[Q] SGH i257M on US AT&T - Galaxy S 4 Mini Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Has anyone used the SGH-I257M on US AT&T?
As I understand, it has the bands for multiple networks. The reason for asking is AT&T is dragging their feet.
Info I got from AT&T was that it has enough roll outs for Christmas and are not going to bring out the S4 Mini until January. My contract is up, S3 & S4 are too big for a pocket, I ditched my S3, I'm using an S2 clocked at 1.7 and gutted, nice phone, but time for a new toy to play with. I'm tired of waiting on the 'Mini', but flashable US Basebands will be unavailable for some time so I'm hoping someone has done this. More specifically meaning the 'non branded' SGH i257M and a functional LTE band 17. TIA

systwk said:
Has anyone used the SGH-I257M on US AT&T?
As I understand, it has the bands for multiple networks. The reason for asking is AT&T is dragging their feet.
Info I got from AT&T was that it has enough roll outs for Christmas and are not going to bring out the S4 Mini until January. My contract is up, S3 & S4 are too big for a pocket, I ditched my S3, I'm using an S2 clocked at 1.7 and gutted, nice phone, but time for a new toy to play with. I'm tired of waiting on the 'Mini', but flashable US Basebands will be unavailable for some time so I'm hoping someone has done this. More specifically meaning the 'non branded' SGH i257M and a functional LTE band 17. TIA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you get an unlocked SGH-I257M from Canada it will work for AT&T with LTE. I got one as an early Christmas gift for my girlfriend and it works no problem. I just put her 4G microSIM from her old phone (Pantech Burst) and set it up. The only thing I had to do was add the APN for AT&T 4G. Also, I believe it was the ChatON app that would not work in the US but it wasn't important.
EDIT: Also, a question I was thinking of as well is, if when the AT&T version comes out (or the firmware at least) could the AT&T I257 firmware be flashed on an I257M? That would minimize any issues from the phone's software..

wiisixtyfour said:
If you get an unlocked SGH-I257M from Canada it will work for AT&T with LTE. I got one as an early Christmas gift for my girlfriend and it works no problem. I just put her 4G microSIM from her old phone (Pantech Burst) and set it up. The only thing I had to do was add the APN for AT&T 4G. Also, I believe it was the ChatON app that would not work in the US but it wasn't important.
EDIT: Also, a question I was thinking of as well is, if when the AT&T version comes out (or the firmware at least) could the AT&T I257 firmware be flashed on an I257M? That would minimize any issues from the phone's software..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I appreciate the reply. That is good to know. Yeah, ChatON is of no interest. As for flashing, There are multiple reports that the 9195 ROM flashes OK on the M's, 9195 also adds the FM radio that is not given functionality in the M's but restored with the 9195 OS so I would assume the AT&T version should be no problem provided AT&T isn't pulling another non standard hardware version as they have in the past with some phones. (FCC filings don't indicate that) AT&T seems to have developed a phobia in recent years about their phones being retrofitted with new OS's. Also likely they are waiting for 4.3 or a Knox implementation in the deluded belief that it is secure. Thanks again for the heads up on function, looks like the price from Canada isn't too bad right now.

wiisixtyfour said:
If you get an unlocked SGH-I257M from Canada it will work for AT&T with LTE. I got one as an early Christmas gift for my girlfriend and it works no problem. I just put her 4G microSIM from her old phone (Pantech Burst) and set it up. The only thing I had to do was add the APN for AT&T 4G. Also, I believe it was the ChatON app that would not work in the US but it wasn't important.
EDIT: Also, a question I was thinking of as well is, if when the AT&T version comes out (or the firmware at least) could the AT&T I257 firmware be flashed on an I257M? That would minimize any issues from the phone's software..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi. Thank you for sharing this. I actually just bought a Canadian i257M as well and now I'm waiting for it to get shipped to me. Question; do the samsung media apps work while in the US? For example, media hub, video hub and music hub? I ask because i used to own a GS4 from att and I purchased a lot of media on those apps and would like to continue using them if possible on the GS4 mini if possible.
Much appreciated!

Eltahur said:
Hi. Thank you for sharing this. I actually just bought a Canadian i257M as well and now I'm waiting for it to get shipped to me. Question; do the samsung media apps work while in the US? For example, media hub, video hub and music hub? I ask because i used to own a GS4 from att and I purchased a lot of media on those apps and would like to continue using them if possible on the GS4 mini if possible.
Much appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may have some disappointment, Samsung has switched to 'Samsung Hub' on the new phones, replacing the older Media hubs and interoperability suffers a lot. T-Mobile offers a Media Hub for their new phones, AT&T may as well since the Sammy app's leave so much behind. It's going to be a wait and see I suspect. With luck AT&T will have Media Hub apps instead of the newer Samsung replacements and all you will have to do is wait. It seems quite a few people have money tied up in the old system and that may keep it alive.
But other than that, all you need to get on line is write your carrier APN. The phone is turn-key as it is. I just got an 'M' and after gutting the OS, dropping in an APN and editing the Build Prop a little (not needed) it works great on US AT&T.
There are more and more of the i257M's turning up recently in the States and hopefully someone will be able to clarify the Media Hub issue more for you better than this.

Where are you guys getting unlocked 257Ms? I can't find anything on ebay and the internet suggests canadagsm may not be reputable.

Hi...wondering if you can help given you are on AT&T 4G LTE. My i257M arrived today from canadagsm and it appears rooted. Surprise, but maybe good. BTW...canadagsm handled this order ok, not great and not responsive, but they did deliver. Anyway so far so good, but I am also on AT&T 4G LTE and wondering how to edit the APN? Why? Right now I am only getting H+ connectivity. So wondering if there is a way to do this voa the hardware or only via software? Also, can you post the Build Prop? Lastly, due to rooted phones being disallowed on my company network I can only use a stock ROM.
Lastly, as I write this I ended up going into the boot ROM and which is not CWM and for the last 30 minutes and selecting install the volume up, the screen shows DOWNLOADING, DO NOT TURN OFF TARGET!! However, I am not aware I am downloading anything and seeing this screen is a bit scary. I may mess with this a little more by the time anyone gets a chance to respond, so we will see.
Thanks in advance, malloy0
systwk said:
You may have some disappointment, Samsung has switched to 'Samsung Hub' on the new phones, replacing the older Media hubs and interoperability suffers a lot. T-Mobile offers a Media Hub for their new phones, AT&T may as well since the Sammy app's leave so much behind. It's going to be a wait and see I suspect. With luck AT&T will have Media Hub apps instead of the newer Samsung replacements and all you will have to do is wait. It seems quite a few people have money tied up in the old system and that may keep it alive.
But other than that, all you need to get on line is write your carrier APN. The phone is turn-key as it is. I just got an 'M' and after gutting the OS, dropping in an APN and editing the Build Prop a little (not needed) it works great on US AT&T.
There are more and more of the i257M's turning up recently in the States and hopefully someone will be able to clarify the Media Hub issue more for you better than this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

malloy0 said:
Hi...wondering if you can help given you are on AT&T 4G LTE. My i257M arrived today from canadagsm and it appears rooted. Surprise, but maybe good. BTW...canadagsm handled this order ok, not great and not responsive, but they did deliver. Anyway so far so good, but I am also on AT&T 4G LTE and wondering how to edit the APN? Why? Right now I am only getting H+ connectivity. So wondering if there is a way to do this voa the hardware or only via software? Also, can you post the Build Prop? Lastly, due to rooted phones being disallowed on my company network I can only use a stock ROM.
Lastly, as I write this I ended up going into the boot ROM and which is not CWM and for the last 30 minutes and selecting install the volume up, the screen shows DOWNLOADING, DO NOT TURN OFF TARGET!! However, I am not aware I am downloading anything and seeing this screen is a bit scary. I may mess with this a little more by the time anyone gets a chance to respond, so we will see.
Thanks in advance, malloy0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just made a thread abouu this. Just picked up a i257m and on every kind of combination of rom I'm stuck at only h+. I spent a few hours on the phone with cs to figure out why after googling a few other cases similar to ours. Turns out att doesn't support unlocked phones so the account isn't setup to push lte. What others have done, and what I'm going to try to do tomorrow is pop the sim into an att phone thss can do LTE and set it up and switch back and it should follow.

