yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Nexus S General] guppetto:
Negri and the unlocked question

I'm new to XDA; well I've been reading for months, but I recently grabbed a Black NEXUS S for AT&T from Negri. I haven't rooted it yet, but I took a peak in the Boot menu (Volume Up + Power Button) and low and behold it shows my Nexus S as Locked even though when i purchased it, it was listed as an unlocked phone. :rolleyes: I have the standard settings when i look in my About Menu:

Model: Nexus S

Andriod Version:2.3.3

Baseband Version: I9020AUCKB2

Kernel Version: 2.6.35.7-g1d030a7 android-build@apa28 #1

Build Number: GRI54

So, a couple pages back i read where several people were saying all Nexus Phones are unlocked from Google.

1) Is this really true? Are all Nexus Phones unlocked from Google? Is my boot menu lying. Or by unlocked are you really referring to SIM free and able to run on any gsm carrier with supported bands

2) If it was unlocked all I should really have to do is is install SU for Root right?

I've followed all the guides and done everything except run the actual ADB commands so I'm fairly certain I can easily unlock and Root it, however

3) for everyone else that purchased from Negri, did you're phone show unlocked or locked when you first peeked in the boot menu?

Also, If I wanted to return to Stock everything at some point, does anyone know of a xda thread that explains it in detail. I've seen threads that explain bits and pieces of how to put everything back together but nothing in full detail. I've seen people mention the nandroid backup, but if I'm thinking clearly, nandroid doesn't backup the stock radio right?
[Nexus S General] mikeruoc:
I bought my ATT Nexus S from these guys. Shipped the same day.

http://www.gsmnation.com/samsung-google-nexus-s-3g-850-1900-2100.html
[Nexus S General] p00kienrayray:
i believe "unlocked" refers to the fact that you can throw any sim card on it, and that it's not "locked" to any carrier. when i first bought my nexus one, the bootloader was factory locked, so I'd imagine that all nexus s devices have locked bootloaders.
[Nexus S General] Matridom:
They are carrier unlocked. as long as the provider has compatible frequencies, their SIM will work.

The Bootloader is by default locked, however you can unlock it easily using the android SDK (fastboot OEM unlock) and this will wipe out all data on phone and SD card, but leave you with an unlocked bootloader.

if you unlocked the bootloader, you can indeed install SU, see the sticky threads at the top for proper instructions on how to unlock the boot loader and use alternative recoveries (Like clockworkmod) to gain root access.
[Nexus S General] p00kienrayray:
do you know if there is a coupon floating around for these guys? price after coupon is still cheaper at negri, but i like the idea that i can buy a 1 year warranty for $50 from this site.
[Nexus S General] mikeruoc:
I have not seen one.
[Nexus S General] guppetto:
Rolling Back to out of the box Stock

If I wanted to return to Stock everything at some point, does anyone know of a xda thread that explains all the individual pieces in detail? :confused:

I have the AT&T\Rogers Nexus S and there are some differences with it that ultimately make me think I'll need it to return to stock at some point once AT&T finally officially announces it and starts making some software updates with Google.

I know I can always come here and get the features only available outside of a stock experience, but when you decide to sell the device or it needs repair work, it's aways good to be able to send it back stock. ;)

I've seen threads that explain bits and pieces of how to put everything back together but nothing in full detail. I've seen people mention the nandroid backup, but if I'm thinking clearly, nandroid doesn't backup the stock radio right?
[Nexus S General] Matridom:
I was working with a user earlier this week who is creating just such an image. I'll be expecting it to be posted soon.
[Nexus S General] dsixda:
I've included everything in this thread:

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1033269

Stock ROM, radio and recovery. Hope that helps.
[Nexus S General] guppetto:
AWESOME DUDE!!! :D Thanks for the link!

As a first time Android owner, it's only now that I can say I don't have any trepidation tearing this thing apart.

