sorry for the confusion - i am aware i'll have to switch to an everything plan. Plus i will have to pay the $10/month on top of the everything plan.
I'd consider paying the everything plan. But the $10 fee really pisses me off since they are basically just making up an excuse to ask for an extra $10 and not giving me anything for the $10 that i wouldn't get with any other android or winmo phone.
How does the ESN # tell them what phone i have? Do they have a database with all the ESN numbers in it? or is the number formatted in a certain way that it containts the model number?
I don't suppose there's any way for me to spoof the esn and have it appear to be the same as my current phone?
thanks
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The ESN is only on that one phone, and sprint has a database with all sprint activated ESNs. I have heard, sprint will not activate a phone not in their database. As for the ESN "cloning" in can be done, but i believe its not legal.
merkk said:
Sorry for the confusion - i am aware i'll have to switch to an everything plan. Plus i will have to pay the $10/month on top of the everything plan.
I'd consider paying the everything plan. But the $10 fee really pisses me off since they are basically just making up an excuse to ask for an extra $10 and not giving me anything for the $10 that i wouldn't get with any other android or winmo phone.
How does the ESN # tell them what phone i have? Do they have a database with all the ESN numbers in it? or is the number formatted in a certain way that it containts the model number?
I don't suppose there's any way for me to spoof the esn and have it appear to be the same as my current phone?
thanks
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Click to collapse
FWIW,
As memory serves, Sprint uses both an ESN, and the MAC address to track their customers. It is possible to find, and modify an ESN, and to "spoof" a MAC.
However, other than mention that there are articles in the forums on the ESN (and likely on the MAC). I'll refrain from providing a detailed how-to on the subject - I hope you understand, nothing personal.
HTH
--Chris
DeLL116 said:
HTC could very well give sprint and all of the carriers for which they develope exclusive phones the unique ESN numbers. That's how they would match the ESN to whatever phone you activate.
If anyone finds a way to spoof the ESN, you'd be cutting depper into the pockets of sprint. They don't care too much that we modders get free tethering because the average person wouldn't go through all of the trouble rooting the phone, not to mention that they know, that we know, we're already paying for the data. It's kinda like Spring saying, "Ok, you are paying for it anyway, so, if you can do it, root your phone."
Once you start spoofing ESN numbers on a mass scale, and circumventing that $10 surchage, you can guarantee all of this rooting will be put to an end.
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I understand what you are saying. but it doesn't change my opinion. I wont pay $10 extra month just because they want it. That $10 doesn't give me anything extra I wouldn't get with any other smart phone. When i asked sprint about it, they told me it was for the enhanced data experience or some crap like that - basically telling me it was due to the larger screen or faster proc - both of which i've already paid for when i buy the phone. And even if they want to argue i MIGHT use more data, so what? I'm already pay for 'unlimited' data. They can charge me $10 when i over the 'unlimited' limit.
They already rip us off with the fees they charge for text messages, so i dont have any sympathy for the cell phone companies. I'm not trying to get something for free. I'm willing to keep paying my monthly bill. I'm just not willing to pay a made up fee that doesn't give me any additional service just because i want a phone, that i'll be paying for, with a bigger screen/fast cpu.
bwcorvus said:
The ESN is only on that one phone, and sprint has a database with all sprint activated ESNs. I have heard, sprint will not activate a phone not in their database. As for the ESN "cloning" in can be done, but i believe its not legal.
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would an 'unlocked' phone be one that's not in there db?
CTH-EVO said:
FWIW,
As memory serves, Sprint uses both an ESN, and the MAC address to track their customers. It is possible to find, and modify an ESN, and to "spoof" a MAC.
However, other than mention that there are articles in the forums on the ESN (and likely on the MAC). I'll refrain from providing a detailed how-to on the subject - I hope you understand, nothing personal.
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Click to collapse
not taken personally - i'll do some googleing later on the esn and see what i find. thanks
merkk said:
I understand what you are saying. but it doesn't change my opinion. I wont pay $10 extra month just because they want it. That $10 doesn't give me anything extra I wouldn't get with any other smart phone. When i asked sprint about it, they told me it was for the enhanced data experience or some crap like that - basically telling me it was due to the larger screen or faster proc - both of which i've already paid for when i buy the phone. And even if they want to argue i MIGHT use more data, so what? I'm already pay for 'unlimited' data. They can charge me $10 when i over the 'unlimited' limit.