Att were assholes and wouldn't setup a device on my sim temporarily to prove to me LTE worked on my account. We popped my dim into a display g2 that was getting LTE, and got only h+. So I told him to pop the display sim in mine to see if I can get LTE, it only triggered the LTE option in the settings but never popped up saying it was getting any.. Hmm
Edit: got lte working with a new sim! All works perfect on att!

voilsb said:
Where are you guys getting unlocked 257Ms? I can't find anything on ebay and the internet suggests canadagsm may not be reputable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just wanted to throw in an update, I took the risk and ordered a 257M from CanadaGSM. Minor hiccup with the webpage didn't forward my address to their credit card processor, but they sent me an e-mail and a paypal invoice, and shipped out the phone the same day I paid. Quick customer service response time via e-mail, too (as in within a few minutes). It works great on Straight Talk, but I don't live in an LTE area so I can't test that till this weekend.
It rooted easily, and now it's running PAC.
Edited to add some information.

voilsb said:
Just wanted to throw in an update, I took the risk and ordered a 257M from CanadaGSM. Minor hiccup with the webpage didn't forward my address to their credit card processor, but they sent me an e-mail and a paypal invoice, and shipped out the phone the same day I paid. Quick customer service response time via e-mail, too (as in within a few minutes). It works great on Straight Talk, but I don't live in an LTE area so I can't test that till this weekend.
It rooted easily, and now it's running PAC.
Edited to add some information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good news for CanadaGSM...I too was leery, but after a few emails and phone calls they stepped it up big time. For now I have retired the S5 mini in favor of a Nokia Lumia 520 for $65!! Woo-eeee!! It's a super smooth phone. Apps are a little limited, but still have found everything I need except "stay awake" with charging. as for the S4 mini on LTE? No luck at all and expect one of two things...1) it's a locked Rogers phone and I am on AT&T, thus they will not allow LTE or the phone is not truly LTE capable.

voilsb said:
... ordered a 257M ... It rooted easily ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you post some detail about the rooting procedure that you used? I have not yet seen a complete procedure for the SGH-I257M.

malloy0 said:
Good news for CanadaGSM...I too was leery, but after a few emails and phone calls they stepped it up big time. For now I have retired the S5 mini in favor of a Nokia Lumia 520 for $65!! Woo-eeee!! It's a super smooth phone. Apps are a little limited, but still have found everything I need except "stay awake" with charging. as for the S4 mini on LTE? No luck at all and expect one of two things...1) it's a locked Rogers phone and I am on AT&T, thus they will not allow LTE or the phone is not truly LTE capable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm running the i257m on att with lte,only hiccup I had was they gave a 3g sim instead of an lte one and it took three weeks to prove it to them!
---------- Post added at 01:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:58 AM ----------
mdawdy said:
Can you post some detail about the rooting procedure that you used? I have not yet seen a complete procedure for the SGH-I257M.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use the 9195 root method and 9195 roms, same phone just different lte bands.
What I did was use Odin to flash recovery then flashed the root kit then used the unlock app from the play store to be able to run att. Then I flashed my liquidsmooth and havent looked back!

I used Odin to flash philz touch recovery, then flashed the PAC nightly. Only issues so far are ROM related, like launcher preference and battery drain
Sent from my GT-I9195 using xda app-developers app

