[Q] Which recommended site for buying/shipping to Canada? - Galaxy S II Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi
So I see a few threads containing info on shipping to other countries, and very limited with specific info with regards to Canadian interests. I am in the Toronto area of Ontario, Canada.
Questions:
1. Can the UK version work without issues with the Rogers network? Based on what other folks are saying it seems like it should be able to.
2. Who would be the best online reseller to go through to get an unlocked sim version to be shipped to Canada? What would be the best shipping option, assuming several options are available? Would buying through a US online retailer make sense?
3. Warranty? Should something go wrong, what are my options? Would Samsung only look at it if the unit is sent back to the UK for warranty? Can I buy extended warranty of some sort?
4. Costs? What's the general cost for unit, shipping and other taxes as I know we can't get the 'gift' label scenario going.
5. Any other info worth mentioning?

SGSII and Canada
QAM said:
Questions:
1. Can the UK version work without issues with the Rogers network? Based on what other folks are saying it seems like it should be able to.
2. Who would be the best online reseller to go through to get an unlocked sim version to be shipped to Canada? What would be the best shipping option, assuming several options are available? Would buying through a US online retailer make sense?
3. Warranty? Should something go wrong, what are my options? Would Samsung only look at it if the unit is sent back to the UK for warranty? Can I buy extended warranty of some sort?
4. Costs? What's the general cost for unit, shipping and other taxes as I know we can't get the 'gift' label scenario going.
5. Any other info worth mentioning?
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1. In theory the phone should work on Bell Mobility, Telus, and Rogers 3g network (850 MHz and 1900 MHz) as the SGSII has HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100.
2. Clove.co.uk, Handtec.co.uk, mobilecityonline.com (US), etc..
3. Warranty is Samsung only, so you have to send it back to samsung in uk. In terms of extended warranty there are third party options like SquareTrade.
4. Its around $700 CAD (clove and handtec), $730 US for mobilecityonline. Both are with shipping costs. However, the kicker is the import fees. You have to pay taxes (13% HST) on the original price of the phone when the phone arrives in Canada. so you will end up paying something around $800 CAD in total.
Edit: It is confirmed that you will be charged tax (region specific, 13%HST in Ontario). No brokerage fees, apparently FexEx Express doesn't charge any fess for clearing customs. So no import fees other than the tax.
5. There is an option with imports where if the product is a gift worth less than $60 then there is no import fees charged. However, all three retailers listed above have refused to declare the product as a gift or worth lower than actual price.
At this point it seems like it might be a smart idea to wait but then again you never know how much the phone will cost when it arrives in Canada. The atrix is selling for $600 without contract so Im guessing SGSII will cost more.
I am going nuts trying to decide if I should preorder or not. As you can tell Im with Windmobile and today they announced new voice and data plans. Basically, now I am paying $35 for unlimited everything including data and voice. Now, if I buy the SGSII then I will have to move to Bell, Rogers, or Telus and I will have to pay atleast $50 for a smartphone plan. I keep asking myself, is the SGSII worth paying $800, changing your carrier, and paying more every month on your phone plan?
Hope this helps.

I'm in Richmond Hill myself : )
I had pre -order from clove and handtec (both UK companies) but cancelled from handtec even though it was cheaper... they were changing dates way too much and doing it quietly too as in on their website only while Clove would send me emails every few days with any updates regarding my order and the phone itself AND if there's any changes at all they always ask if I want to cancel my order or not. That's worth the extra 15 pounds to me.
As for buying through US retailer, well... you can't cause this phone isn't out in US either. You are correct as it will work with AT&T in US and in Canada it'll work on Rogers/Telus/Bell/Fido/Virgin/Koodoo (all the subsidiaries of the big companies). it'll work on other bands too like wind mobile and such I think however, no 3G coverage there because of the band difference. Cost wise its around $750 incl. shipping.

If i were you i'd be in a very tough situation as well haha. But... I get the exact same plan for the same price (a little less actually) through rogers minus the unlimited Data. i have 500 mb and i never seem to go over 150 in a month so thats never close to being an issue. plan inclues unlimited text / voicemail / evenings starting at 5pm and unlimited evenings and weekends too.
np231 said:
1. In theory the phone should work on Bell Mobility, Telus, and Rogers 3g network (850 MHz and 1900 MHz) as the SGSII has HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100.
2. Clove.co.uk, Handtec.co.uk, mobilecityonline.com (US), etc..
3. Warranty is Samsung only, so you have to send it back to samsung in uk. In terms of extended warranty there are third party options like SquareTrade.
4. Its around $700 CAD (clove and handtec), $730 US for mobilecityonline. Both are with shipping costs. However, the kicker is the import fees. You have to pay taxes (13% HST) on the original price of the phone when the phone arrives in Canada. so you will end up paying something around $800 CAD in total.
5. There is an option with imports where if the product is a gift worth less than $60 then there is no import fees charged. However, all three retailers listed above have refused to declare the product as a gift or worth lower than actual price.
At this point it seems like it might be a smart idea to wait but then again you never know how much the phone will cost when it arrives in Canada. The atrix is selling for $600 without contract so Im guessing SGSII will cost more.
I am going nuts trying to decide if I should preorder or not. As you can tell Im with Windmobile and today they announced new voice and data plans. Basically, now I am paying $35 for unlimited everything including data and voice. Now, if I buy the SGSII then I will have to move to Bell, Rogers, or Telus and I will have to pay atleast $50 for a smartphone plan. I keep asking myself, is the SGSII worth paying $800, changing your carrier, and paying more every month on your phone plan?
Hope this helps.
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shabs52 said:
If i were you i'd be in a very tough situation as well haha. But... I get the exact same plan for the same price (a little less actually) through rogers minus the unlimited Data. i have 500 mb and i never seem to go over 150 in a month so thats never close to being an issue. plan inclues unlimited text / voicemail / evenings starting at 5pm and unlimited evenings and weekends too.
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So you are saying that you get 500mb Data, unlimited text / voicemail / evenings starting at 5pm and unlimited evenings and weekends for around $35?
wow thats news to me, I actually dont mind 500mb data but I was under the impression that the minimum that you have to pay is $50 for smartphone plans with rogers. Please elaborate more on how much you actually pay.
If what you say is possible then that eliminates one of my worries. I dont mind changing carriers as rogers has better signal than wind. As far as the money for the actual phone, I can sell my current phone that will help me out.

