Phone from the US

karltimber

Hi,

apologies if this has been asked a thousand times !!

I need to upgrade to a good wed based phone but not the iphone.
A phone where I can view proper web pages.

The palm pre or Hero would be nice and can getthem from the US

so -question - will they work here ?? on an 02 sim ??

or - what US bought phones do folks have here - and on what carrier.


thanks
k

Tom Dunne

Be careful with the Palm Pre. The current version will not work here, I believe they are releasing a 3G version for Europe/The rest of the world pretty soon (actually, I think there was a thread on this very forum about that model). The thing is, though, I am not sure if you will be able to pick up the European version in the US, which kinda defeats the purpose for you.

As for the other phones, you need to check that they are actually unlocked and will work with the 3G frequencies over here. A lot do, but there are still one or two US-centric phones that won't.

You have to remember that generally speaking, Europe tends to be way ahead of the US in terms of mobile phones. So it is not always better to buy over there.

karltimber

Thanks Tom, and thats fine.

If I need to buy here then so be it.

I just really want web access when out and about - share prices etc.

my old nokia gives me that but on a mobile format - which I hate.

I like the HTC phones so will have a look at them - esp the tattoo.

cash -about e200 - with 02 now but can change if needed.

k

Oafley Jones

As Tom said the current Pre won't work as it's a CDMA handset. This is interesting though and an indication that the elements that ruined Palm are still around....

Palm threatening unlocked GSM Pre retailers with legal action
By Chris Davies on Friday, Sep 18th 2009

Palm has been apparently been busy warning UK retailers that it is less than happy with pre-order pages for SIM-free versions of the Palm Pre, informing them that the webOS smartphone will only be available in locked form (presumably to O2, the company’s UK carrier partner). Our sibling site MyPre.com has been informed by one affected retailer that Palm’s legal team “requested” in no uncertain terms that they take down their listing, where the Pre had been tentatively offered for £450-500 ($737-819).

Unless this turns out to be saber-rattling on Palm’s part – not entirely impossible, given some of the preorder pages we’ve seen have suggested unofficial release dates, something O2 themselves have been refusing to confirm – it could come as a surprise to European buyers. Unlocked handsets are far more common in the UK and in mainland Europe, with even those devices bought subsidized on a contract often provided without a carrier lock in place.

Of course, the practice is not entirely foreign; after all, the iPhone was originally only sold in locked form (again, to O2 in the UK). However that handset has since been put up for sale SIM-free, though Apple and O2 would prefer not to make that as clear as their own contract versions. We’re waiting to hear back from Palm UK with a comment.

http://www.slashgear.com/palm-threat...ction-1857302/

Breezer

Oafley Jones wrote: »

As Tom said the current Pre won't work as it's a CDMA handset. This is interesting though and an indication that the elements that ruined Palm are still around....

This is worrying, although I really don't think locked smartphones will take off here. For one thing, it's illegal not to offer an unlocked version in several EU countries. Secondly, it'll piss off too many potential customers who, unlike in the US, aren't used to this restriction. It may have worked with the iPhone, but few other companies have the insane hype-driven marketing ability that Apple has.

More on-topic, out of interest, will the US version of the Hero work here? I'm a little lost as to what bands a US phone needs to have to work on 3G here.

Davy

Putting other things aside for the moment, OP can you post a few sites that you would want to work correctly, then people can check from their phone and can post which handsets and browsers will work or not.

Oafley Jones

Breezer wrote: »

More on-topic, out of interest, will the US version of the Hero work here? I'm a little lost as to what bands a US phone needs to have to work on 3G here.

Don't think the US version - the one without the chin - is on sale yet. You are aware that the phone that's on sale is the euro model?

karltimber

Davy wrote: »

Putting other things aside for the moment, OP can you post a few sites that you would want to work correctly, then people can check from their phone and can post which handsets and browsers will work or not.

It will mainly be Yahoo- finance - which is just a web page

and possibly Ameritrade - a US based stock trading site.

So, both will be checking stocks and possibly using a page off the Ameritrade site whilst out and about.
i could get these on my old nokia 6100 (whatever it is-cheap) but don't want the compact web version. A bigger (htc/pre) size screen would be great.

thanks
k

Breezer

Oafley Jones wrote: »

Don't think the US version - the one without the chin - is on sale yet. You are aware that the phone that's on sale is the euro model?

Yep, thanks. It's out next month though, and I was just wondering what bands it would have to support to work on 3G here. Which was just an extension to the OP's question really.

karltimber

The more I look around the more I am liking the Palm Pre

End of Oct release date - so will keep an eye on that for pricing.

Nice phone - and the qwerty is a nice add-on.

k

add-on: also might look at the reviews for the HTC touch 2 or the tattoo (play.com/expansis)