Related

Galaxy Nexus on Page Plus? I want that unlimited talk/sms/1GB data for $55

I'm a brand new Galaxy Nexus owner! Actually I bought it for my girlfriend; there's no way I could give up my Note. Anyone know how to get this thing set up on Page Plus? The first thing they asked for is an ESN or MEID #, so I pulled the battery and there's only an IMEI # listed. The customer service rep said they can't do anything without an ESN or MEID; but then how does it work on Verizon? If it works with Verizon, it should work with Page Plus.
I'm starting to worry now, because I also just found a thread here where they're trying the same thing but stuck because they can't find the diagnostic menu for manual programming. Anyone know anything about that? Now that I have it in my hands, I reallllly want to get it working!!!
I like how you bought the phone and then decided to do the research on it.
And why did you decide to go for the Verizon version and go with Page Plus? You'd be better off getting the GSM version anyway and using that. There are many many many more MVNO and prepaid options if you just bought GSM. Its not like you were going to get LTE on any prepaid network anyways. Buying a Galaxy Nexus and parking it on EVDO is kinda ****ty.
That being said, looks like you're gonna have to do some research on this one. My guess is theres an issue because Verizon activates and registers phones on their network using the LTE SIM, rather than traditional CDMA methods (afaik).
Err...Verizon uses the MicroSIM. It contains an MEID number, so it can easily be attached to the network when it's plugged in.
Also, the CDMA/LTE Nexus is carrier-locked, so even if you had an MEID number it wouldn't be allowed on Page Plus' network.
Did you seriously spend $650 without even doing a minute of research?
It was a great deal I couldn't pass up: $300! (though it does have a little road rash on the bottom edge.) That's why I bought it right away without first doing the research. I'm sure I can re-sell it if I have to, but I'd really rather not.
After posting I went to About in settings and found that it does have an MEID #, which happens to be the same as the IMEI, but missing the last digit.
So there's no unlock for it yet? I assumed that it being google's Android flagship would mean almost immediate root and unlock.
Yes, I know I still have some reading to do; I just got home and immediately posted because I couldn't wait!
maxh said:
So there's no unlock for it yet? I assumed that it being google's Android flagship would mean almost immediate root and unlock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But its a CDMA phone... Just resell it and buy the GSM model. Save yourself the trouble.
Do you think it might help if I went by a Verizon store and got a SIM card?
martonikaj said:
But its a CDMA phone... Just resell it and buy the GSM model. Save yourself the trouble.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will if I have to, but I'm gonna try to make it work first. She's pretty happy with Page Plus (Verizon service) where she travels for work.
maxh said:
Do you think it might help if I went by a Verizon store and got a SIM card?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How are you gonna convince them to do that when you have no indication whatsoever of signing a contract or using their service? lol.
And that still doesn't remove the fact that it registers on the network with the SIM, which Page Plus (in my reading) does not do, as they don't have LTE.
martonikaj said:
How are you gonna convince them to do that when you have no indication whatsoever of signing a contract or using their service? lol.
And that still doesn't remove the fact that it registers on the network with the SIM, which Page Plus (in my reading) does not do, as they don't have LTE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I figured I'd do some sweet talking... And maybe ask to get set up for Verizon prepaid.
So are you saying if you're in an area where Verizon hasn't yet rolled out LTE the GNexus won't fall back to CDMA or EV-DO, or whatever those non GSM people use?
maxh said:
I figured I'd do some sweet talking... And maybe ask to get set up for Verizon prepaid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But their SIM is provisioned for their network. Not Page Plus' network. That's like saying you're going to walk into an AT&T store just to get a SIM, then try to go over to T-Mobile and use their network. That's not how it works.
So are you saying if you're in an area where Verizon hasn't yet rolled out LTE the GNexus won't fall back to CDMA or EV-DO, or whatever those non GSM people use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course it will. It does EVDO and LTE. Not everywhere has LTE yet. What I'm saying is why deal with EVDO (you'll never get LTE on Page Plus) when you could have HSPA+ with the GSM model.
martonikaj said:
But their SIM is provisioned for their network. Not Page Plus' network. That's like saying you're going to walk into an AT&T store just to get a SIM, then try to go over to T-Mobile and use their network. That's not how it works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Page Plus's network is Verizon's network. (though I don't think LTE is included. People on AT&T MVNOs (such as straight talk) regularly get SIM cards from AT&T stores to fix service issues...
I found these guys who claim to flash all sorts of devices including Android for Page Plus, and they have a huge Galaxy Nexus picture front and center; I contacted them and hope it's not false advertising.
maxh said:
Page Plus's network is Verizon's network. (though I don't think LTE is included. People on AT&T MVNOs (such as straight talk) regularly get SIM cards from AT&T stores to fix service issues...
I found these guys who claim to flash all sorts of devices including Android for Page Plus, and they have a huge Galaxy Nexus picture front and center; I contacted them and hope it's not false advertising.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes its the same network, I'm aware of how an MVNO works... what I'm saying is Page Plus doesn't activate phones using SIM cards because it doesn't have LTE or that system in place, whereas Verizon does. Which leads to issues.
Just makes more hurdles. As I said, you're going through extra trouble to just get a EVDO-stuck Galaxy Nexus. But that's your choice...
And ouch, those guys charge $50 to flash your phone? Kinda lame...
Anyways, good luck to you.
maxh said:
It was a great deal I couldn't pass up: $300! (though it does have a little road rash on the bottom edge.) That's why I bought it right away without first doing the research.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you (really) ended up with a used, slightly damaged Verizon Galaxy Nexus for that price, and can't use it without signing a contract with Verizon. I say you're pretty much screwed since the price of Verizon's Galaxy Nexus just went down to $99 only.
http://wireless.amazon.com/Samsung-Galaxy-Nexus-Android-Wireless/dp/B0061R2A1S
martonikaj said:
Yes its the same network, I'm aware of how an MVNO works... what I'm saying is Page Plus doesn't activate phones using SIM cards because it doesn't have LTE or that system in place, whereas Verizon does. Which leads to issues.
Just makes more hurdles. As I said, you're going through extra trouble to just get a EVDO-stuck Galaxy Nexus. But that's your choice...
And ouch, those guys charge $50 to flash your phone? Kinda lame...
Anyways, good luck to you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for taking the time to comment in my thread. I started it with hopes of generating conversation that could lead to clues on overcoming the hurdles of putting the GNex on Page Plus. I don't need suggestions for other courses of action; my girlfriend is very happy with Page Plus (and the Verizon network) where she travels for work. I wanted to get her a new phone, the best one that'll work on Page Plus, and I found a smoking deal on it so I bought it.
So what it won't achieve LTE speeds; there's still many other things to like about it, and nothing else will achieve LTE on Page Plus, either. It's a perfectly good plan; not everyone's willing to pay twice as much or more just for LTE, but may still want a top notch phone.
I'll give it a week or two then sell it if nobody can figure out diagnostics mode on it, but I have high hoped.
And if it took paying $50, it'd still be dirt cheap compared to going to Verizon! You'd make that money back and then some on the first month with Page Plus instead of Verizon!
CyberPunk7t9 said:
If you (really) ended up with a used, slightly damaged Verizon Galaxy Nexus for that price, and can't use it without signing a contract with Verizon. I say you're pretty much screwed since the price of Verizon's Galaxy Nexus just went down to $99 only.
http://wireless.amazon.com/Samsung-Galaxy-Nexus-Android-Wireless/dp/B0061R2A1S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, it'd move. Looking at completed listings on Ebay and craigslist offerings, I'm pretty sure it'd be snatched up rapidly at $300. $99 is with 2-year commitment and those subsidies tend to translate to street value around $350 (i.e. that's the discount you get for signing a contract.) Anyways, I have a habit of giving old devices to friends/family.
Edit: especially with the terms/conditions Amazon puts on top of Verizon's in the contracts...
Edit 2: of course neither I nor anyone else would have to sign a Verizon contract on this phone, since the original guy who got the subsidized price did it.
Anybody know anything more about this yet?
maxh said:
Anybody know anything more about this yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I highly doubt anyone is doing much research on this, since it's such a rare request. Most people will just get the GSM model, if they do not want to use Verizon.
If you have a local shop willing to do this for you, I recommend contacting them - but I wouldn't pay a cent until you've verified functionality.
Cheers
Hi!
I am doing my own research too cause I too own a Verizon Galaxy nexus, and want to get it working with my local carrier in Mexico. Still looking to get it in diagnostic mode but wit no possitive results yet. As always, there will be a solution, but as things are going until now, it could take some time to appear.
And as yomuppet says, dont pay a cent until you see the thing workin!
I'd pay the 50 bucks to get it flash by that website or another site called beige something...
Otherwise you need CDMA workshop.
Look up HTC Thunderbolt on pageplus on these forums and you'll find a video on how to do it on that fone. I image it would be similar process for the sammy
did anyone ever get this working?
I totally understand original posters issue. I like the nexus and would like to get one but I too am a happy pageplus customer and would like to see if there's a way to make it work. Lame that people can't address the issue at hand but instead try to ridicule your decision. I tried setting up the droid charge (also a 4g lte phone) on pageplus but with no success - and ended up selling it. And yes, I walked into the verizon store and asked and they just gave me a sim card. but it still wouldn't register - and I also gave them the imei #minus the last digit. Too bad... I really like the new lte phones but I haven't seen many of then work on pageplus yet. If anyone figures it out, please post it here.

Cinci Bell SGH T999 Compatibility ??

Greetings! I am a new SGH-T999 owner, not through T-Mobile but through Cincinnati Bell. My previous device is the Sprint GS3, which I Rooted, Flashed, etc extensively, so I have some familiarity with this stuff, but there are some differences between the 2 devices that I have questions about.
My new device is a Cincinnati Bell SG3 SGH-T999 with T999UVDLJA stock ROM:
Is it reasonable to believe this is a T-Mobile variant and I can follow procedures and use ROMs listed for SGH-T999? For example, any reason I can not use the some of the preRooted ROMs, root66 or the Unified Kit as long as I pick the SGH-T999/UVDLJA?
Thanks in advance for your help!
jay
JAY28W said:
Greetings! I am a new SGH-T999 owner, not through T-Mobile but through Cincinnati Bell. My previous device is the Sprint GS3, which I Rooted, Flashed, etc extensively, so I have some familiarity with this stuff, but there are some differences between the 2 devices that I have questions about.
My new device is a Cincinnati Bell SG3 SGH-T999 with T999UVDLJA stock ROM:
Is it reasonable to believe this is a T-Mobile variant and I can follow procedures and use ROMs listed for SGH-T999? For example, any reason I can not use the some of the preRooted ROMs, root66 or the Unified Kit as long as I pick the SGH-T999/UVDLJA?
Thanks in advance for your help!
jay
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey Jay,
As a former CBW user, I can say that you can flash TMo things and be fine. All you have to do is adjust the APNs from TMO to CBW. Go to the CBW support page, here is a link directly to it.
I used to have a Motorola through CBW and it borked out on me and they gave me a Vibrant as a replacement. I used my thumbnail to scrape off the Cincinnati Bell Wireless logo only to find a T-Mobile logo under the glass. I called bafoonery and then started to flash ROMs like it was my J.O.B.
A few things I suggest is to make a Nandroid of the stock CBW ROM (probably overwritten with scripts from a company called Ultramobile) and then put it on your PC just in case you have some warranty issues down the line. Also, if you ever need anything locally, just hit me up. I am pretty savvy at this and sometimes another set of eyes help.
Wood
ps- I would be intersted to know what your SpeedTest readings are if you could share them. Since we are in the same city and CBW and TMo share bandwidth, I would like to see the difference in speeds.
Woody said:
Hey Jay,
As a former CBW user, I can say that you can flash TMo things and be fine. All you have to do is adjust the APNs from TMO to CBW. Go to the CBW support page, here is a link directly to it.
I used to have a Motorola through CBW and it borked out on me and they gave me a Vibrant as a replacement. I used my thumbnail to scrape off the Cincinnati Bell Wireless logo only to find a T-Mobile logo under the glass. I called bafoonery and then started to flash ROMs like it was my J.O.B.
A few things I suggest is to make a Nandroid of the stock CBW ROM (probably overwritten with scripts from a company called Ultramobile) and then put it on your PC just in case you have some warranty issues down the line. Also, if you ever need anything locally, just hit me up. I am pretty savvy at this and sometimes another set of eyes help.
Wood
ps- I would be intersted to know what your SpeedTest readings are if you could share them. Since we are in the same city and CBW and TMo share bandwidth, I would like to see the difference in speeds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wood... Thanks for the info. Really appreciate it and will get back to you with the speed results.
jay
Thanks for making my day Woody, Just picked my S3 up today in Eastgate at the CBW Store , good to see some local users on here, cant wait to get this thing flashed

[Q] The Captivate Glide vs The Stratosphere II?

