11 replies to this topic

[thelondonthing]

As we all know, Orange is the exclusive provider for the TG01 on contract - but why is it that they seem to have the only stock of any TG01s in the country?

There's any number of tech stores (Clove, Handtec, even Play.com) offering pre-orders for it - and indeed they have been for some time now - but while most are happy to take your order, none have been able to indicate when they'll actually have stock.  

We're looking to buy 6-10 of these badboys in the next couple of weeks - but does anyone know if any stores have stock of SIM-free models?  And if not, does anyone know when stock will be provided to non-Orange retailers?

[justj]

thelondonthing, on Aug 24 2009, 10:37, said:

As we all know, Orange is the exclusive provider for the TG01 on contract - but why is it that they seem to have the only stock of any TG01s in the country?

There's any number of tech stores (Clove, Handtec, even Play.com) offering pre-orders for it - and indeed they have been for some time now - but while most are happy to take your order, none have been able to indicate when they'll actually have stock.

We're looking to buy 6-10 of these badboys in the next couple of weeks - but does anyone know if any stores have stock of SIM-free models? And if not, does anyone know when stock will be provided to non-Orange retailers?

cheaper if you get them off ebay,I saw some sold for just over 200 quid (makes me really sick) . And have them unlocked for 15 euro. That's what I did anyway.

[Neil5459]

Orange are not just the exclusive contract supplier, they have a total exclusivity contract with Orange for UK supply.

I don't know how long that contract is, and none of the SIM free retailers have yet been told, but its usually 2, 3, or 6 months.

[vonski]

German O2 sells unlocked TG01... Unfortunatelly it has German ROM also...

[thelondonthing]

vitamise, on Aug 25 2009, 19:38, said:

They are exclusive to Orange in the UK, but if you have the unlock code they can be used on any network
if i receive the IMEI# i can provide the unlock code for £7

[email protected] for any questions

Well, thanks for that - but the problem is not that the TG01 is locked to the Orange network; the problem is that there appears to be no way to purchase the handsets in the first place without buying a new contract at the same time.

I personally can't recall a handset release in the UK where a contract-free/SIM-free/off-network handset couldn't also be purchased, in addition to any offerings available from the networks.  Seems like a very unusual decision on Toshiba's part to limit the sales solely to Orange contracts, unless Orange have paid through the nose for the exclusivity of course.

All very annoying though.

I know that TG01 is of course the only handset available with Snapdragon at present, but can anyone recommend any other 'powerhouse' Windows Mobile devices currently available?  I'm not really considering the HTC Leo, as it's most likely a few months away from going on sale, and we'll be needing these handsets long before then.

[Neil5459]

thelondonthing, on Aug 25 2009, 21:31, said:

I personally can't recall a handset release in the UK where a contract-free/SIM-free/off-network handset couldn't also be purchased, in addition to any offerings available from the networks.  Seems like a very unusual decision on Toshiba's part to limit the sales solely to Orange contracts, unless Orange have paid through the nose for the exclusivity of course.

Well, the iPhone is still exclusive to O2

There was another WinMo device earlier this year which had a 3 month exclusive to one of the operators, but I can't remember which it was!

[thelondonthing]

Neil5459, on Aug 26 2009, 07:51, said:

Well, the iPhone is still exclusive to O2

There was another WinMo device earlier this year which had a 3 month exclusive to one of the operators, but I can't remember which it was!

You're absolutely right about iPhone, of course - I was thinking more of WinMo, but didn't make that at all clear!

Perhaps you're thinking of the Touch HD?  Wasn't that exclusive to Orange?  Even so, it was a 'contract exclusive'; HTC were still availing PAYG/SIM-free stocks to retailers.  

My problem now is that I can't think of anything that's available now that comes close to the same sort of power as TG01 has - it's very frustrating, and I just don't get what the advantages are of this deal for anyone.  If Orange paid a fortune for the exclusivity rights, well that's money down the drain, because they're not exactly marketing it particularly well, and I don't know of anyone except die-hard phone freaks who know of its existence, much less that it's available on Orange.  I don't see how Toshiba sees this as a winner, because their sales are limited only to Orange contracts, and one has to wonder how many people are signing up or upgrading to a handset that they know nothing about.  And of course, the consumer loses out, because most people with any sense won't want to join Orange, with their terrible customer service and poor data rates, and for some, I can imagine Orange being the deciding factor that results in a decision not to buy.

Can't get my head around it at all - but in the mean time, I've got £4000 to burn on a handful of 'powerhouse' WinMo/CE handsets, and I just don't know what to go for!

[zyborg]

I have one.

[i900french-addict]

Some rumors say there may be sim-free TG01 after the WinMo 6.5 update, but I have personaly read nothing that could confirm this.

As it was said, buying it on ebay and then unlocking it seems to be the only solution, and cheaper than buying from orange without a contract

(I've paid mine 270 euros then paid 17 euros at the end of July, I've seen some TG01 sold some 200/250 euros on ebay since.)

[vitamise]

thelondonthing, on Aug 24 2009, 09:37, said:

As we all know, Orange is the exclusive provider for the TG01 on contract - but why is it that they seem to have the only stock of any TG01s in the country?

There's any number of tech stores (Clove, Handtec, even Play.com) offering pre-orders for it - and indeed they have been for some time now - but while most are happy to take your order, none have been able to indicate when they'll actually have stock.

We're looking to buy 6-10 of these badboys in the next couple of weeks - but does anyone know if any stores have stock of SIM-free models? And if not, does anyone know when stock will be provided to non-Orange retailers?

They will bring out a EU generic in October that is sim free

[Infinaught]

Hello people. I have a german O2 TG01 which was sold as unlocked but ended up being Locked.

Every service I've tried comes up with the same number based on my IMEI, but the number simply does not work. Any ideas or suggestions?

In case you are wondering, I have made sure that this is indeed the device's IMEI from the original phone box and from inside the phone.

[kamark]

Hi Vitamise
Can you unlock TG01 Switzerland orange to any sim card