They already rip us off with the fees they charge for text messages, so i dont have any sympathy for the cell phone companies. I'm not trying to get something for free. I'm willing to keep paying my monthly bill. I'm just not willing to pay a made up fee that doesn't give me any additional service just because i want a phone, that i'll be paying for, with a bigger screen/fast cpu.
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I completely agree with you, man. I was actually thinking about the dumb-ass explanation that Sprint gave me when I asked them why I'd be charged an extra $10 a month. I remember saying something to the salesgirl like, "You know that's all bull****, right."
Go spoofing to your heart's greatest desire, I'm just saying, when you take money out of someone's pocket, you start drawing more heat.
Just talked my sister that sells phones, she said yes the esn tells sprint the model number...so your only option would be to "clone" the esn of your old phone.
Every single ESN is in sprints database from the beginning of time, notkidding, try and activate a 15 year old phone (ive done it) pulls up model of phone and not only that but history of phone accounts its been on, service thats been performed on the phone previously, if its been reported, lost, stolen, flagged as liquid damage.
Absolutely everything is there and will pull up in accordance to the ESN related t the device.
The absolute only way to do it would be to clone the ESN onto an EVO of a different model and activate it over the phone (in which case some services on your phone may not work properly) but should as long as you select an appropriate device to clone.
Now on to how to clone an ESN...... NO IDEA!! lol sorry, I've never seen it done or come across a situation where it was done, I have however heard of it being done, but its not easy and your going to have to do it yourself, so if your not a programmer, you best take some schooling or give up on the idea (afik)
sprint is cheaper and you get more for your money than any other provider per value and the only major carrier cheaper afik is T-mobile or small company's, time to get over it boys and girls, its 10$ it goes to a good cause, you eat up a crapload of bandwidth and it costs alot of money to expand the network (you want good service right?) if not just goto ATT
oh and it always gives you additional service, it just depends if your in 4g coverage or not, if you go there its available to you, !! I do agree that they should have an option to disable 4G and then you dont have to pay for it.
but thats just not the situation.
Should my monthly bill be cheaper because my house is in a roaming area and I don't get 3G? why isn't my bill cheaper than yours because you getz da 3g's!?!
Stop being so simple minded, seriously, the service is available to you on the network, just not where you live.
It is what it is, and until they make it so you can disable 4g and not get charged there's nothing thats going to change this situation, your still paying less than verizon and ATT
You're question has been answered. Yes it is bs that I pay an extra 10 for nothing. That 10 is a 4g charge by the way. Don't know why no one mentioned that. But I don't even get 4g in my town. None the less, Sprint still has the cheapest plans for what you get. Trust me I have checked. With my unlimited everything 450 minutes and 4g I can get out the door at 80. Compare that to atts 100. But as was said, cloaning an esn would not be legal and I'm not sure that road of discusssion should be taken. Its a buzz kill that you'd have to upgrade your plan. But you have the choice.
Alanmw86 said:
Every single ESN is in sprints database from the beginning of time, notkidding, try and activate a 15 year old phone (ive done it) pulls up model of phone and not only that but history of phone accounts its been on, service thats been performed on the phone previously, if its been reported, lost, stolen, flagged as liquid damage.
Absolutely everything is there and will pull up in accordance to the ESN related t the device.
The absolute only way to do it would be to clone the ESN onto an EVO of a different model and activate it over the phone (in which case some services on your phone may not work properly) but should as long as you select an appropriate device to clone.
Now on to how to clone an ESN...... NO IDEA!! lol sorry, I've never seen it done or come across a situation where it was done, I have however heard of it being done, but its not easy and your going to have to do it yourself, so if your not a programmer, you best take some schooling or give up on the idea (afik)
sprint is cheaper and you get more for your money than any other provider per value and the only major carrier cheaper afik is T-mobile or small company's, time to get over it boys and girls, its 10$ it goes to a good cause, you eat up a crapload of bandwidth and it costs alot of money to expand the network (you want good service right?) if not just goto ATT
oh and it always gives you additional service, it just depends if your in 4g coverage or not, if you go there its available to you, !! I do agree that they should have an option to disable 4G and then you dont have to pay for it.
but thats just not the situation.
Should my monthly bill be cheaper because my house is in a roaming area and I don't get 3G? why isn't my bill cheaper than yours because you getz da 3g's!?!
Stop being so simple minded, seriously, the service is available to you on the network, just not where you live.