I learned the Stratosphere II existed like a week ago and I've been researching this phone like crazy. Seems like a better version of the Glide. Is this essentially an unofficial update of the Glide? The specs seem to match up, with the only thing lacking on the Strat's side is the megapixels (the Glide has 8, the Strat 2 has 5) and the Strat 2 having a dual 1.2GHz CPU compared to Glide's dual 1.0GHz CPU.
I've been looking to get a Glide for a long time. I've been keeping up with this board for updates and everything. And while it seems like an awesome phone, the GPS problems worry me. But, there are plenty of guides here so when I finally get a Glide, I can see if the GPS solutions here work.
But the Stratosphere II...I mean its so new I don't think anyone has figured out how to root it yet. So no custom roms for the time being, but I'm sure it would be coming as more people learn of its existence and start working on it.
My main cause of concern is the GPS, as I travel to Mexico alot. I already have service there that I maintain here (Movistar) by going to a tienda every three months and putting a few dollars on it. While you can't root the Stratosphere II, I could at least slap the SIM card in there and use it (apparently if I buy it outright Verizon can/should/will unlock the GSM functionality for me) until that magical moment does come when a root guide finally pops up online. And I could be wrong but I think there's no GPS issues with the Stratosphere II.
So that's where I am. Get the Glide for pretty cheap ($225 online), with the ability to root and flash roms but with shaky GPS (and apparently no Jelly Bean?), or get the Stratosphere II for not pretty cheap ($445 directly from Verizon) with no ability to root or flash roms, but, great (as far as I know) GPS? Thoughts, comments, suggestions?
I knew about the original Stratosphere but not the 2. It looks like a nice device. Personally I wouldn't buy a device without root, let alone some sort of dev community. I can pretty much confirm your GPS worries about the Glide. It blows and there is no nicer way to put it. I have tried tweak apps, modding files myself, even copying the conf files right from my N7 to it. It still takes like 2 minutes to get a lock and loses it rather easily. Compared to my N7 which takes under 10 seconds.
The Glide is a good phone though. Our dev community kind of sucks, being so small and relying on key people to do most of the work. But at least we have one and a pretty decent JB builds.
I'm not sure what to suggest. If you can live on stock without root and such, the Strato 2 looks nice. But after having my Glide for nearly a year, I still really like it. But I don't use GPS much with it either.
I sell for all carriers so I'll give you my thought.
Glide is an older device with a tegra 2 processor and operates on GSM. It has an older touch wiz on it meaning the skin and other tweaks Samsung applied to the gs3 isn't all their.. The strat 2 is a well built phone slightly smaller than its older brother. But had newer touch wiz along with newer things Samsung threw in. I'm not going to go into a lot of tech specs of the two phones since u can do that but if I had a choice it would be the strat 2 because of the newer touch wiz which is faster and nicer to look at. Plus the over all look and feel much nicer on the strat 2.. the glide is pretty bulky you really must consider who you want to pay monthly and who has better coverage Verizon or AT&T?
Good luck Bud.:beer:
My battery is dead now.. Have fun!
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
bobbinthreadbare said:
I knew about the original Stratosphere but not the 2. It looks like a nice device. Personally I wouldn't buy a device without root, let alone some sort of dev community. I can pretty much confirm your GPS worries about the Glide. It blows and there is no nicer way to put it. I have tried tweak apps, modding files myself, even copying the conf files right from my N7 to it. It still takes like 2 minutes to get a lock and loses it rather easily. Compared to my N7 which takes under 10 seconds.
The Glide is a good phone though. Our dev community kind of sucks, being so small and relying on key people to do most of the work. But at least we have one and a pretty decent JB builds.
I'm not sure what to suggest. If you can live on stock without root and such, the Strato 2 looks nice. But after having my Glide for nearly a year, I still really like it. But I don't use GPS much with it either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the advice. I have a rooted Epic 4G (hence my name), so I know the joys of having a rooted phone. But I want to switch to a GSM device (more on that below in dincdoes.me), but unlike you would rely on the GPS a lot.
dincdoes.me said:
I sell for all carriers so I'll give you my thought.
Glide is an older device with a tegra 2 processor and operates on GSM. It has an older touch wiz on it meaning the skin and other tweaks Samsung applied to the gs3 isn't all their.. The strat 2 is a well built phone slightly smaller than its older brother. But had newer touch wiz along with newer things Samsung threw in. I'm not going to go into a lot of tech specs of the two phones since u can do that but if I had a choice it would be the strat 2 because of the newer touch wiz which is faster and nicer to look at. Plus the over all look and feel much nicer on the strat 2.. the glide is pretty bulky you really must consider who you want to pay monthly and who has better coverage Verizon or AT&T?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thing is, I want to go to Net10, do their BYOD program, and basically have AT&T service through Net10. Why? Net10 has that international coverage plan, its like $60-$65 a month, and I can call my friends in Mexico (via an 800 number I believe) and talk as long as I want (well as long as THEIR minutes will allow). And it makes no difference if its to a landline or a cell phone. Also when I go TO Mexico, just swap out the Net10 sim card for my Movistar one.
Also, at least in NC, the AT&T coverage is second only to Verizon. Definitely better than Sprint, and T-Mobile might as well not even exist with its shaky coverage.
The GPS function is VERY IMPORTANT to me, especially in Mexico, and I have seen my friends in Mexico's Androids use GPS (Google Maps) to find stuff just fine. So...I may have to go ahead and get the Strato 2 and just live with it being unrooted for a while.
That's a tough decision. If time wasn't a factor, I would wait a month or two to see what happens with the i415 (Stratosphere) within the XDA community. Unfortunately for qwerty keyboard lovers, the phones we want don't get as much hype and publicity as the candybar phones. Otterbox and CyanogenMod barely acknowledged our phones. We happened to get VERY lucky getting this much support for the i927 (Captivate Glide) as the early stages were definitely desperate.
I'm currently running the Vanilla Rootbox rom and even though there are still a few bugs, the essentials work well enough for me not to upgrade. I heavily use GPS as I have a memory of a fish and it works flawlessly.
Long story short, after watching the i927 go from a simple request in a Captivate forum to it's own forum with no devs to what it is today, I would go with the Captivate Glide. Who knows if the i415 will get also get lucky with support or not? After all, qwerty phones are a dying breed.
rogernizzLe said:
That's a tough decision. If time wasn't a factor, I would wait a month or two to see what happens with the i415 (Stratosphere) within the XDA community. Unfortunately for qwerty keyboard lovers, the phones we want don't get as much hype and publicity as the candybar phones. Otterbox and CyanogenMod barely acknowledged our phones. We happened to get VERY lucky getting this much support for the i927 (Captivate Glide) as the early stages were definitely desperate.
I'm currently running the Vanilla Rootbox rom and even though there are still a few bugs, the essentials work well enough for me not to upgrade. I heavily use GPS as I have a memory of a fish and it works flawlessly.
Long story short, after watching the i927 go from a simple request in a Captivate forum to it's own forum with no devs to what it is today, I would go with the Captivate Glide. Who knows if the i415 will get also get lucky with support or not? After all, qwerty phones are a dying breed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the advice. Well...what I am considering is getting the Glide (the Rogers version, which it appears that you have) and just root and put a rom on it (I would like one that mimic's the Jelly Bean, but if the Vanilla Rootbox you're using is fine, I may try that), and use that until more development pops up for the Stratosphere II. If you have the Rogers Glide, and your GPS problems are nil...I don't know, I'm considering it. I probably should have mentioned if I get the Glide it would be the Rogers version (somehow its cheaper than the AT&T version, which costs more than the Stratosphere II! ).