well if i was to go with rogers' regular price for the closest plan its about $85 maybe a month. but even with that cant get 5pm evenings (earliest they have is 6pm) also for some of this they require you to activate a 3 year plan.
I get special rates from rogers thats why i end up paying under half the regular price which is why... im happy with them and didnt bother going to wind or any others
edit: also a few other things i get... enchaned text messaging and enhanced voicemail (whatever those are) and also super caller id.. whatever that is

I'd love to get this phone in Canada but I'd also hate to give up Wind... and waiting for an AWS version will probably take forever.
Just can't find a plan that comes even close to $40/mo unlimited EVERYTHING (even US calling which I use a lot) =(

youre not going to find one and also just so you know Wind Mobile I believe works on the same band as T mobile USA, i have the vibrant from T mobile and it works on wind.. 3g and everything. other than that if you dont need super fast internet access this will still work with Wind on Edge i believe.

$800 is really steep for a phone... but this one makes my mouth water. It probably won't be coming onto any of the big three until Q2-Q3. That's a lot of waiting... Yeah screw it I'm going to preorder this bad boy.

gstar_raw said:
$800 is really steep for a phone... but this one makes my mouth water. It probably won't be coming onto any of the big three until Q2-Q3. That's a lot of waiting... Yeah screw it I'm going to preorder this bad boy.
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I'll probably end up pre-ordering as soon as I get payment for the phone I'm selling. I'm really afraid of the import charges, we know about the duties and HST but I heard that FedEx charges handling fees (Brokerage and Disbursement) so I think I'll end up paying even more than $800.

Hola
I will be going ahead and ordering my S2 via Handtech hopefully sometime tomorrow (Tuesday). I'll be watching this forum closely to ensure those folks who ordered in the UK received their phones without issue/delay.
One other question:
Who should I use for shipping and handling? FedEx, UPS or DHL?
Thanks.

I live in SWO. Pre-ordered from Clove yesterday. Then Handtec posted the fact that they actually have stock. I'm expecting that it may take 1-2 weeks before I actually have it in my hands, so a day or two difference isn't going to kill me (though the anticipation anxiety hasn't kicked into overdrive yet Just hoping I don't have to wait for a 2nd batch to arrive before my order gets fulfilled!
Also looking forward to the first person that confirms 3G on Rogers with an actual handset! :-D

i ordered mine from gum. Should ship tomorrow ups express.

I cound't help it... I ordered from clove too. hope I still make the first shipment. don't wanna wait too long, the anticipation is crazy!!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

I see everyone is talking about ordering from Handtec / Clove..but has anyone tried Expansys?
Expansys charges 5% premium but does anyone know if they suffer from the same duty/import charges as Handtec / Clove?

Elythor said:
Expansys charges 5% premium but does anyone know if they suffer from the same duty/import charges as Handtec / Clove?
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That 5% turns into 7.5% at checkout page. Strange, what kind of "tax" is this?

ptscon said:
That 5% turns into 7.5% at checkout page. Strange, what kind of "tax" is this?
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When I added the Galaxy S II into the cart on Expansys.ca website...it shows this:
$709.51
* Tax 5%35.48
* Shipping Information 24.95
* CDN $769.94
So the 709.51 is basically 430 GBP (price from Clove/Handtec) converted to CAD...then Expansys adds a ~5% premium on top.
If you go back to the beginning of the thread, np231 says there may be import fees in addition to handling charges from FedEx/UPS etc. That's why I want to know if anyone had experience with Expansys and how much more I should expect to pay at the end of the day...

Wind doesn't have an EDGE network so I don't see how it would work at all on wind. They only have a 3G 1700/2100mhz network so basically you can only use this phone on the big 3 with their ****ty plans. Not sure how long it will be before a T-mobile variant of the SGS2 will hit the US, only then could it be possible for Wind users to get it.
shabs52 said:
youre not going to find one and also just so you know
Wind Mobile I believe works on the same band as T mobile USA, i have the vibrant from T mobile and it works on wind.. 3g and everything. other than that if you dont need super fast internet access this will still work with Wind on Edge i believe.
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I'll let you all know just how badly I get bilked by Fedex/Canada Customs. My SGS II has shipped from Handtec and apparently due tomorrow in the Great White North via Fedex (though NOT holding my breath!). I'll be happy if it arrives by Friday (travelling next week and would love to have it!).
I generally only order from the US via USPS to avoid the brokerage/customs nightmare (rape!). In this case obviously not yet an option.

Considering you are in Montreal....I won't be surprised if you are slapped with the 13% GST+QST.
Glad I'm in Alberta
But yes, please keep us updated regarding import duties / handling charges.
mickliq said:
I'll let you all know just how badly I get bilked by Fedex/Canada Customs. My SGS II has shipped from Handtec and apparently due tomorrow in the Great White North via Fedex (though NOT holding my breath!). I'll be happy if it arrives by Friday (travelling next week and would love to have it!).
I generally only order from the US via USPS to avoid the brokerage/customs nightmare (rape!). In this case obviously not yet an option.
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Related

[Q] Best UK deal?