It is what it is, and until they make it so you can disable 4g and not get charged there's nothing thats going to change this situation, your still paying less than verizon and ATT
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i agree that $10 is $10... what r u honestly gonna do with that extra $10 a month... It wont go very far elsewhere... If ur that worried about money maybe u should switch to Metro or prepaid. Why not use that $10 to enhance ur mobile phone experience? As long as u know the ramifications of cloning esns and that it's a serious FEDERAL crime nd not some silly civil misdemeanor and that there is not a one click method to do it like rooting a phone then have at it but also beware that some services may not work. And yes compare ATT and or Verizon and see how much better of a deal ur getting with sprint even with the $10 4g surcharge... if u don't want to pay it then switch to TMo and buy the nexus one... it's just as good as the EVO without the 4g surcharge...
im not 100% certain how illegal it is to clone an ESN, so long as the the ESN you are cloning is your own.
but im certain its something thats not worth your time either way.
BTW there is as of October 1 a new plan called SERO Premium which will work with the newer phones such as Android phones and Palm Pre. The rate plan is $40 so the EVO would be $50 including the extra fee. Not quite the $30 you're currently paying, but it is cheaper than EPRP and includes Any Mobile, Anytime.
Don't go that route. Definitely illegal, even if its your own esn. As per the fcc;
Fraud
Cellular fraud is defined as the unauthorized use, tampering, or manipulation of a cellular phone or service. Cellular industry estimates indicate that carriers lose millions per year to cellular fraud, with the principal cause being subscription fraud. Subscriber fraud occurs when a subscriber signs up for service with fraudulently obtained customer information or false identification.
In the past, cloning of cellular phones was a major concern. A cloned cellular telephone is one that has been reprogrammed to transmit the electronic serial number (ESN) and telephone number (MIN) belonging to another (legitimate) cellular telephone. Unscrupulous persons obtain valid ESN/MIN combinations by illegally monitoring the transmissions from the cellular telephones of legitimate subscribers. Each cellular telephone is supposed to have a unique factory-set ESN. After cloning, however, because both cellular telephones have the same ESN/MIN combination, cellular systems cannot distinguish the cloned cellular telephone from the legitimate one.
The Commission considers any knowing use of cellular telephone with an altered ESN to be a violation of the Communications Act (Section 301) and alteration of the ESN in a cellular telephone to be assisting in such violation. The Wireless Telephone Protection Act (Public Law 105-172) was signed into law on April 24, 1998, expanding the prior law to criminalize the use, possession, manufacture or sale of cloning hardware or software. The cellular equipment manufacturing industry has deployed authentication systems that have proven to be a very effective countermeasure to cloning. Authentication supplements the use of the ESN and MIN with a changing encrypted code that can not be obtained by off-the-air monitoring.
And the $10 fee has nothing to do with 4g - its a front facing camera fee. Every new Sprint phone with a front facing camera will have that fee.
Sent from my blah blah blah blah
merkk said:
I understand what you are saying. but it doesn't change my opinion. I wont pay $10 extra month just because they want it. That $10 doesn't give me anything extra I wouldn't get with any other smart phone. When i asked sprint about it, they told me it was for the enhanced data experience or some crap like that - basically telling me it was due to the larger screen or faster proc - both of which i've already paid for when i buy the phone. And even if they want to argue i MIGHT use more data, so what? I'm already pay for 'unlimited' data. They can charge me $10 when i over the 'unlimited' limit.
They already rip us off with the fees they charge for text messages, so i dont have any sympathy for the cell phone companies. I'm not trying to get something for free. I'm willing to keep paying my monthly bill. I'm just not willing to pay a made up fee that doesn't give me any additional service just because i want a phone, that i'll be paying for, with a bigger screen/fast cpu.
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Here's an idea. If you do not like paying the cost of the service, do not get the cell phone that requires that. Get something else. That's the luxury you get for having such a great phone.
Also, this should be locked. Anyone that wants to do an illegal activity should just be smacked. The cloning, or manipulation of an esn is a federal offense. 10$ a month/different cell phone > 5 years in jail.
Ok guys i did a little research and At&t buying T-Mobile is actually a good thing heirs my reasons why.
1.Larger variety of android phones or any ohone for that matter.
2.Yes we get to keep unlimited data plan because they have to take some of T-Mobiles customs to keep customers happy.
3.Almost every one you call will be mobile to mobile so less minutes you have to worry about.