This should be a sticky!
[Nexus S General] Ok_Kaleidoscope5109:
Using KB3 from NSCollab's thread, but I noticed if I manually disable 3G, I can't switch back anymore. Well I uncheck the Use 2G Networks Only button, and it never connects back to 3G. I've rebooted, etc... no luck. The only luck I got was flashing the radio again.
[Nexus S General] guppetto:
Try putting it in Airplane mode then re-enabling the 3G. I've read that works sometimes somewhere on this board.
[Nexus S General] samven582:
Just bought a Nexus S i9020A version from Amazon. Is it really true that download and upload speeds are capped?
[Nexus S General] mikeruoc:
Yes. You will need to root and flash a new radio.
[Nexus S General] TylerMitton:
Lost "H" in signal indicator and now only get "3G" after ICS update

I bought a GT-I9020A yesterday and updated it to 4.0.4. Before updating (when at 3.2.6) I was getting the H, indicating HSPA in the status bar for my connection. After updating, i only ever get 3G. Does this mean that I'm not getting an HSPA connection? I am on the Telus network in Canada.

I read somewhere that you can see 3G but still get an HSPA connection... can someone confirm that?

Thanks!
[Nexus S General] b1337:
Speedtest....
[Nexus S General] TylerMitton:
Thank you, yes, I've done a speedtest, and got anywhere from 500 kbps and 3 mbps (down) and less than 500 kbps up... is that conclusive? sorry, i'm not familiar enough with what I should expect on 3g vs HSPA.
[Nexus S General] tenjohn23:
I'm on mobilicity. And I get H most often than the 3g.
[Nexus S General] e-dub:
the only one available when i ordered was white, and i paid ~630 with next day shipping. i'll post my initial impression later on in the day... which may be a little harsh as i am coming off a nexus one ;D

eric b
[Nexus S General] sofia-captivate:
All these companies are getting nexus s. My question is are they allowed to put their junk apps and make it Branded?
[Nexus S General] LoveisPeace2012:
No its a Google phone
[Nexus S General] foxfire235:
Got my white Nexus S yesterday from Negri. rooted and flashed with CM7. Keep in mind these are i9023 units and need a special version of CWM recovery in order to not get the cache error. One bad thing though, AT&T recognizes the units as smartphones, so they will auto "upgrade" you to a smartphone data plan if you don't already have one.
[Nexus S General] AllGamer:
it will ruin the Google image if they do that

or if they SIM lock the phone

the Nexus brand is supposed to be pure, unlocked in every way
[Nexus S General] derekv6:
[deleted - double post]
[Nexus S General] derekv6:
Are you sure this is a 9023 unit? The label on the back of the phone under the battery says GT-i9020A.. I did try the CWM 3.0.0.5 and do get that cache error, what version (link?) did you use?

I got this phone today from Negri and it works fine on AT&T and 3G. Average download speed ~2700kbps and average upload ~350kbps.

How can I verify if its SLCD or AMOLED?

Also out of the box quadrant score averages 1420.
[Nexus S General] bfksc:
If that's all you can get, then it sounds like Google blocked HSUPA for AT&T again just like they did on the Atrix, which is not good to hear. Most likely the firmware for Canadian versions will be identical to the AT&T model, so it'll have slow uploads too just like the Bell Atrix.

:mad:

Just look at a black background or image and if there is no "glow" to it at all, then it's S-AMOLED. If there is a slight "glow" and the black is like very dark grey from the backlight, then it's S-LCD.
[Nexus S General] foxfire235:
good point. My label says i9020 as well, but the CWM recovery here:

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=988686

http://www.mediafire.com/?d5sdzkr3ex7aib9

Seems to work
[Nexus S General] g2theno:
i'm thinking of ordering could you please post some pics.
[Nexus S General] Raspster:
Yea, the speeds for download & upload are crippled. This is suck crap! Also, is it normal for whites on a super amoled to be yellowish..? Blacks look amazing but the whites are starting to get to me.
[Nexus S General] robstunner:
Just ordered one. Fml tho, capped uploads?
[Nexus S General] Raspster:
Yes, capped! And downloads seems crappy too... At least compared to other at&t devices that are NOT capped!
[Nexus S General] robstunner:
Hmmm thats aggravating lol. I don't even have the phone yet and I'm unhappy. Does cm7 fix this?
[Nexus S General] RogerPodacter:
Just edit your build.prop file and set hsxpa=3 and your upload cap will be removed.
[Nexus S General] robstunner:
Anyone got pics?
[Nexus S General] jkurl:
I will on Thursday.
[Nexus S General] e-dub:
what pics do you want to see? and is there any way to remove the data caps? coming from a nexus one, i don't like this at all...

eric b
[Nexus S General] Carne_Asada_Fries:
You know the saying, "pics or it never happened". Then again, I probably hang around too many trolls. But yeah, pictures of the serial number would be nice.
[Nexus S General] e-dub:
here you are...

eric b
[Nexus S General] e-dub:
baseband is i9020auckb2. figure that could have anything to do with it?

eric b
[Nexus S General] robstunner:
Lol I just wanted to see more pics of the white version.
[Nexus S General] e-dub:
lol. a few more, then:

eric b
[Nexus S General] purplecrayons:
Thanks for the pics. Not completely sold on the white version, but the matte look seems to be an improvement at least.
[Nexus S General] e-dub:
not too sure that i'm sold on it, either. she may be hitting ebay soon.

eric b
[Nexus S General] robstunner:
Looks great! How do u like it? Any buyers remorse on any level?
[Nexus S General] e-dub:
well, i thought i could live with a white mobile, but i'm having second thoughts lol. aside from that, i like it more than i thought i would.

eric b
[Nexus S General] robstunner:
What phone are u coming from?
[Nexus S General] e-dub:
a nexus one. or as i like to call her, the nex luthor.

eric b
[Nexus S General] robstunner:
Nice lol. I had the nexus s on t mobile but the serivce wasn't that great for me. I'm on an iPhone with a trail run of the fail that is the atrix. Let's hope I convert back to android for a while :)
[Nexus S General] theot:
I picked one up yesterday from "On The Go Solutions" located in Skokie, Illinois. All I did was put my AT&T SIM in and works perfectly.
[Nexus S General] e-dub:
can you have a look to see if upload speed is crippled and what your baseband is? settings -> about phone

eric b
[Nexus S General] robstunner:
a AT&T 3G white version? I would have to kick myself in the ass, im like 45mins away.
[Nexus S General] jonnydopemsr:
how much you pay?
[Nexus S General] juicedog:
Here are all the online prices that I gathered so far :

On The Go Solutions $699.99

Expansys $674.99

Negri Electronics $598.50

Any other suggestions? Thanks.
[Nexus S General] sofia-captivate:
Guys don't pay too much for nexus s. Canada is getting the 3g version on April 7 and April 8 on other carriers here. And 499$ to buy it off. No contract
[Nexus S General] bfksc:
That's the Mobilicity price, but I think Rogers/Bell/Telus will sell it for $599 because they like to gouge more for it. The Mobilicity version is also AWS/1700 not 850/1900 like the Rogers/Bell/Telus models.

Forgot to mention that the 3-yr term price might be $99, which isn't bad, but that means you have to get voice AND data....hmmmm...
[Nexus S General] robstunner:
I think the white will yield more as well since it's not coming to Canada (I think). Either way, retailmenot has a $35 off 499+ coupon with free shipping for negri. The phone OTD was $563.
[Nexus S General] AndreaCristiano:
http://www.samsung.com/us/support/owners/product/GT-I9020A?#

More evidence pointing toward an imminent AT&T launch, possibly next week
[Nexus S General] robstunner:
Now do u think this is a AT&T launch or just an un subsidized AT&T capable device?
[Nexus S General] jonnydopemsr:
My 2 cents

Thought I would share what I just found... Not sure if anyone else has posted something like this.