Was just wondering hat the best deals people have see for the SGS2, currently trying to find a decent new contract deal, don't know whether to order online or buy in-store on the launch date. Any ideas?
Check these out:
http://www.comparemobiledeals.com/mobile-phones/Samsung/Galaxy-S2
i don't really want to buy online because i'll receive it later, unless theres any particularly good deals.
I found these to be better...
buymobilephones.net/mobile-phones/Samsung/Samsung-Galaxy-S-II/30,72930,All,tt1,ct1
(put a www on the front. I'm not allowed to post links)
The one that suited me best is the T-Mobile 18 month £30.64/month 600 mins + 500 texts + 'unlimited' Internet. I've just pre-ordered.
That is far better than the deal I would get upgrading my existing t-mobile contract to a Galaxy S, let alone an S2.
pmt32577 said:
I found these to be better...
buymobilephones.net/mobile-phones/Samsung/Samsung-Galaxy-S-II/30,72930,All,tt1,ct1
(put a www on the front. I'm not allowed to post links)
The one that suited me best is the T-Mobile 18 month £30.64/month 600 mins + 500 texts + 'unlimited' Internet. I've just pre-ordered.
That is far better than the deal I would get upgrading my existing t-mobile contract to a Galaxy S, let alone an S2.
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Remember to go through a cashback site, Topcashback are giving £30.30 for all contracts. Every little helps!
mikdamilla1 said:
i don't really want to buy online because i'll receive it later, unless theres any particularly good deals.
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Are you based in the uk? If so, here online deals are generally better and all the shops ship next day delivery. No doubt pre-orders get shipped the earliest they can, I've had a previous phone turn up 2 days before it was released in shop before so I havent bought a mobile in a shop for a few years now.
nikzDHD said:
Check these out:
http://www.comparemobiledeals.com/mobile-phones/Samsung/Galaxy-S2
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Im keeping an eye daily on the available deals and comparing them, more seem to be added by retailers each day. Im getting addicted to checking!
Im not a heavy voice user, just texts and net. So best I've seen so far is the 2 top orange and tmobile deals. http://www.comparemobiledeals.com/mobile-phones/Samsung/Galaxy-S2?&tab=Pay-Monthly&page=1&sortby=Monthly-Cost&minutes=300&internet=yes £20 per month and £200 upfront. £689.08 total for two years.
Ive never used tmobile but I hear they are use the orange network now, so Im tempted to stump for it. Though Im gonna give it a few days just incase any better ones come out, Ive given a deadline of next wed. Last thing I wanna do is leave it too late and they all run out of stock. In fact I might give retailer a ring to see what stock levels are like.
cheers guys, went for the t-mobile deal on buymobilephones through that cashback site! hopefully it'll come early!
Surely 3 mobile's All You Can Eat Data, with real unlimited data wipes the floor of all the other carriers who impose fair usage limits.
MaxReality said:
Surely 3 mobile's All You Can Eat Data, with real unlimited data wipes the floor of all the other carriers who impose fair usage limits.
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maybe, but three arent going to let the galaxy S2 go for less than 35 plus upfront fee, plus 24 month contract. not on the ayce deal.
stoney73 said:
maybe, but three arent going to let the galaxy S2 go for less than 35 plus upfront fee, plus 24 month contract. not on the ayce deal.
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... and You expect that other networks are going to be more generous..? pleeease... at least with three You have 2K cross network minutes and UNLIMITED internet for 35 quid (not to mention other extras).
bronx said:
... and You expect that other networks are going to be more generous..? pleeease... at least with three You have 2K cross network minutes and UNLIMITED internet for 35 quid (not to mention other extras).
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Did I say that? Hmm? Three's all-you-can-eat data is only worth it if you do actually download/use more than 1GB of data each month. I'm with Three at present, and have never got close to my limit using my galaxy tab, admittedly i use wifi when possible.
I dont get close to using 2000 X network mins, or the 5000 three-to-three minutes which means its a waste. Unless you are using everything to the max on the three ayce deal, then its not value for money, not at what they are going to ask for the galaxy S2 anyway.
Conversely, if you are downloading shedloads, its a great deal.
Horses for courses. Your needs arent the same as mine. Please don't presume otherwise.
Other info removed.
you are recommending some websites but they dont have good rates on the review websites.
cCeT said:
you are recommending some websites but they dont have good rates on the review websites.
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Erm, I'm not recommending it at all. I was merely pointing out which deal I have gone for. That is all. The bad reviews often come from these redemption deals, where people have to send off for rebates. However, people often forget to do so in the correct time frame, and thus lose out on their discount.
Anyway , the Link in my previous post is removed.
3 are offering the desire hd and s for 35 pounds on the one deal. And the xperia arc for 40 quid. I dont think the gs2 will go for anything under 35 on a basic plan, and 40 on the one plan. Maybe it will match the iphone contracts and charge 50-70 pounds upfront the 35 a month for the one plan.
Thought people might be interested in this offer from play.com - a class 10 16GB micro SD card for £17 which seems like a good deal for me. The offer is only on for 3 days:
h--p://is.gd/1zxeqm
Gum mobile are offering the phone for £499 unlocked unbranded.
Eta 27th.
I have bought from them and they are trustworthy.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App
nikzDHD said:
Check these out:
http://www.comparemobiledeals.com/mobile-phones/Samsung/Galaxy-S2
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Click to collapse
Wicked, lots more deals released by retailers today http://www.comparemobiledeals.com/mobile-phones/Samsung/Galaxy-S2 Mainly more o2 deals on offer by them, glad I waited as their are some 18 month deals on offer.
When comparing the Orange deals look the best value to me but Im tempted by the tmobile 600mins, 500 texts and web for £30pm. I know tmobile can use the orange network now but Im still not sure about it but in the past tmobile hasnt had the best signal in my area. Suppose I could always send it back.
Rang around again today and the retailers still wont give a firm date on the release, they obviously dont know or arent allowed to say.
stoney73 said:
Unless you are using everything to the max on the three ayce deal, then its not value for money[/B]
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Sorry, but if you're a heavy data user, then Three's One Plan is fantastic value. It's the only plan that allows tethering without additional costs, and truly unlimited data.
Vodafone and O2 both charged me huge sums for going over my fair usage limits, and that was before I even started using my phone as a portable hotspot.
With Three, I have no worries at all about data usage, and I've even been able to start tethering my netbook on the train. £25 per month on their Sim-Free One Plan, and I'm using an average of around 12Gb per month.
Can you show me another plan that allows tethering and will do me a similar deal (with only around 200 minutes of x-network calls)...
sub69 said:
Sorry, but if you're a heavy data user, then Three's One Plan is fantastic value. It's the only plan that allows tethering without additional costs, and truly unlimited data.
Vodafone and O2 both charged me huge sums for going over my fair usage limits, and that was before I even started using my phone as a portable hotspot.
With Three, I have no worries at all about data usage, and I've even been able to start tethering my netbook on the train. £25 per month on their Sim-Free One Plan, and I'm using an average of around 12Gb per month.
Can you show me another plan that allows tethering and will do me a similar deal (with only around 200 minutes of x-network calls)...
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o2 allow tethering, but you're right that you don't get unlimited. I'm going for 500MB and I'll up the bolt-on to 1GB if I need it. I won't need more than that though, as far as I can see! I'm too scared to go with Three for two years as I'm about to graduate, and if I manage to get a good job I want it to be more-than-likely I'll get good coverage!

