maemo.org - Talk - Still waiting on other shoe...

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- - Still waiting on other shoe... (https://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=30723)

Re: Still waiting on other shoe...

Quote:

Originally Posted by qole (Post 310545)

Until I read this thread it never occurred to me that I might not be able to use the HSDPA / phone capabilities of the RX-51 in Canada at all. Can anyone comment on the likelihood of the device being compatible with Rogers (or any other Canadian providers)?

I have a sad, sinking feeling that I'll be forced to use this next device like a tablet... Please reassure me...

I'm pretty vague about the whole issue...

This is straight of the fcc documentation

"Outside of USA and Canada, the transmitter of the device is capable of operating also in
GSM/GPRS/EGPRS900, GSM/GPRS/EGPRS1800, WCDMA900 and WCDMA2100 bands which are not
part of this filing"

Good news!

Re: Still waiting on other shoe...

Quote:

Originally Posted by zerojay (Post 310547)

Yeah, as a fellow Canadian, I'm also worried that either we won't be able to use it as a phone as intended or we might have to wait a year for it to cross the invisible 49th parallel.

Unless I'm mistaken, you could use the RX-51 as a phone, and probably also an EDGE device. It's the 3G band that is different between T-Mo and AT&T.

So, I guess the question for you (and fellow Canadians) becomes which band does Rogers use?

Re: Still waiting on other shoe...

Quote:

Originally Posted by sachin007 (Post 310550)

For whom?

How so?

Map of AT&T's 3g band in U.S.
http://www.cellularmap.net/att_850_1900.shtml

Re: Still waiting on other shoe...

Quote:

Originally Posted by deeteroderdas (Post 310552)

For whom?

How so?

Map of AT&T's 3g band in U.S.
http://www.cellularmap.net/att_850_1900.shtml

Sorry my bad.... i confused 900 for 1900.

Re: Still waiting on other shoe...

Quote:

Originally Posted by deeteroderdas (Post 310551)

From Wikipedia:
# GSM/GPRS/EDGE on the 850 and 1900 MHz bands (Also known as 2G GSM, or 2.5G in the case of EDGE)
# UMTS/HSPA on the 850 MHz band (Also known as 3G GSM)

Re: Still waiting on other shoe...

Quote:

Originally Posted by zerojay (Post 310556)

from wikipedia:
# gsm/gprs/edge on the 850 and 1900 mhz bands (also known as 2g gsm, or 2.5g in the case of edge)
# umts/hspa on the 850 mhz band (also known as 3g gsm)

at&t, iow...

Re: Still waiting on other shoe...

Quote:

Originally Posted by qole (Post 310545)

Quote:

Rogers and Fido use GSM technology. For that you need an unlocked GSM phone which supports the 1900 MHz frequency at the very least, but it is strongly recommended that it support the 850 MHz frequency as well in order to get the best coverage. (The phone may also have 900 MHz and/or 1800MHz. These bands are used in Europe and Asia, but not North America). All you do to activate service is insert your SIM card into the phone and turn it on. That's it.

Bell and TELUS use CDMA technology. 'Unlocked' CDMA phones are hard to come by, and both companies have policies that they will not activate phones not sold by them onto their respective networks.

From >> http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=37717

Quote:

Originally Posted by FCC

(the N900/Rover)...is a 7-band (GSM850/900/1800/1900 and WCDMA Band I/IV(1700)/VIII) mobile phone with GPRS, EGPRS, Bluetooth, WLAN and FM transmitter...

Based on the above... I'm guessin' yeah, it can be made to work on Rogers and Fido with a provisioned/active SIM from the carrier.

I wouldn't jump in right off the bat unless Quim makes you an offer you can't refuse. :)

Re: Still waiting on other shoe...

My problem boils down to this:

1) I'm not leaving AT&T any time soon (wife just got an iPhone)
2) I need/want a "smart" phone. Actually, I want a "convergence" device, always on the Internet, large screen, etc.
3) Looking at the devices AT&T has available on their web site is depressing. Except, I gotta admit, the iPhone is sexy. I've used my wife's a bit, and the idea of #2 above works almost perfectly for the areas I'm interested in: gMail, FB, gCalendar, etc.

Guess I can go online and look for an unlocked, sexy smart phone which will work on AT&T's network and not cost a crazy amount of money. I know, no subsidy, but we all know we pay for the phone at least 2x, anyway...

So, WinMo is out, Symbian, RIM, etc, I need to know more about. Having a Linux-based phone would be totally sweet!

Re: Still waiting on other shoe...

In a Maemo phone, where the whole telephony stack is open source (including the modem plug in), and the hardware is capable of using the bands of any provider, wouldn't it be straightforward to hack the device to use any provider?

What would be the roadblocks to stop or slow hackers from making a Maemo device use AT&T / Rogers HSPA, if not configured out of the box?

Re: Still waiting on other shoe...

Quote:

Originally Posted by qole (Post 310630)

Not much. :)

Even if the stack is closed or proprietary and Maemo is executed from within (like WinMo on a Motorola), most of the information to unlock a phone from a specific carrier is already available.

I don't think using the phone will be a problem. It is the lack of Maemo5 "Smart Phone" apps that we have seen that prompted me to advise waiting. :eek:

I mean, that's a big leap of faith for some... Will this $400 ~ $900 device be a full featured "Smart Phone"? Will it be able to sync contacts, appointments, and agendas with a desktop and the web regardless of what flavor OS is used on the other end?