Enjoy!!!
[Nexus S General] robstunner:
heres my question:

Whats the difference between these two white versions:

one is only a white back cover and buttons, the other, is white back, buttons, interior (under cover) and front bezel.
[Nexus S General] solidkevin:
Does Negri have the black in stock? No way im buying that white one lol
[Nexus S General] robstunner:
http://negrielectronics.com/google-nexus-s-i9020t-black-unlocked.html
[Nexus S General] g2theno:
Are all those models for at&t?? How could they have so many??
[Nexus S General] jonnydopemsr:
Not sure but of course I had no luck with Samsung or AT&T about the FSAATT model being that's similar to the T-Mobile coded one FSTTMB. I just like how they denied me about it and then I told them I was on the site to register that FSAATT model along with 6 others lol. They just apologized to me about not having the information I was looking for lol.
[Nexus S General] AndreaCristiano:
Same here I just called them and I even directed the lady to the page on Samsung.com/support for the GT-I9020A and she said it is coming soon but we have no official date. Wtf.lol why don't they just tell us. I even told her I knew about it going to Canada tomorrow
[Nexus S General] robstunner:
So when I get mine all I need to do is edit the build.prop to enable hsupa? Anyone getting a decent download speed? Seems like everyone is getting mid 2mpbs that has posted so far.
[Nexus S General] AndreaCristiano:
Yea especially on nexus S it will be easy to edit that
[Nexus S General] fsufan1200:
What does entail to edit the build.prop
[Nexus S General] robstunner:
Root it, then root explorer to find Build.prop. After that i dunno, but it should be easy to spot. Is there any way to unlock any download cap? hsdpa #?\

(take my advice with a grain of salt, im pretty green when it comes to this stuff)
[Nexus S General] derekv6:
So he's right it seems to work

That recovery works well on the GT-i9020A, thanks! :D
[Nexus S General] derekv6:
So trying to finalize if GT-i9020A is AMOLED/SLCD

Since we know the i9023 is SLCD and i9020 is AMOLED the BLN should work if this is truly an i9020 series screen hardware. I successfully flashed this ROM and added superuser package from i9023 instructions (as the i9020 CWM had cache mount problems). Then I was able to flash netarchy's 1.3.0.2 (stock2.3.3based) kernel with BLN package. I flashed this kernel to hoping to get more concrete evidence if the screen on the GT-i9020A is AMOLED or SLCD.

Bad news... :( I installed BLN and did a test notification and the lights do not work.

I was hoping this was an SAMOLED based on the model number convention. Anyone else willing to try this out and see what results they get? I got my phone from Negrielectronics
[Nexus S General] Raspster:
So, the north american model with the 850/1900 3G bands is NOT SAMOLED..? Sure looks SAMOLED to me..?
[Nexus S General] robstunner:
According to negri it's a i9020A, and under the description it says SAMLOED. If not, I thinknit would warrant a full refund return?
[Nexus S General] Raspster:
Thatis correct but I truly do beleive it's a SAMOLED. The black is SAMOLED black. My whites are pretty dull and some what yellowish. Is this how the SAMOLED is sappose to be? Don't think I remember this on my old epic 4G.
[Nexus S General] robstunner:
2.3.3 had a update in color display. A lot of people complained about a "yellowish" screen. I think thats probably all it is.
[Nexus S General] derekv6:
From my testing and what is currently known to be true about the i9020 and i9023 model screen hardware differences, all my results point to i9023 hardware.

Think about it:

CWM 3.0.2.4 (i9023) build only works for this GT-i9020A

BLN currently in the aftermarket kernels do not support the i9023 model with the SLCD (not yet.. its in the works). Based on that I'm making an educated guess that this is not truly a SAMOLED and is really an i9023 phone.

In the end I'm still speculating here, I need someone else to verify my results with their i9020A as well...