[Q] Jump on Euro or wait for ATT?

Warranty and resigning contracts aside. (I will void my warranty flashing and buy the phone out of contract anyway). Anyone sorry they did not wait for their domestic versions?
Would it be better to wait for the ATT version or buy the Euro version. Seems to me the Developers are far more active on the I9000 side of things and most of the better Captivate ROM ports were based on the I9000 and reoriented.
What are the pluses and minuses of the Euro vs ATT version outside of the warranty. Is having a "home" button better for some? I am ready willing and able to jump now but the intrigue of a cheaper domestic (albeit locked) version has me taking pause.
Get the Euro one, its worth the cost. By the time iP5 comes out, if you could upgrade for cheap, then do it for massive profits. After experiencing the Craptivate, I will never buy a variant of any phone again. I'll just use my upgrade on an iPhone's & resell for profit while buying original international phones.
RMXO said:
Get the Euro one, its worth the cost. By the time iP5 comes out, if you could upgrade for cheap, then do it for massive profits. After experiencing the Craptivate, I will never buy a variant of any phone again. I'll just use my upgrade on an iPhone's & resell for profit while buying original international phones.
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Interesting take. I may just end up getting the Euro version.
Sent from the most interesting device in the world.
i bought the euro version and i love it. if you are not worried about warranty and you can afford it then go for it. i liked the original version of the galaxy s much better than the domestic locked versions and based on the leaked pic of the at&t version i think the euro one will be better again. bell in canada is about to release their model which will be the same as the euro one, but you will still have warranty hoops to jump through. the price might be slightly less, but only by a few bucks by the time you pay our taxes and shipping, etc.
i think the euro one will have more people developing roms first, and i do like having the physical home key.
i also agree that you can always use your upgrade to buy an iphone 5 and sell it to offset the price of the galaxy s2. i was thinking about waiting too but i got it a few weeks ago and i am happy i did
I just upgraded for a couple of and sold two Captivates so upgrading to the I5 is not an option. I did that when the 3GS came out when I was all about buying Nokia N series phones. Doubled the $299 ATT price. I think Iphone is losing its shine in the market. I know three people who gave up their iPhones for the Android platform. Of course that is not a scientific conclusion. LOL
Another reason I wanted the Captivates was to have a back up for my wifes and get an SGS 2 for me. The Captivate is still the best US phone for easy flashing. The developers really polished a turd there. It has turned into a great phone. Which is why I can wait a bit.
Seems to me the developing is heavily i9000 favored. I may sit back a few weeks and see what happens with FW upgrades, development, and prices on the International unlocked version.
If you get the Euro one you can get the cheaper ATT data plans, by telling ATT you have a feature phone.
ImDonly1 said:
If you get the Euro one you can get the cheaper ATT data plans, by telling ATT you have a feature phone.
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Might work if my wife was not staying with the Captivate. which makes me wonder if I need to load two different sets of drivers for each device.....hmmm
In any case we are already on the $15 data plans I have never used over 150MB of 3G data. Nearly always in wifi area. I find it incredibly expensive to pay $500 a year for 3G data we rarely use. LOL we are also on a pay per message plan. We do more talking than texting. Maybe 30 texts a month at the most. So the plan cannot get much cheaper. $90 a month plus tax for both phones.
tbong777 said:
Might work if my wife was not staying with the Captivate. which makes me wonder if I need to load two different sets of drivers for each device.....hmmm
In any case we are already on the $15 data plans I have never used over 150MB of 3G data. Nearly always in wifi area. I find it incredibly expensive to pay $500 a year for 3G data we rarely use. LOL we are also on a pay per message plan. We do more talking than texting. Maybe 30 texts a month at the most. So the plan cannot get much cheaper. $90 a month plus tax for both phones.
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He means you can use the 15 dollar unlimited data plan since its not an att phone, so you can use the 15 dollars unlimited data plan.
RogerPodacter said:
He means you can use the 15 dollar unlimited data plan since its not an att phone, so you can use the 15 dollars unlimited data plan.
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WOW yeah forgot about that. (been a long time since my unlocked Nokia N series days where I could do that) Yeah..I will likely go on Medianet unlimited data on mine using an old flip Phone we had as a back up. I then will be more inclined to download apps and stream some stuff between wiFi areas.