4.Largest 4g network More Towers so better signal.
well those are my reason so hopefully it keeps you guys from going to Verizon or sprint -_-
youngmane said:
Ok guys i did a little research and At&t buying T-Mobile is actually a good thing heirs my reasons why.
1.Larger variety of android phones or any ohone for that matter.
2.Yes we get to keep unlimited data plan because they have to take some of T-Mobiles customs to keep customers happy.
3.Almost every one you call will be mobile to mobile so less minutes you have to worry about.
4.Largest 4g network More Towers so better signal.
well those are my reason so hopefully it keeps you guys from going to Verizon or sprint -_-
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Thats fine and dandy. But what happens when ATT decides to make changes. Add hidden fees, completely eliminate the unlimited data? Sure they will keep some of the features that Tmobile has, but nothing stays the same.
if they do keep the unlimited data, it will be a hell of a lot higher of a price per month then what we pay now.
This merger is bad news and is very very bad.
atquick said:
Thats fine and dandy. But what happens when ATT decides to make changes. Add hidden fees, completely eliminate the unlimited data? Sure they will keep some of the features that Tmobile has, but nothing stays the same.
if they do keep the unlimited data, it will be a hell of a lot higher of a price per month then what we pay now.
This merger is bad news and is very very bad.
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They better honor our current bill or I will cancel my contract because the reason I went to t-mobile is to leave at&t
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App
My No contract Even More+ plan will be gone, and I'll have to pay almost double what I do now just to keep my service. They're going to honor current contracts but when they end its GG.
AT&T is going to ruin what made T-Mobile good.
I wouldn't have as much issue with AT&T if they weren't so ridiculous and expensive. They have data caps and their network is SO SLOW with all the iPhone users. Its absolutely ridiculous. I don't wanna be gimped from an awesome carrier just because AT&T can't build their own towers out.
It sucks, for sure.. att customers are the only ones to benefit since they stole our 4G. The plus side is that we won't see any changes for atleast a year..
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
The buyout is not a good thing at all. Less competition is never good. T-Mobile was Google's go-to network. The innovate Android phones always went to T-Mobile first.
One of the worst things about this whole deal is that T-Mobile phones will have to be replaced eventually. AT&T will be restructuring the whole network to use it's own 3G/4G frequencies, which T-Mobile phones aren't capable of using. So you'd be stuck on edge. It's supposed to take several years before the switch over is complete, so hopefully by then my G2 will be long outdated, since I just bought it a couple months ago at full price because I'm on a no-contract plan.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110321/ap_on_hi_te/us_at_t_t_mobile_usa_phones
youngmane said:
Ok guys i did a little research and At&t buying T-Mobile is actually a good thing heirs my reasons why.
1.Larger variety of android phones or any ohone for that matter.
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How you figure? A phone is a phone, and nobody has EVER (except CDMA) forced you to buy your phone from your carrier.
2.Yes we get to keep unlimited data plan because they have to take some of T-Mobiles customs to keep customers happy.
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Ah, NO. The reason is that since tmobile will no longer exist, they won't lose any customers by raising prices since there is no longer any competition to run to. No, CDMA carriers are not competition.
3.Almost every one you call will be mobile to mobile so less minutes you have to worry about.
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How does that affect anything? You're still using your phone, there's no competition, so they can charge you whatever they want.
4.Largest 4g network More Towers so better signal.
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That depends on what they intend to do with things. Maybe they'll transfer all of tmobile's customers over to att towers and use tmobile towers to implement LTE. If that happens, you aren't going to have any better coverage.
If history has taught us a lesson... Look at the case of Cingular being bought up by AT&T. Cingular was all about a huge variety of phones, great plans, and awesome reps (in store and on the support line) that made them great. When AT&T had swallowed them up, the integration took about 1-2 years where they were called "Cingular by AT&T" while keeping some of their nuances and then post integration they became AT&T with all the bad that AT&T brings.
To the original poster saying that there could be more Android devices from this deal... There is also no guarantee to that, because if he has forgotten... AT&T was the LAST provider to adopt Android phones and only did so because their iPhone honeymoon exclusive was over. Even then, if they do offer more Android devices... They could lock them down forcing users to side-load apps as see with Android phones like the Xperia X10 or Samsung Captivate. Also, they could end up capping future 4G devices as seen with the HTC Inspire.
As another poster in this thread said... LESS competition is BAD for the consumer and MORE competition is BETTER for the consumer.
youngmane said:
Ok guys i did a little research and At&t buying T-Mobile is actually a good thing heirs my reasons why.