When I compare this phone to my N1 wth AMOLED, where I really see the difference that makes me concerned is when you are on the in-call dialer screen that has a gradient background. The N1 is much richer in the dark areas than my NS is -- this is where I have my doubts of the true specs of the GT-i9020A.
[Nexus S General] Raspster:
ahh, That's right. Thanks rob. Damn that sucks... ohwell, has anyone had a hard time rooting? Seems like the SDK will NOT see or have the USB drivers so I can make my CPU see the device.
[Nexus S General] derekv6:
Also, with the Netarchy kernel using voodoo color change abilities, I can make the screen very rich with RGB sliders. That's nice :)
[Nexus S General] derekv6:
Looks like I made a classic mistake

I reinstalled BLN and enabled it. This time I rebooted the phone.

It works!!! Looks like this really is i9020 hardware... Sorry for the mixup. I'm going to test the paid version of BLN now to see if I can make it blink/pulsate for notifications....!!!
[Nexus S General] derekv6:
Ok the paid version of BLN with blinking works as well.. Again you must have flashed a kernel that supports it.

It now looks like this is AMOLED as advertised except with odd i9023 instructions working for recovery and root.
[Nexus S General] robstunner:
Phew. Samoled-less was going to be a deal breaker for me.
[Nexus S General] robstunner:
Looking at vodafone uk, their white nexus s looks to be SLCD. Are we sure this phone is AMOLED?
[Nexus S General] e-dub:
mine is.

eric b
[Nexus S General] fsufan1200:
Just to let others know, rooted download & upload speeds over 3500kbps down and 1300kbps up!
[Nexus S General] lpasq:
What root method did you use? Link please. Thank you and enjoy the new device :):)
[Nexus S General] e-dub:
yes, please. i don't think i did it right. to make matters worse, i'm on a mac and this is my first time rooting an android mobile.

eric b
[Nexus S General] gshocker:
I got one yesterday and the standard root seemed to work fine on mine. I did run into the problem with the recovery but after a few stressful moments I got a working recovery on there and was back in business.

A bit confusing since the unit is a 9020 but I have to use the 9023 recovery to get it working correctly. That cache error can freak a person out..

Loving it so far.
[Nexus S General] robstunner:
What did you do to obtain those speeds other than root?
[Nexus S General] derekv6:
Rooted should not affect speed unless other changes were made or your network is phenomenal
[Nexus S General] denimjunkie82:
Is the ATT band model compatible with the ROMs and Kernels that are already out? They should be right? Just like how the N1 is.

Anyone put CM7 on the ATT version yet?
[Nexus S General] solidkevin:
I wonder how much with the free shipping it will take to get to NY?
[Nexus S General] AndreaCristiano:
I don't know I really want to get this phone but I don't know how comfortable I am purchasing with negri and then having no recourse if there is an issue. I wish Samsung or beat buy would just say something
[Nexus S General] fsufan1200:
derekv6,

I can tell you this much. Prior to rooting my speeds were kinda the normal AT&T speeds, which I previously posted in other threads. 1,500 to 2,200 kbps down, with the upload speeds are 300kbps or less.

Once rooted, the ROM that was install changed the HSPA (unlocked, changed the settings should we say) performance without a doubt!

Baseband version is: NO DGSXXKB3

Kernel version is: 2.6.35.7-g1d030a7

curio@carton #Voodoo

Build number: GR154

Good Luck !

Matt
[Nexus S General] jonnydopemsr:
You mean GR"I"54 :-P (I'm smart and yes I would like a cookie now, thank you).
[Nexus S General] derekv6:
What rom did u install? That radio baseband version is different from mine which is I9020AUCKB2
[Nexus S General] derekv6:
I found the ROM you are running..

Based on some conversations with you, the ROM you are running contains a different radio but the OP doesn't detail information about it. I have sent him a message to find about where that baseband radio came from..