Amazingly good price for Galaxy S3 - Irish mobile providers

This country is 9 times out of 10 a complete and utter rip off of the highest order in every respect so imagine my surprise when i click on eMobile and Meteor websites and you can purchase the Galaxy S3 for €599 on pay as you go that's actually cheaper than Amazon.de which comes in at €617 including postage, i was astounded as generally id expect a phone like this especially in Ireland to come in nearer the €700 mark, this is actually the cheapest ive seen yet, Amazon and Carphone Warehouse,etc charge 499 sterling which is about 627 euro.
I assume the phone is locked to these networks but no doubt it can be unlocked for free or a small fee.
PS - Both these mobile providers ive been with before and are useless especially Meteor the worst customer service of all time but if your just buying the phone outright throw away the SIM, get it unlocked and away you go.
Links
http://www.emobile.ie/phonesplansmore/phones/details/?id=152
https://store.meteor.ie/phones/
Why is that cheap? We pay about 584€ in Germany to get a non-branded S3, tax and shipment included
funk_doc said:
Why is that cheap? We pay about 584€ in Germany to get a non-branded S3, tax and shipment included
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I assume you are talking about....
Amazon.de comes in at http://www.amazon.de/Samsung-Smartp...R8XB7XF&s=ce-de&ie=UTF8&qid=1338325215&sr=1-1
which is great if you live in Germany but for everyone else there are added costs up to €613+ including shiping,etc therefore the links ive provided are cheaper if you are not resident in Germany.
Amazed again The Carphone Warehouse in Ireland are only charging €569 on Three Ireland
http://www.carphonewarehouse.ie/Pro...ndgt-Galaxy-S-III-16GB-Pebble-Blue/238553/1_3
UK Carphone Warehouse charging £499.95 which is about €627 im astounded as usually it's always dearer in rip off Ireland.
Right to hell with this im gonna get one at €569 then ill have to sell my SGSII pretty quickly or ill be completely broke until the end of June.
jonny68 said:
This country is 9 times out of 10 a complete and utter rip off of the highest order in every respect so imagine my surprise...
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Best start to a post I've ever seen.
Hotobu said:
Best start to a post I've ever seen.
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haha unfortunately it's true mate full of corrupt bankers and Government who have decimated the country besides being a rip off!!!
ANYWAY enough of all that - went into 2 different carphone warehouse shops today in Dublin City, asked about the GALAXY S3, first girl said she "thinks" it might be available this coming Friday but wasn't sure about the price or what network it was on, i informed her according to their website it was €569 and on 3 Ireland she said well there you go you couldn't make it up, how fuc*ing unhelpful or just plain thick!!
Second shop not that much better, confirmed it would be available from midnight tomorrow night if anyone is sad enough to actually wait outside a carphone warehouse at that time just to get a phone but didn't know what price or network it was on, one must ask themselves how did these people get a job in the first place in the carphone warehouse surely everyone cant be as thick as them, all i wanted to know was how much stock they were getting, was it locked to 3 Ireland or not and to confirm the price was correct but they couldn't answer any of these.
Anyway sorry for long rant people like this annoy the hell out of me, fingers crossed they will have stock on Saturday as i wont get a chance before then to get back to the shop, still the best price ive seen anywhere at all!
unlock
Hi guys, thinking of getting the s3 for 299 on meteor with a 25 euro 18 month contract, but I'm only studying in ireland so will be going back home to norway for holidays etc. Do any of you know of any reliable unlocking services?
Cheers
jonny68 said:
This country is 9 times out of 10 a complete and utter rip off of the highest order in every respect so imagine my surprise when I
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Click to collapse
hear in the next budget that there will be a 20 euro/year tax on mobile phone users
Wouldnt put it past them, they need it to fund the bail out and the banks not to mention Ministers 114,000 euro tax free expenses

