TyTN II - Unlocked Phone vs AT&T Phone

[Guest Tones@]

I've asked this question before in another thread but I didn't quite understand the response so I'd thought I'd start a dedicated thread.

I've always been a Sprint USA customer and as such, never used a SIM card (Sprint does not use them). If I was to buy an unlocked TyTN II and got a SIM card from AT&T, what do a LOSE by doing this? Will I ever be able to get:

1) Firmware updates for the phone

2) Customer Service from AT&T to help with phone or data CONNECTION problems

3) AT&T specific services like the Music Store and TV (I know this is probably in the ROM, but I'm wondering if this could be done through software)

Sorry for my naivity on this, but I'd thought that I'd ask the experts here instead of dealing with the clueless CS people at AT&T (or any carrier).

Tony

[Guest markdotpeters5]

1) HTC will supply you with firmware updates, and faster than if you'd bought the phone through a carrier.

2) Being a brit, I have never used AT+T, but if you have a pay as you go sim with them, then you're a customer, so yes ;)

3) Probably not i'm guessing, but one I would ask AT+T. There are always 3rd party software solutions for stuff like that though.

Hope this answers at least some of your questions!

[Guest 3waygeek]

3) AT&T specific services like the Music Store and TV (I know this is probably in the ROM, but I'm wondering if this could be done through software)

Tony

Someone will probably break these services out of the AT&T rom shortly after AT&T finally releases the Tilt. This sort of thing is usually stored in what's called ExtROM (sort of like a system recovery partition on a PC -- it contains customization software that gets installed after a hard reset).

www.xda-developers.com is a good source for this sort of thing.

[Guest Tones@]

Thanks for the info!

Tony

[Guest craftonc]

Same boat only coming from VZW. Help me on this, I need to buy a cheap phone from AT&T with the SIM card and then swap it into my UK unlocked Kaiser, right? Can I switch back and forth between the two (doing construciton it might be better to not trash an $800 phone)? -and- Do I have to originally purchase a phone with the correct data package so the SIM functions as I want it to in the Kaiser? For that matter, can one just purchase a SIM card from AT&T or does it always have a phone wrapped around it? Sorry for the newby questions but thanks for any help!

[Guest frydryce]

Same boat only coming from VZW. Help me on this, I need to buy a cheap phone from AT&T with the SIM card and then swap it into my UK unlocked Kaiser, right? Can I switch back and forth between the two (doing construciton it might be better to not trash an $800 phone)? -and- Do I have to originally purchase a phone with the correct data package so the SIM functions as I want it to in the Kaiser? For that matter, can one just purchase a SIM card from AT&T or does it always have a phone wrapped around it? Sorry for the newby questions but thanks for any help!

att always offers free phones with their packages. you can just get one of the free phones and sell it so you get some money back to pay for the TyTnII =)

[Guest craftonc]

Thanks for the answer. Sorry but sometimes I need crayons to really grasp it... Do I need to get the data plan, etc on the free phone that I initially start the account with or can I change that at any time (i.e. upgrading to a data plan after I swap the SIM)?

[Guest Tones@]

Thanks for the answer. Sorry but sometimes I need crayons to really grasp it... Do I need to get the data plan, etc on the free phone that I initially start the account with or can I change that at any time (i.e. upgrading to a data plan after I swap the SIM)?

You can buy the SIM seperately from a phone, at least that was what I was told at my store visit today. And the plans you sign up for can always be UPGRADED to include unlimited data, but just not downgraded. The plan is not connected to the phone itself.

However, the rep at the store also told me that the data connection will not WORK with an unlocked phone, only phone calls will. I assume this is false and that this is the typical stupidness of all in-store sales personnel, but I'll try another store and ask again.

It might be a moot point though since now it seems we can't get it in the USA until Sept 17 at the earliest, so I might as well wait for the AT&T version.

Tony

[Guest vpoet]

You can buy the SIM seperately from a phone, at least that was what I was told at my store visit today. And the plans you sign up for can always be UPGRADED to include unlimited data, but just not downgraded. The plan is not connected to the phone itself.

However, the rep at the store also told me that the data connection will not WORK with an unlocked phone, only phone calls will. I assume this is false and that this is the typical stupidness of all in-store sales personnel, but I'll try another store and ask again.

It might be a moot point though since now it seems we can't get it in the USA until Sept 17 at the earliest, so I might as well wait for the AT&T version.

Tony

My W300i is unlocked. You simply need to supply AT&T with your phone's information, or just put in the proper proxy config for the network to work.

[Guest Tones@]

My W300i is unlocked. You simply need to supply AT&T with your phone's information, or just put in the proper proxy config for the network to work.

I assume that your data connection works as well (i.e. for internet access, etc), correct?

Tony