I could do that, or just get a Strato 2 and live without root/flashed roms for a while (but if it already has Jelly Bean may not need it). Thinking, thinking...
Is time a factor? Well I plan on going to Mexico sometime in April, so kinda sorta. But since I plan on making regular trips, not really, I guess.
5-row keyboard!
rogernizzLe said:
That's a tough decision. If time wasn't a factor, I would wait a month or two to see what happens with the i415 (Stratosphere) within the XDA community. Unfortunately for qwerty keyboard lovers, the phones we want don't get as much hype and publicity as the candybar phones. Otterbox and CyanogenMod barely acknowledged our phones. We happened to get VERY lucky getting this much support for the i927 (Captivate Glide) as the early stages were definitely desperate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If all other things were equal, and they're not (in terms of development progress here on xda), I would go for the 5 row keyboard. One of the things I found very irritating very early on with the glide is that every time you type a number, you have to hit Alt first. Given the number of characters and numbers in text these days, this gets really old, really fast.
If I had had more patience, and thought more deeply at the time, I suspect I would have preferred to wait.
CDN$0.02.
bs27975 said:
If all other things were equal, and they're not (in terms of development progress here on xda), I would go for the 5 row keyboard. One of the things I found very irritating very early on with the glide is that every time you type a number, you have to hit Alt first. Given the number of characters and numbers in text these days, this gets really old, really fast.
If I had had more patience, and thought more deeply at the time, I suspect I would have preferred to wait.
CDN$0.02.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I forgot the Glide only had four rows. As much as I've been using my Epic 4G...well it would be a learning curve to go from 5 rows to 4.
Stratosphere II has a locked bootloader and hasn't even been rooted yet. Also, while I haven't seen any reports yay or nay, it probably suffers the same domestic GSM lock all other Verizon phones have. It is possible to counter this, but not without a lot of dev support and root.
I switched from Captivate Glide to the Galaxy S Relay 4G. It has 5 rows, supports AT&T and a few other odd UMTS frequencies (Wind Mobile for instance) and has a fairly decent (but small) dev community with a working unofficial cyanogenmod 10.
The other choice is the Motorola Photon Q for Sprint, which comes comes with GSM capabilities, but you have to remove the pre-soldered SIM chip and add a SIM card adapter. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1929143 I have seen no information on whether it is locked domestically for GSM. It can be reflashed to Cricket and PagePlus on the CDMA side as well, and there is a CM 10 for it http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1929143
Nardholio said:
Stratosphere II has a locked bootloader and hasn't even been rooted yet. Also, while I haven't seen any reports yay or nay, it probably suffers the same domestic GSM lock all other Verizon phones have. It is possible to counter this, but not without a lot of dev support and root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply. That no one has tried to root or unlock or even just manipulate the settings on this phone, which to me appears to be the true [yet unofficial] successor to the Epic 4G...blows my mind. Is there just no interest, or people don't know that it exists...I just don't understand.
I switched from Captivate Glide to the Galaxy S Relay 4G. It has 5 rows, supports AT&T and a few other odd UMTS frequencies (Wind Mobile for instance) and has a fairly decent (but small) dev community with a working unofficial cyanogenmod 10.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well my gameplan was to have a phone I can use both in the US and in Mexico...in Mexico it wouldn't be a big deal, but here any GSM (like from Net10) will go straight to the T-Mobile network since its a T-Mobile phone. And T-Mobile sucks and doesn't appear to be getting any better. I don't know how good or bad the 4G functionality is, but its not enough to have me go back to T-Mobile. That was a year of hell, not just from the almost non-existent coverage but the idiotic customer service as well. My uncle still has them and he complains about them all the time, but he's with them for a reason (something about coverage in Canada, I forget).
The other choice is the Motorola Photon Q for Sprint, which comes comes with GSM capabilities, but you have to remove the pre-soldered SIM chip and add a SIM card adapter. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1929143 I have seen no information on whether it is locked domestically for GSM. It can be reflashed to Cricket and PagePlus on the CDMA side as well, and there is a CM 10 for it http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1929143
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not good at soldering. Plus if I mess up, gotta buy another phone.
Dang. Looks like I'll have to stick with the Glide for now. Well, I'll have to GET the Glide, then stick with it for now.
Um, I hate to break it to you, but your gsm service depends on which sim card you have. I am using the Galaxy S Relay just fine on AT&T.
Sent from my SGH-T699 using xda premium
Nardholio said:
Um, I hate to break it to you, but your gsm service depends on which sim card you have. I am using the Galaxy S Relay just fine on AT&T.
Sent from my SGH-T699 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not the way Net10 worded it, and I've spoken to them many times. They said it depends on the phone itself, as far as the BYOD program goes.
QWERTY Geek here
I've had the following QWERTY phones:
OG Droid
Stratosphere 1
Stratosphere 2 (current phone)
And my wife had the Captivate Glide until she dropped it recently.
Here are my thoughts:
1. Out of this list of phones, the Stratosphere 2 is best, no question. It's slightly faster than the Captivate Glide, has NFC, has a 5 row keyboard, has Verizon LTE, and has Bluetooth 4.0. There's hardly anyone even talking about this phone, much less getting dev/root work going. Sucks, too, since this is basically a Galaxy S3 Lite w/ QWERTY. Everything about this phone is solid.
2. The Captivate Glide GPS's sucked. And the ICS upgrade was an utter disaster. The new ICS upgrade isn't as bad, but the GPS on this phone is definitely much worse than any other phone on the above list. My wife stopped using it altogether and would just use Google Maps like I did back in the iPhone 3G days.
3. I liked the Captivate Glide's keyboard, but my wife hated it. She preferred the Stratosphere 1's keyboard and then the Strat 2. And in case you are wondering, I was barely surviving on the Strat1 when I upgraded in January... a 1GHz single core 512MB RAM phone just doesn't hold up any more, and battery life was awful (about 10 hours with light use, 16-20 hours with no use).
4. A Jellybean (4.1) update just came out for the Strat2. I've been holding back on upgrading due to my wife's horrible experience with ICS. In researching it, I discovered that FoxFi would apparently be broken and 4.1/4.2 has issues with a lot of N-only routers. I've been happy with the Strat2 and ICS, so I won't upgrade. But I so wish Cyanogen would pick up the slack.
5. Are we sure the Strat2 has a locked bootloader? My understanding is that Samsung phones have an unlocked bootloader but switch a flag if you change the ROM so warranty can be denied. Can someone verify?
Thank you very much for the note, some good and interesting stuff in here.
JoeFresco said:
1. Out of this list of phones, the Stratosphere 2 is best, no question. It's slightly faster than the Captivate Glide, has NFC, has a 5 row keyboard, has Verizon LTE, and has Bluetooth 4.0. There's hardly anyone even talking about this phone, much less getting dev/root work going. Sucks, too, since this is basically a Galaxy S3 Lite w/ QWERTY. Everything about this phone is solid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any comments, Glide vis a vis Galaxy S Relay 4G? [e.g. you say Stratosphere 2 is basically a Galaxy S3 Lite w/qwerty - I've yet to come across a similar 'rating' for the 4G. I believe Glide would be S2 (Sii). I don't know what the 4G is.]
For me LTE vs anything else doesn't matter - I don't do data. Wi-fi, yes, so the N only issue is biting me. (Which I think is a phone hardware, not a software, issue. Guessing.) Much the same for Bluetooth - most any bluetooth, and within, say, 10', does what I need it to do. Can you say what Bluetooth 4 brings to the party?