DNA at Walmart for $139 ($239 with $100 gift card) - in stock soon hopefully

I was so excited when I saw this I ordered 2 right away.
Link
I didn't notice until after the fact that it was not available in stock yet but this is the best deal I've seen so I'm willing to wait a little and see how it goes. I was also concerned I would not get the gift card if my purchase was not completed before December 1st but I talked to a customer service rep and they confirmed I would receive the gift card based on the order date not the ship date. They also said they estimated they would receive it in stock today which was a surprise. Sounds too good to be true but fingers crossed. So hopefully this is a good deal and I will get my phones shipped shortly.
Anyone else going to pull the trigger? Post here if you have any thoughts or additional info.
WOW phones over in the US are mega cheap, would be like £500 here.
Venekor said:
WOW phones over in the US are mega cheap, would be like £500 here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Keep in mind that price comes with a two year contract @ roughly $80/month and heavy fee, enough to make up the difference, if you cancel before the two years is up.
Just got my shipping notice so they def have phones in stock even though it doesn't show as in stock on the website. Didn't pay for overnight shipping so I'm getting them Friday.
n8mack33 said:
I was so excited when I saw this I ordered 2 right away.
Link
I didn't notice until after the fact that it was not available in stock yet but this is the best deal I've seen so I'm willing to wait a little and see how it goes. I was also concerned I would not get the gift card if my purchase was not completed before December 1st but I talked to a customer service rep and they confirmed I would receive the gift card based on the order date not the ship date. They also said they estimated they would receive it in stock today which was a surprise. Sounds too good to be true but fingers crossed. So hopefully this is a good deal and I will get my phones shipped shortly.
Anyone else going to pull the trigger? Post here if you have any thoughts or additional info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this!
Their website ordering is odd though. The pricing is hokey, looks different than Verizon. Did VZ contact you after the order to confirm pricing?
In particular Walmart has 2G data pack for $45 where its $60 on VZ...and Walmart only shows text package of $10 /1000 texts....aren't the new VZ plans including unlimited talk and text?
Sorry, this is a nice deal but I have unlimited Data which I know will change but I don't want them effin up the order
Just curious what your experience with the order was.
Thanks!
Well...that doesn't seem like a good deal after all...the $100 gift card you get is only limited to purchases within Walmart; whereas if you buy the DNA with a $20 coupon from Wirefly, you only pay $129.99 and you have the choice whether to spend that $100 on Walmart or not.
l7777 said:
Keep in mind that price comes with a two year contract @ roughly $80/month and heavy fee, enough to make up the difference, if you cancel before the two years is up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't you buy your phones off contract there?
another581 said:
Well...that doesn't seem like a good deal after all...the $100 gift card you get is only limited to purchases within Walmart; whereas if you buy the DNA with a $20 coupon from Wirefly, you only pay $129.99 and you have the choice whether to spend that $100 on Walmart or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
some of us use walmart regardless so spending the $100 there is a given regardless if it's in the form of a gift card or credit card
Venekor said:
Can't you buy your phones off contract there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes $600 bucks for the DNA sometimes other phones are more... its $750 for a note 2... just ridiculous
GreginNH said:
Thanks for this!
Their website ordering is odd though. The pricing is hokey, looks different than Verizon. Did VZ contact you after the order to confirm pricing?
In particular Walmart has 2G data pack for $45 where its $60 on VZ...and Walmart only shows text package of $10 /1000 texts....aren't the new VZ plans including unlimited talk and text?
Sorry, this is a nice deal but I have unlimited Data which I know will change but I don't want them effin up the order
Just curious what your experience with the order was.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, VZ did not contact me after. But it did take about 24 hours through the Walmart website for "Carrier Approval". I did not change the plan. It asked me whether I wanted to switch to a Share Everything Plan and I said no. So I selected a $30 for 2GB plan for each phone. The plan already includes unlimited texting. I also have 1400 minutes but it was strange that it showed 700 minutes for each line. I'll have to check my plan after I activate both of the lines and see what it looks like.
For some reason Wirefly has just made me nervous in the past. A Walmart gift card is a good as cash to me so I'm good with that.
n8mack33 said:
No, VZ did not contact me after. But it did take about 24 hours through the Walmart website for "Carrier Approval". I did not change the plan. It asked me whether I wanted to switch to a Share Everything Plan and I said no. So I selected a $30 for 2GB plan for each phone. The plan already includes unlimited texting. I also have 1400 minutes but it was strange that it showed 700 minutes for each line. I'll have to check my plan after I activate both of the lines and see what it looks like.
For some reason Wirefly has just made me nervous in the past. A Walmart gift card is a good as cash to me so I'm good with that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, ordered mine this morning. i stopped by VZ store to check out the DNA first and man what a great looking phone, cant wait to get some more time on it.
The VZ rep explained to me that I would pick the 2GB but that would be my phone and my wifes plan would stay unlimited until she upgraded or I changed to a shared tier. Which I may do at the next billing cycle because it would save me a few bucks each month.
Again thanks man for this link, we shop at Walmart all the time so that $100 will come in handy!
Venekor said:
Can't you buy your phones off contract there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, for $600 or more. Plus I think there is only one carrier that offers a discounted monthly rate if you buy off contract vs subsidized. Our consumers are too dense to realize that they'd be better off paying full price for phones and demanding lesser monthly fees from the carriers. Everyone wants their fancy new device for relative pennies but will pay through the nose in monthly fees without batting an eye.
l7777 said:
Yep, for $600 or more. Plus I think there is only one carrier that offers a discounted monthly rate if you buy off contract vs subsidized. Our consumers are too dense to realize that they'd be better off paying full price for phones and demanding lesser monthly fees from the carriers. Everyone wants their fancy new device for relative pennies but will pay through the nose in monthly fees without batting an eye.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I noticed when I looked at the iPhone store for the US once that all the prices were under contract, where here in the UK it's buying directly with no contract. Also here you can purchase a month by month sim and you get the same deals as you do with the full on monthly contracts and they're much cheaper.
Why I was interested in the Nexus 4 was because it's £230-280 and I could get a contract of £25quid a month, cancel it any time and it's the same deal of unlimited data as the monthly version.
Sadly no 32GB version killed it for me because there is no Micro SD either.
Walmart will price match Radio Shack, who had it for $149, but only if you have a printed ad. Then you still get the $100 gift card, too.
Sent from my Sega Master System via Carrier Pigeon.
Venekor said:
I noticed when I looked at the iPhone store for the US once that all the prices were under contract, where here in the UK it's buying directly with no contract. Also here you can purchase a month by month sim and you get the same deals as you do with the full on monthly contracts and they're much cheaper.
Why I was interested in the Nexus 4 was because it's £230-280 and I could get a contract of £25quid a month, cancel it any time and it's the same deal of unlimited data as the monthly version.
Sadly no 32GB version killed it for me because there is no Micro SD either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It drives me crazy that carriers are still allowed to do this bs. All phones should come unlocked at full price from manufacturer or carrier, and carrier should have to compete for customers based on value and price of service. Unfortunately it is @ss backwards and carriers try locking out certain phones so you jump ship to get their overpriced sh1t service for the new shiny phone. They make you pay $599, sign up and cancel an hour later to use on another carrier -- truly sad
Verizon blows
disc0rdian said:
It drives me crazy that carriers are still allowed to do this bs. All phones should come unlocked at full price from manufacturer or carrier, and carrier should have to compete for customers based on value and price of service. Unfortunately it is @ss backwards, and carriers try locking out certain phones so you jump ship to get their overpriced **** service for the shiny phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think most Americans would pay unsubsidized price for a smart phone. Sure, some would, but it would only take 1 carrier to offer a discount and people would jump all over it.
nrfitchett4 said:
I don't think most Americans would pay unsubsidized price for a smart phone. Sure, some would, but it would only take 1 carrier to offer a discount and people would jump all over it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He speaks the truth. No one looks at total price anymore, only monthly payments. There's a good portion of the population that can't even get that right.
Tiezane said:
Walmart will price match Radio Shack, who had it for $149, but only if you have a printed ad. Then you still get the $100 gift card, too.
Sent from my Sega Master System via Carrier Pigeon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Has anyone successfully done this? That would be a crazy good price, making it $49. But maybe they would price match somewhere else for $199 making the price $99 instead of the $139 I paid. Either way I'm happy. My screen is dead on my Evo so I was more than ready for a new phone.
Also I looked at my account and everything looks good.
I wasn't able to find a print ad with the Radio Shack price, but they will price match any ad long ad it's not the Verizon ad, is what I was told. They said they just can't price match against VZW corporate.
Sent from my Sega Master System via Carrier Pigeon.
Huh...is this only available through online? I bought mine from Wirefly for $129.99 and so if that price match does apply then I might as well return mine and get one again from Walmart
Sent from my HTC6435LVW

Can't find a T-Mobile Gear S anywhere.