Here is the ROM for others if they want to test and see if they get the same improvement in network speed on AT&T. -->

[ROM] Stock - 2.3.3 - Deodexed - Four Flavors - GRI54 [03/04/2011]

You may need to visit the OP's original forum link for the downloads to work.

Let's see what other info I can dig up! :cool:

More Info!!!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I pulled the I9020XXKB3 Radio from Paul O'Brien's thread -->

[RADIOS] 01/Mar XXKB3 (GRI54): Basedband (radio) only updates

I pulled the NODGSXXKB3 Radio from the above mentioned ROM thread -->

[ROM] Stock - 2.3.3 - Deodexed - Four Flavors - GRI54 [03/04/2011]

I ran an MD5 checksum against the two files and sure enough they are IDENTICAL! Looks like the I9020XXXKB3 radio should work on the I9020A Nexus S; I'm waiting for a response from the ROM builder about where the NODGSXXKB3 radio came from to confirm... From my research below it seems they are identical...

C:\Documents and Settings\derek\Desktop>md5sums i9020xxxkb3.img nodgsxxkb3.img

MD5sums 1.2 freeware for Win9x/ME/NT/2000/XP+

Copyright (C) 2001-2005 Jem Berkes - http://www.pc-tools.net/

Type md5sums -h for help

[Path] / filename MD5 sum

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[C:\Documents and Settings\derek\Desktop\]

i9020xxxkb3.img ebc55ccf390a9c310f4f3e8b6f178e59

nodgsxxkb3.img ebc55ccf390a9c310f4f3e8b6f178e59
[Nexus S General] robstunner:
So, where do we stand at flashing roms then? Sorry for being a grasshopper
[Nexus S General] derekv6:
Definately doable. My research is just trying to see what works from roms to radios on the new i9020A.

You can flash ROMs with this ClockworkMod recovery image labeled

3024v3-i9023

in this thread --> http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=988686
[Nexus S General] fsufan1200:
Flash Away Rob, I Think You Well Be Quite Impressed With The Results! :)
[Nexus S General] C0mbe:
So far CM7 RC3 is working like a dream for me. Had some issues with RC 4 and read somewhere that 3 was more stable...
[Nexus S General] theot:
Yes, he has the white version also.
[Nexus S General] theot:
Got it for 599.00, unrooted.
[Nexus S General] robstunner:
Don't forget to look uP the coupon code on retailmenot if u buy from Negri. $35 off with free shipping.
[Nexus S General] Major Clod:
I have a i9020A.

Just wondering if I do start flashing roms and radios - am I going to be able to get my stock radio back if I need?

I9020AUCKB2 is what I have currently.

I had a 850mhz Desire which I flashed multiple stock radios onto without problem - so I don't think it necessarily needs to be 850mhz specific - however I'm just interested if we'd be able to get the radio back if it gets changed when trying different roms?
[Nexus S General] robstunner:
NAND backup should do it, right?
[Nexus S General] fsufan1200:
Back-Up is always a must! Here are the last five download/uploads this evening:

3088 down 1298 up

3163 down 1329 up

3427 down 1325 up

3512 down 1315 up

3481 down 1313 up

I hope other will trying the captioned ROM on there Nexus S AT&T 3G device, and see that it truly is right at the HSDPA speed configuration!

Matt
[Nexus S General] robstunner:
So I can flash cm7 and then Paul obriens radio for hsupa?
[Nexus S General] sl8125:
Has this happened to anyone else.? Currently on N1 with ATT on unlimited media net. I was waiting for this but I don't know anymore. I don't want it if ATT is going to upgrade my plan.
[Nexus S General] fsufan1200:
Rob,

I know for a fact that this ROM & Radio are working good, because this is the ROM I'm using!

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=979851

I honestly think the only question right now is what radio is included in this ROM, but it works great, just right now the actually radio is unknown.

Matt
[Nexus S General] AndreaCristiano:
Just ordered the white one after seeing the Engadget video. Should be here in a couple of days :)