JoeFresco said:
2. The Captivate Glide GPS's sucked. And the ICS upgrade was an utter disaster. The new ICS upgrade isn't as bad, but the GPS on this phone is definitely much worse than any other phone on the above list. My wife stopped using it altogether and would just use Google Maps like I did back in the iPhone 3G days.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
New ICS upgrade? (Link?)
JoeFresco said:
4. A Jellybean (4.1) update just came out for the Strat2. I've been holding back on upgrading due to my wife's horrible experience with ICS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you comment on that horrible experience? I've yet to upgrade from Gingerbread to something ICS here, so looking to be forearmed with (your) forewarning, here.
JoeFresco said:
In researching it, ... 4.1/4.2 has issues with a lot of N-only routers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm now wondering if this explains what I'm seeing on a certain router - across multiple phones and laptop. It's becoming a PITA. At home I get around some problem by setting a static IP.
Is this a common experience for people, across hardware - be it phones or laptops?
The Galaxy S Relay 4G looks like it basically has the tech of the Strat2, so I'd expect them to be equivalent. It looks like it has a physical mashup of the Captivate Glide and Strat2. Assuming you like the keyboard, the S Relay 4G looks like a better phone than the Captivate GLide. I have no experience with this phone.
Bluetooth 4 lets you use super low power bluetooth devices. StickNfind.com (I bought 6) is the first one I know of, but there will definitely be more over the next year or two. Lots of workout type devices and other sensors will start using it. It first arrived in phones in the iPhone 4s.
The Captivate Glide's original ICS upgrade was over Kies and was pulled due to horrendous user response. You can read threads all over by googling. Here's a taste: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1879432
Basically, GPS went to completely useless, phone app crashed constantly, contacts app crashed constantly, keyboard backlight never lit up, text messages coming in 15 times even though only sent once, and more. Most were fixed in a latter OTA update, though the text message thing still happened. The GPS also would sometimes go in and out of lock and wasn't really dependable.
Until the OTA update came out, I was about to have my wife take the phone back to the ATT store to exchange for a Gingerbread model under warranty. Incidentally, a month ago she dropped it and broke the screen and I replaced it with an LG Escape, which she LOVES (no qwerty). She never liked the Captivate Glide keyboard and considers the LG Escape's software keyboard to be just as good and it resolved all her other problems.
The router problem I'm seeing is only on phones that were working fine with ICS and then were upgraded to Jellybean. Here's a couple links:
https://community.verizonwireless.com/message/950253
https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=34786
What you are experiencing sounds like a poor/dying router. It's definitely not normal. A firmware update may resolve the problem or you may try installing ddwrt.
Oh, here's a thread about rooting the Strat2 with no success yet:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2078615
Incidentally, I just tried to root the Samsung Stratosphere II i415 via SRSRoot, which claims it can root that phone. Unfortunately, after 3 attempts, I have nothing but failure. It tries to use root4, 4b, and 5 regardless of whether all root options or smartroot is selected.
Sucks because now VZ is forcing the JB update down. My options were simply to install now or defer 5 days. I chose the defer option, but from what I'm reading, that's a one time deal. So if I can't get rooted in the next 4 days and stop it, I'm going to be running JB whether I like it or not.
Stratosphere II gsm access
Hi
does the samsung stratosphere ii 2 work with gsm in the United States? What about internation gsm?
JoeFresco said:
Incidentally, I just tried to root the Samsung Stratosphere II i415 via SRSRoot, which claims it can root that phone. Unfortunately, after 3 attempts, I have nothing but failure. It tries to use root4, 4b, and 5 regardless of whether all root options or smartroot is selected.
Sucks because now VZ is forcing the JB update down. My options were simply to install now or defer 5 days. I chose the defer option, but from what I'm reading, that's a one time deal. So if I can't get rooted in the next 4 days and stop it, I'm going to be running JB whether I like it or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm more interested in flashing it to another service like Cricket. I think its possible, not 100% sure. People barely know this phone exists, let alone have taken the time to hook it up to QPST to see what happens.
liongood9 said:
Hi
does the samsung stratosphere ii 2 work with gsm in the United States? What about internation gsm?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the question. Like I said, except for the nice fellow in this very thread, no one else really has it, so so far no one has bought it and taken it abroad to see if the GSM works. I would think its locked out the box, though. Verizon refuses to give me a straight answer, and I think its kinda obvious why: its impossible to be unlocked abroad yet locked here, meaning its unlocked all the way or not at all. Meaning if they unlock it, I could just buy it and take it to AT&T.
My guess (heck the Verizon folks are guessing if not outright lying) is that the CDMA functionality works in tandem with the GSM functionality, if you use the phone in the US. It kinda has to, since the GSM slot is also the 4G LTE slot and how you'd get the 4G functionality. Abroad, the CDMA functionality will both detect the 4G LTE SIM isn't there (you'd have to remove it to put in the international SIM from the carrier of your choice while abroad, like Telcel or Movistar in my case) and that you're not in the US, thus giving you "permission" I guess you'd say to let it be unlocked for the duration of your visit. Once you return, however, Verizon will say "Ah you're back in the US" (the CDMA will detect an active Verizon network and account) and lock it right back so you'd have no choice but to replace your international SIM with the 4G LTE sim.
Basically, Verizon through the CDMA functionality can lock or unlock the GSM functionality, merely through network detection (if you're in the US) and by itself using the GSM (4G).
So if you buy the phone outright, you'd never have to worry about the CDMA part since you never had an active service with Verizon through that phone. Without an active CDMA, its merely...a GSM phone, meaning it can be unlocked and can be used on any GSM network. Hence Verizon's reluctance to say yay or nay to whether the GSM can be unlocked. They can't stop you from buying the phone outright, but they don't have to help you unlock the GSM part and potentially take it to another carrier, either. I've heard more or less "Well by law..." yes, but they either don't know the law or count on you not knowing the law. And even pointing it out to them can simply result in "well we don't know how to unlock it, so..." Which would be BS, but there being a law won't make them do anything. They'll just find ways around it. Plausible ways.
All guesswork, and I could be 100% wrong. But hey, that's what it seems like. If I'm right, at least it could potentially be used as a GSM phone at least abroad until someone figures out how to root it.
Go for the Strat 2.
1. Faster CPU
2. Better GPS.
3. Jelly Bean Released on it.
4. 4 row keyboard, I hate having to hit ALT to hit a number. Use excel a lot and that is really annoying.
5. I think it has more internal memory as well. Glide has only 4GB useable internal memory. (they say it is an 8GB phone)
Don't get me wrong GLide is a great phone but it is stating to show its age. Unfortunately I have a 3 year contract, so still have another year and a half on it.
JB
dudejb said:
Go for the Strat 2.
1. Faster CPU
2. Better GPS.
3. Jelly Bean Released on it.
4. 4 row keyboard, I hate having to hit ALT to hit a number. Use excel a lot and that is really annoying.
5. I think it has more internal memory as well. Glide has only 4GB useable internal memory. (they say it is an 8GB phone)
Don't get me wrong GLide is a great phone but it is stating to show its age. Unfortunately I have a 3 year contract, so still have another year and a half on it.
JB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems unrootable, but I'm wondering if its unflashable. I would like to buy it, flash it to Cricket, and just wait till someone roots the sucker. Flash it to Cricket and also unlock the GSM for use abroad. :good: That's my dream anyway. :fingers-crossed:

Non-Windmobile Note ll. Please.

Hi
I don't know if I am asking in the right place but if someone knows the answer I would really appreciate it.
I found a good deal on a Note ll that would save me a lot of money, only thing is I'm with Windmobile/Canada (which uses 1700/2100 frequency/bands and AWS network similar to T-Mobile in the USA as some of you know) but the phone isn't (works with Rogers, Bell, Fido...).
Now, I'm just dying to know, is there ANYTHING I can do to make the phone work with Wind? I've read and read and read I can't find a definitive answer. Some people selling Note ll phones on Craigslist claim their phones work with any carrier including Wind or Mobilicity. But some people say no way in hell that's possible.
So, please, can someone give me an answer to my question? Yes or no?
Thanks.
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Electroman365 said:
Hi
I don't know if I am asking in the right place but if someone knows the answer I would really appreciate it.
I found a good deal on a Note ll that would save me a lot of money, only thing is I'm with Windmobile/Canada (which uses 1700/2100 frequency/bands and AWS network similar to T-Mobile in the USA as some of you know) but the phone isn't (works with Rogers, Bell, Fido...).
Now, I'm just dying to know, is there ANYTHING I can do to make the phone work with Wind? I've read and read and read I can't find a definitive answer. Some people selling Note ll phones on Craigslist claim their phones work with any carrier including Wind or Mobilicity. But some people say no way in hell that's possible.
So, please, can someone give me an answer to my question? Yes or no?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it is possible. There is an unlock method before upgrading to 4.1.2. When the Note II came out with 4.1.1, there is a method used (go to the general forums to find more about this) without rooting the device.
If I were you, though, I would not trust online purchases of the Note II. Some people claim it stolen after you buy it so they get compensation for it if they have insurance for their phone.
Sent from my SGH-T889V using xda app-developers app
Caveat emptor. There are stolen devices out there, and fraudulent sellers.
With this disclaimer out of the way, your sellers with I317Ms claiming they'll work on Wind and Mobilicity have simply applied the mod outlined in this thread which you could do yourself.
If I were to buy another Note 2 via classifieds now, I'd pick a locked I317M (I'd avoid a locked BMA3 running T889V due to its modem-related bootloop issues), flash its initial release modem with Odin, unlock, update, and apply the AWS mod. (Granted I'm using Virgin Mobile, but having AWS could come in handy stateside with a T-Mobile prepaid SIM.)
Thanks kennyglass for moving my question to the right place. I wasn't sure where to ask because I'm not a frequent user of this site.
Thanks a million to Crinkypops and Darkshado for answering my question. I appreciate that. The good news is that now I know it is possible to make the phone work on an AWS network. The bad news is I have no clue how to do any of that stuff myself. I have zero experience or knowledge in this stuff, which means l'll probably have to get someone else with the necessary expertise to do this for me.....if l can find one.
Now a couple of things, if I get a new phone (factory unlocked) and it's already 4.1.2, would it be possible to change it to the older 4.1.1 ?
Is doing all the stuff you guys told me about involve rooting or whatever? I really don't want to mess up the phone with changing all kinds of things on it because I don't want to get stuck without a phone if something goes wrong and like I said I don't know anything about this stuff.
So, what if I buy a phone that was made to work with Wind or T-Mobile, would it be possible to modify it to make it work with other companies too? I really don't know why things have to be this complicated.
You have to start somewhere, it'll take a fair amount of reading, but it can be done.
Aside from their previous Nexus models, as of writing these lines, there's no such thing as a "factory unlocked" phone for Samsung Canada. All the SIM-unlocked devices you encounter were sold through carriers, and originally locked. Some sellers might also have grey market imports that were indeed never locked, but that's beyond the scope of this discussion, since we're interested in the North American variants of the Note 2.
You can downgrade the ROM back to 4.1.1 on all Canadian Note 2 variants, although I wouldn't try it on the T889V because it's been known to cause issues. Seems like there's a bug specific to this model.
You said you didn't want to be stuck without a phone if things went wrong, how about having a backup phone? The nice thing with two Android phones is that it's easy to keep their contacts and calendars synchronized.
The downgrade-to-unlock procedure can be done entirely using official (leaked) Samsung ROM images and tools, and does not require root. Done properly it will not trip the custom flash counter.
The AWS mod uses hidden factory built-in menus with leaked (QPST/QXDM) or reverse engineered tools (NV reader-writer / CDMA Workshop / EFS Pro). Again, it doesn't involve root and won't trip the flash counter. I317Ms that have had the AWS HSPA mod applied still work with their original carriers as before.
Thanks again, darkshadow.
Quick question. How do I know if the phone is I317M or BMA3 and running T889V ? Is l317M or BMA3 written on the back (once the cover is removed)?
Electroman365 said:
Thanks again, darkshadow.
Quick question. How do I know if the phone is I317M or BMA3 and running T889V ? Is l317M or BMA3 written on the back (once the cover is removed)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can check it at the bottom of the box with the IMEI. I would advise you to actually go on the phone, though, and go to settings>about phone and then you'll see the IMEI, baseband, and model number in there. Make sure that the IMEI matches with the box. Some people steal phones and then just buy boxes so beware.
Good luck on your purchase!
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
Crinkypops said:
You can check it at the bottom of the box with the IMEI. I would advise you to actually go on the phone, though, and go to settings>about phone and then you'll see the IMEI, baseband, and model number in there. Make sure that the IMEI matches with the box. Some people steal phones and then just buy boxes so beware.
Good luck on your purchase!
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, crinkypops. I appreciate it and thanks for the info. If I buy a used phone I'll ask for the receipt and the box too.
Electroman365 said:
Thanks, crinkypops. I appreciate it and thanks for the info. If I buy a used phone I'll ask for the receipt and the box too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just trying to help a fellow Canadian PM me how the purchase goes.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
Thanks again, crinkypops. I will. I first have to find out if the phone the guy can get me is an i317m and I'll go from there.
Well, looks like the only option I have is to buy a used Note II on CL. My "friend" who was going to hook me up with a new phone through a buddy of his is an unreliable scum bag of a "friend" and I'm not going to bother with him any more.
So now I'm looking on CL but I'm trying not to buy any phone unless the seller has the sales receipt to make sure I'm not buying something that's stolen.However, some sellers don't want to give the receipt -although willing to show it- because it has their personal information and my question is, would the receipt have the ID # (if that's what it's called) of the particular phone printed on it? If the phone is still under warranty, would it be possible to get it repaired (if there's a need) without a receipt?
Any other advice on how to avoid getting scammed buying a phone on CL?
Thanks.
Which city are you from? I am in vancouver and might consider selling if the price is right. I have the box and receipt. Phone is rooted running x14 with wind. Its still locked though.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
I don't know what the problem is. I tried to send private messages to vseslija and crinkypops but I don't think they went through.
vseslija, was your phone purchased from Wind?
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I'm a bit confused. Some guy is telling me I need to get the T889 and not the i317m if I want to use my phone with Wind, but from the answers here and from what I see on CL that can't be correct. Am I right? He says the i317m will be slow and unstable. Speed of T889 vs i317m : 42 mbps vs 21 mbps. Any thoughts?
Thanks.
Yup mine was purchased directly from wind.
That guy is bsing you
Sent from SGH-T889v Canadian Wind Mobile
Hmm, the guy isn't completely wrong, but he's not completely right either...
The (Canadian) T889V and I317M as well as the (US) T889 and I317 are all capable of 42 Mbps DC-HSPA. The 21 Mbps numbers you might have seen are due to AT&T's HSPA network not supporting dual channel operation, unlike most (all?) Canadian HSPA networks.
The T889 and T889V work on AWS HSPA carriers like Wind, Mobilicity, Videotron or T-Mobile USA out of the box. (The T889V won't work on LTE if you decide to switch back to Robellusfivirkoo, but that's another story, and there's also a way to enable that.)
The I317 and I317M won't, but are very easy to modify in order to enable the AWS HSPA you'll need. There have been a handful of reports of flaky connections on the AWS mod thread, but the ratio is so low that I'm lead to wonder if: there's an undocumented hardware revision for which the mod won't work, their phones or cellular networks had other issues, or if those trying to apply it did something wrong along the way.
I haven't checked Kijiji or CL for phones in a while, but I do recall the T889V commanding a slight premium over the I317M at one point because they were rarer.
Thanks again guys for replying. Man this has given me a lot of headache. Get a Wind Note and get it over with or get an i317m and mod it (have someone do it for me) to get it to work with AWS? I guess listening to what you guys had to say, plus asking a local cell phone shop is making me feel confident that it IS possible to get an i317m work on the AWS without any problems. Now, I think I'm going to take my chances and look for one on CL. In the worst case scenario if for some reason it gives me a headache I'm assuming I can have the process reversed (restore it to its original system) and I'll just sell it and get me a Note that was made specifically for Wind.
To those who helped me and answered my questions, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
Just noticed the i317. So I guess there's an i317 and an i317m. Did some reading but the only difference I can see is that the "M" model is for the Canadian market. Am I right? Does an i317 work in Canada just fine?
The AT&T I317 should work just fine. But, (there's always one, isn't it?) its baseband has some "annoying" limitations (RAT lock is the term you'll want to search) that prevent you from toggling between network modes easily, i.e. you can't switch it between GSM only, WCDMA only, GSM/WCDMA/LTE like you can the Canadian model. Plus there are all the import related considerations you have to keep in mind (taxes and brokerage fees), plus buying something expensive sight-unseen.
The other differences are more benign and software-related. Nothing that can't be fixed with some ROM-flashing, like non-Robellusfivirkoo CSC settings.
Darkshado said:
The AT&T I317 should work just fine. But, (there's always one, isn't it?) its baseband has some "annoying" limitations (RAT lock is the term you'll want to search) that prevent you from toggling between network modes easily, i.e. you can't switch it between GSM only, WCDMA only, GSM/WCDMA/LTE like you can the Canadian model. Plus there are all the import related considerations you have to keep in mind (taxes and brokerage fees), plus buying something expensive sight-unseen.
The other differences are more benign and software-related. Nothing that can't be fixed with some ROM-flashing, like non-Robellusfivirkoo CSC settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply and the info. I just got an i317m. Finally.