Like the title says, I've looked in every T-Mobile store and they're not selling any since it's a "year old", just the S2. Went to Best Buy...they just sell Sprint and Verizon versions but you can't get them unless you get a contract with them. I've looked online, and I'm scared to purchase one because most just say "750" without the model at the end (for example 750T for T-Mobile). I've found a AT&T watch and was thinking of ordering it since most of you guys on here have said it's compatible with a T-Mobile sim, but you only get 2G speeds, or I can get prepaid such as Straight Talk or H20 as well. Any suggestions as to where I can purchase a T-Mobile Gear S? Can't find anything on Ebay or Amazon
Leelouster said:
Like the title says, I've looked in every T-Mobile store and they're not selling any since it's a "year old", just the S2. Went to Best Buy...they just sell Sprint and Verizon versions but you can't get them unless you get a contract with them. I've looked online, and I'm scared to purchase one because most just say "750" without the model at the end (for example 750T for T-Mobile). I've found a AT&T watch and was thinking of ordering it since most of you guys on here have said it's compatible with a T-Mobile sim, but you only get 2G speeds, or I can get prepaid such as Straight Talk or H20 as well. Any suggestions as to where I can purchase a T-Mobile Gear S? Can't find anything on Ebay or Amazon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
where are you located? I'm asking because i can't find a sprint version anywhere around me (philadelphia) and i'm going crazy trying to figure out how to get the at&t one i've purchased to work standalone when i have sprint! It could be so much easier if i could just find a sprint version!
Leelouster said:
Like the title says, I've looked in every T-Mobile store and they're not selling any since it's a "year old", just the S2. Went to Best Buy...they just sell Sprint and Verizon versions but you can't get them unless you get a contract with them. I've looked online, and I'm scared to purchase one because most just say "750" without the model at the end (for example 750T for T-Mobile). I've found a AT&T watch and was thinking of ordering it since most of you guys on here have said it's compatible with a T-Mobile sim, but you only get 2G speeds, or I can get prepaid such as Straight Talk or H20 as well. Any suggestions as to where I can purchase a T-Mobile Gear S? Can't find anything on Ebay or Amazon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is a guy under this subforum selling a T-Mobile Gear S. Contact him?
LunaWasted said:
where are you located? I'm asking because i can't find a sprint version anywhere around me (philadelphia) and i'm going crazy trying to figure out how to get the at&t one i've purchased to work standalone when i have sprint! It could be so much easier if i could just find a sprint version!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Purchase a prepaid sim for you att device and turn on call forwarding or use the prepaid number.
LunaWasted said:
where are you located? I'm asking because i can't find a sprint version anywhere around me (philadelphia) and i'm going crazy trying to figure out how to get the at&t one i've purchased to work standalone when i have sprint! It could be so much easier if i could just find a sprint version!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm located in the bottom of Texas lol. There's Sprint versions at my Best Buy but no T-Mobile Lol. I'm thinking of just getting it from AT&T and opening up a contract with them for 10 bucks a month. :/ I saw some on E-Bay but I rather not risk it from there.
James.Markham0757 said:
There is a guy under this subforum selling a T-Mobile Gear S. Contact him?
Purchase a prepaid sim for you att device and turn on call forwarding or use the prepaid number.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did, but he never replied. As for the prepaid sim, I can't find none of what they were talking about in this forum. I've looked for H20 and StraightTalk at my Wal-Mart, but there's no H20, and with StraightTalk, I don't know what card to get. They spoke of one expiring after 90 days (maybe that was the H20?) but every card there expires after 30 days, even if you don't use all the texting and calling minutes.
Leelouster said:
I'm thinking of just getting it from AT&T and opening up a contract with them for 10 bucks a month. :/ I saw some on E-Bay but I rather not risk it from there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The AT&T $10 device plan only works if you already have a family shared plan with them. You also can't use it on T-Mobile's Wearable plan because T-Mo locks this plan to IMEIs of T-Mo version Gear S or Gear S2 only.
The Gear S is already over a year old. Most places already cleared them out for Gear S2. eBay is probably your only bet for any device of this age.
Swappa website has some good deals on Smartwatches..
Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk
foxbat121 said:
The AT&T $10 device plan only works if you already have a family shared plan with them. You also can't use it on T-Mobile's Wearable plan because T-Mo locks this plan to IMEIs of T-Mo version Gear S or Gear S2 only.
The Gear S is already over a year old. Most places already cleared them out for Gear S2. eBay is probably your only bet for any device of this age.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Damn...but if I use the AT&T watch with the AT&T plan, I can still forward calls to my T-Mobile phone right?
nktwister said:
Swappa website has some good deals on Smartwatches..
Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks man, I'll check it out
(Offer up) great app
Can you buy an AT&T and then buy an unlock code? It's only $20-$25 online for one.
jmattick said:
Can you buy an AT&T and then buy an unlock code? It's only $20-$25 online for one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you can. I read that many people did that. AT&T is supposed to supply an unlock code if you call, but I've seen that many people had different outcomes. Some were able to get it, some had to keep on calling nad persisting, and others had no luck. Although beware that in unlocking the device, when you go to another carrier (such as T-Mobile) that it will have 2g or HSPA+ speeds instead of 3G or even 4G since the bands are different or something like that.
I sold my unlocked ATT gear S last month, because I managed to grab an LG watch Urbane 2nd edition LTE before they took them off the market. For what it's worth, I bought mine from ATT, had it unlocked by ATT, and used it on Tmobile with the wearables plan for a year. (As soon as I put the sim card in my LG watch, it did something to my wearables plan and i could never get it reinstated. In general, unlocked ATT Gear s devices no longer work with the $5 Tmo wearables plan, but with any other regular Tmo sim card.)
Anyhow, in New England, I was getting 3G speeds sometimes, if I recall correctly.
To get the ATT Gear S unlocked, you need to have been an ATT postpaid cell customer at some point, and provide that respective phone number to them. If you have a friend who is a customer, they could submit the unlock request for you as well.