1.Larger variety of android phones or any ohone for that matter.
2.Yes we get to keep unlimited data plan because they have to take some of T-Mobiles customs to keep customers happy.
3.Almost every one you call will be mobile to mobile so less minutes you have to worry about.
4.Largest 4g network More Towers so better signal.
well those are my reason so hopefully it keeps you guys from going to Verizon or sprint -_-
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it's truly saddening to me that the majority of people here are more concerned with cell towers and glorified walkie talkies than the underlying economic and (yes, I'm going there) societal impact of an acquisition of this magnitude.
dhilberg said:
The buyout is not a good thing at all. Less competition is never good. T-Mobile was Google's go-to network. The innovate Android phones always went to T-Mobile first.
One of the worst things about this whole deal is that T-Mobile phones will have to be replaced eventually. AT&T will be restructuring the whole network to use it's own 3G/4G frequencies, which T-Mobile phones aren't capable of using. So you'd be stuck on edge. It's supposed to take several years before the switch over is complete, so hopefully by then my G2 will be long outdated, since I just bought it a couple months ago at full price because I'm on a no-contract plan.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110321/ap_on_hi_te/us_at_t_t_mobile_usa_phones
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I went into my local T-Mobile store and asked several questions about our phones working on At&t network and was told that At&t and T-Mobile are in the works of offering a universal sim card that will allow our phones (At&t/T-Mobile) to work on each others network. We'll see!
I'm a current AT&T customer and I can't say I disagree with much of the discussion here.
It's impossible to say how things will change a few years down the road, but one thing is definitely true:
Less Competition is NEVER good for the consumer. In the end we (ATT and T-Mobile customers) WILL pay more for service.
Let's see if the feds do their job and shoot down this acquisition...
1.Immediaely, yes. Long run, no.
2.Why do they have to make them happy? What alternative will we have? Verizon will be the only other somewhat decent option, and their incredibly overpriced and don't use GSM so we'd have to buy a new phone.
3. True, our 'family' will be growing, causing us to possibly use less minutes.... I don't use the amount given in the smallest family plan though.
4. Actual 4g network rather than fake 4g network is good, more towers are good, etc.... good point.
Things not concidered:
1. monopoly on GSM (monopolies are generally not good)
2. prices will eventually go up. you'll be grandfathered but things change, especially if you have no real competition.
3. at&t diferentiates tethering (this is where you will probably lose your grandfathered unlimited data).
4. economy hinderance: loss of jobs, no longer an 'affordable' choice for cell service, less providers means less money for phone anufactorers (minimal impact there for people).
5. Good bye, customer service....
I don't see how they are going to raise the prices of unlimited plan if you already have one...hence everyone that had an unlimited data plan with att before they changed pricing was grandfathered with no price change. I'm not happy about att buying tmo but the one thing I'm sure of is if you already have the plan they won't change it. When you want to change your cell plan is when you will lose it
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Our contracts with this whole thing
I could be wrong, and I only skim the contracts, but haven't t-mobile customers signed contracts to be on T-mobile? If ATT absorbs their customer base and T-mobile no longer exists, do our contracts still remain?
KingAndroid said:
I could be wrong, and I only skim the contracts, but haven't t-mobile customers signed contracts to be on T-mobile? If ATT absorbs their customer base and T-mobile no longer exists, do our contracts still remain?
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the T-Mobile website merger Q&A states that they will keep everyone's contracted price. But I'm sure as soon as your contract ends, you're gonna be forced.
And I'm sure that once they required you to switch to an AT&T phone from a T-mobile phone because of the frequency switch, they'll make you end your contract and sign a new AT&T one anyways, so there goes that.
Years ago I worked for Verizon. On most days I would come across people that had been merged into Verizon from some other company. I remember one case where a customer had an unlimited voice plan for something like $30 a month. Now this was back before any one had an unlimited voice plan. When I looked into it the customer had been merged in about 2 or more years before and never been on a contract. Now from what I remember a company can not change your plan unless you consent. About the only way they can get you is if you do something like sign a new contract. Now they will try to trick you into changing from the grandfathered plan. So they can not kill or change our unlimited data plans.
I was with Cingular when they were bought out. I kept my Cingular contract right up until they came out with the Iphone and i was out of contract the whole time.
Now it will be interesting to see what becomes of Tmobile's prepay contract service.
AT&T buying out T-Mobile is BAD. Remember, it hasn't happened yet, and there's no way the DOJ will approve it anyway.