Will international version still work when AT&T drops 3G in Feb. 2022?

Will international version still work when AT&T drops 3G in Feb. 2022?
Yes. The WWE version supports LTE. All M8 versions support it afaik
I'm struggling with this. Tried researching it. I know the M8's all have LTE capabilities...the problem is AT&T in the US doesn't cover the same bands or frequencies to support 4G LTE that they do in Europe. So my international version doesn't get LTE. The most I get is HSPA+. I also couldn't find any info on HD Voice which I'm guessing is the same thing as VoLTE or LTE. Which is what is going to be required in order for the phone to work in any fashion on the AT&T network. Or any network for that matter when they decide to drop 3G. I know for a FACT that the US version of the M8 is on the list of phones that WILL work when they make the change. It shows the M8 on the list but it doesn't distinguish between domestic or international versions.
slidextreme said:
I'm struggling with this. Tried researching it. I know the M8's all have LTE capabilities...the problem is AT&T in the US doesn't cover the same bands or frequencies to support 4G LTE that they do in Europe. So my international version doesn't get LTE. The most I get is HSPA+. I also couldn't find any info on HD Voice which I'm guessing is the same thing as VoLTE or LTE. Which is what is going to be required in order for the phone to work in any fashion on the AT&T network. Or any network for that matter when they decide to drop 3G. I know for a FACT that the US version of the M8 is on the list of phones that WILL work when they make the change. It shows the M8 on the list but it doesn't distinguish between domestic or international versions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What does it say in your bootloader menu?
Locked or unlocked?
Security on or off?
MID/Modelid?
CID?
You may be able to flash the latest AT&T RUU to get AT&T firmware on your phone.
I can tell you with that information, and give you a link to the RUU and instructions on how to flash it.
I've never accessed the boot loader menu. Never had a reason to. Thought about flashing phones before but didn't want to risk bricking it. And never really needed to change stock version for my needs.
That being said I imagine it's locked with security on. The numbers you're asking for should be standard for international version so I don't think they are relevant. I have a prepaid account through AT&T for at least 10 years. Just been flipping sim card to newer unlocked phones. Got this through Amazon. Previously had US version but after time had battery issues. But I already have access to the AT&T network. And it wouldn't matter if I switched networks. None of the US companies use the bands and frequencies that Europe does for LTE.
. My understanding of it from my research is that it's not firmware that decides that but the hardware and antenna capabilities. The phone literally won't look for those bands or frequencies. At least that's my understanding.
. Thanks for your help though. Ultimately I'm probably going to have to get a new phone. Which sucks because I love this phone. Will miss how great it sounds. Best phone I've ever had. I guess I could just turn it into a music player.
slidextreme said:
I've never accessed the boot loader menu. Never had a reason to. Thought about flashing phones before but didn't want to risk bricking it. And never really needed to change stock version for my needs.
That being said I imagine it's locked with security on. The numbers you're asking for should be standard for international version so I don't think they are relevant. I have a prepaid account through AT&T for at least 10 years. Just been flipping sim card to newer unlocked phones. Got this through Amazon. Previously had US version but after time had battery issues. But I already have access to the AT&T network. And it wouldn't matter if I switched networks. None of the US companies use the bands and frequencies that Europe does for LTE.
. My understanding of it from my research is that it's not firmware that decides that but the hardware and antenna capabilities. The phone literally won't look for those bands or frequencies. At least that's my understanding.
. Thanks for your help though. Ultimately I'm probably going to have to get a new phone. Which sucks because I love this phone. Will miss how great it sounds. Best phone I've ever had. I guess I could just turn it into a music player.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You bought it second hand? It might be S-Off. Bootloader might be locked, but with S-Off (security off) it shouldn't matter.
As far as firmware not deciding the bands, that's not entirely true. Changing the MID to AT&T's and changing the CID to either that or SuperCID would fix it. That would be a part of flashing the RUU. You'll need the AT&T or SuperCID to flash it in the first place, but the MID changes after the RUU flash iirc.
As far as getting S-Off, you can get that for $25. If you want that I can walk you through everything. I don't mind giving FULL instructions although I try to let users do a little searching of their own.
Feel free to PM me if you want to try. Flashing the RUU itself is super easy. Changing CID/MID will take you using fastboot commands from your PC
Thanks. I'll take that into consideration. I appreciate your help. I'll let you know if I'm up for that challenge...lol. I'm running on marshmallow right now. And as such am unable to access certain apps through the Play store. It's probably a good idea to upgrade anyway. I know there are flashes for that too...just makes more sense to upgrade. The phone is 7 years old.
slidextreme said:
Thanks. I'll take that into consideration. I appreciate your help. I'll let you know if I'm up for that challenge...lol. I'm running on marshmallow right now. And as such am unable to access certain apps through the Play store. It's probably a good idea to upgrade anyway. I know there are flashes for that too...just makes more sense to upgrade. The phone is 7 years old.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep. 7yrs ago one of the best phones came out. I loved my M8. It's bricked now though. The screen got screwed and charging was taking forever and I tried taking it apart to fix it and I failed. lol. Doing hardware repairs isn't in my nature. No patience for that. Too small and fragile. But I still use my HTC 10 during weekdays for an mp3 player at work
Yup...Boomsound! Can't beat it. Otherwise I wouldn't have this dilemma in the first place. Thought about changing my old battery but realized how complicated it was and no guarantee it would work. And paying to get it fixed...may as well apply those funds to a new phone. Expensive! Tried to get the HTC 10 new. Wound up with the international version (Amazon...lol)with problems from the start. Had to return it before I could even hear how good it sounded. I wanted to cry. Now I'm stuck trying to find high quality sound on a reasonably priced phone that still has the damn headphone jack. Ugh.
slidextreme said:
Yup...Boomsound! Can't beat it. Otherwise I wouldn't have this dilemma in the first place. Thought about changing my old battery but realized how complicated it was and no guarantee it would work. And paying to get it fixed...may as well apply those funds to a new phone. Expensive! Tried to get the HTC 10 new. Wound up with the international version (Amazon...lol)with problems from the start. Had to return it before I could even hear how good it sounded. I wanted to cry. Now I'm stuck trying to find high quality sound on a reasonably priced phone that still has the damn headphone jack. Ugh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's why I'm still rocking the 10 although I have a Pixel 2XL and Pixel 5 in full working order. 3.5mm jack AND premium audio AND expandable storage to boot.
xunholyx said:
That's why I'm still rocking the 10 although I have a Pixel 2XL and Pixel 5 in full working order. 3.5mm jack AND premium audio AND expandable storage to boot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey xunholyx,
I was thinking about checking out the pixels. I heard they have decent sound. I'm going to try and get my US version M8 battery replaced for $75 and hope that's the only problem with it. On top of looking for a new phone. Just can't seem to let it go...lol. Should have done this a year ago. It will give me more time and ultimately be a music player for my car.
But I'm really contacting you about the international version. I found something and would like your opinion. It's about changing the bands.
You'll need to watch it on YouTube or rather read the description or instructions the video gives below it. The video is hard to follow. And I don't know if I need special software to do it this way.

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