Otherwise, ATT forces you to "wait 90 days" during which time you have to pay for a plan with them.
There was also an Ebay seller who was selling unlock codes for around $10 if memory serves me well.
By the way, the regular retail price for the ATT version is cheaper by $50 than Tmo's, so definitely worth going that route.
It would be unbelievably helpful if you'd let us know how much you love it =), on a side note I does anybody have a bricked Gear S? I'll buy it =)
xendula said:
Otherwise, ATT forces you to "wait 90 days" during which time you have to pay for a plan with them.
There was also an Ebay seller who was selling unlock codes for around $10 if memory serves me well.
By the way, the regular retail price for the ATT version is cheaper by $50 than Tmo's, so definitely worth going that route.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, AT&T's stupid 90 days plan. Way too much. I don't wanna be paying 50 dollars a month for a watch. I found a friend who has a watch that is 1 month old and was selling it so I brought it, and it's from T-Mobile too so it's a win, win. It's only 5 dollars a month (plus an addition 10 for insurance). AT&T is selling the watch right now for $199 outright. T-Mobile isn't selling it at all, but before they took it down it was going for $250. I went with T-Mobile because $199 plus tax comes out to $220. Then I got to put 30% down for AT&T's stupid plan plus an additional $20 or $30 dollars extra (forgot for what) which comes out to $76 dollars total. So add that to the $220. Then the following month I'm going to have to pay a one-time activation fee of $15 dollars, PLUS the service which is $50 dollars (but if you're already a customer with them it's $10 a month), PLUS if you haven't already finished paying off the watch, you're going to have to put down money for that before the 3 months is over. Too costly in my opinion. I just payed my friend $120 (cause he has $80 left due in his account so I'm paying off that) and then just the $15 bucks a month so I'm good.
I think my friend has a bricked Gear S, but he has to send that back since they gave him the one that I have right now lol.
GOIGIG said:
It would be unbelievably helpful if you'd let us know how much you love it =)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you mean the Urbane, it's mindblowingly awesome, with a battery life that's out of this world. My Gear S was great for the year I had it, but the Urbane is so much better; I've been using it daily for almost 3 months now.
The only updates Google needs to make is allow voice calls over BT and a way to manually update APN settings, both possible with the Gear S.
Don't buy an att gear s if you plan to use the android rom on it. Att locked the bootloader on their gear s and so far there is no way to unlock it so no rom for us.
I have a T-Mobile version and I shopped for it on my local Craigslist. You just have to be careful yet persistent. Ask for better photos and definitely take a copy of the ad with you when you go to check it out for hopefully your purchase. My seller had a warranty replacement and it is in near pristine condition. I have replaced his original watch band, thanks to eBay. And I do have a broke clip on the charger cradle that I will eventually replace as well.
Also, Swappa is an excellent place to purchase items. There's 2 sides, there's the Swappa.com and then there's Boneyard where you purchase stuff not able to be sold on regular Swappa like broken glass, missing parts and devices for parts. Google both. Hope this helps!! If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Now, I did in fact have an AT&T branded Gear S that I tried, unsuccessfully, to get to operate on T-Mobile. I wanted the wearables sim card and I put T-mobile's in it. It would NOT work for me as I was told by many support levels (twitter, email, and phone) that the T-Mobile wearables sim card was not provisioned for the AT&T branded Gear S. I gave up and sent that version Gear S back, getting a full refund and purchased what I described in my opening of this post.
ladydi102 said:
I have a T-Mobile version and I shopped for it on my local Craigslist. You just have to be careful yet persistent. Ask for better photos and definitely take a copy of the ad with you when you go to check it out for hopefully your purchase. My seller had a warranty replacement and it is in near pristine condition. I have replaced his original watch band, thanks to eBay. And I do have a broke clip on the charger cradle that I will eventually replace as well.
Also, Swappa is an excellent place to purchase items. There's 2 sides, there's the Swappa.com and then there's Boneyard where you purchase stuff not able to be sold on regular Swappa like broken glass, missing parts and devices for parts. Google both. Hope this helps!! If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Now, I did in fact have an AT&T branded Gear S that I tried, unsuccessfully, to get to operate on T-Mobile. I wanted the wearables sim card and I put T-mobile's in it. It would NOT work for me as I was told by many support levels (twitter, email, and phone) that the T-Mobile wearables sim card was not provisioned for the AT&T branded Gear S. I gave up and sent that version Gear S back, getting a full refund and purchased what I described in my opening of this post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought an AT&T branded gear S from swappable a couple of months ago and I am using it with my wearable sim card without a problem. I already had the plan though with a tablet and cut down the sim put it in the gear and called tmobile and they turned it into a data and phone line for me as it was only a data line.
izakura said:
I bought an AT&T branded gear S from swappable a couple of months ago and I am using it with my wearable sim card without a problem. I already had the plan though with a tablet and cut down the sim put it in the gear and called tmobile and they turned it into a data and phone line for me as it was only a data line.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NIce. I found a really good deal on a AT&T Gear S but not sure I want to get it because my luck isn't that good. lol So your AT&T Gear S works exactly the same on T-Mobile then? I don't have a tablet plan so not sure what I would have to do to go the route you did.
sweets55 said:
NIce. I found a really good deal on a AT&T Gear S but not sure I want to get it because my luck isn't that good. lol So your AT&T Gear S works exactly the same on T-Mobile then? I don't have a tablet plan so not sure what I would have to do to go the route you did.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So far it's been working great. But I already had the plan so I don't know if it would work. Call tmobile and see if it could work. I mean they turned my data only plan into a phone line
izakura said:
So far it's been working great. But I already had the plan so I don't know if it would work. Call tmobile and see if it could work. I mean they turned my data only plan into a phone line
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know a T-Mobile manager. I called him today but he was off. He's worked his magic before. So let me get this straight your watch has it's own number and you get 4G speeds?

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