yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] scoobdude:
Try a reboot? Does your Tom have any type of power save option? Try airplane mode toggling?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Hawon:
If I go with a straight talk and get T-Mobile sim card, can T-Mobile users call me using their unlimited mobile to mobile?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] codesplice:
Doubtful, as you won't be a T-Mobile customer, and the wording of their mobile-to-mobile is "Unlimited T-Mobile® to T-Mobile calling".
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
No. You're not actually a T-Mobile USA customer. When you're on a prepaid carrier you get none of the mobile to mobile benefits.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Really wish the reps were more knowledgeable on this. They don't restrict you to EDGE for using an unlocked phone. You have another issue going on that's keeping you on E.

So you were able to use HSPA in the exact same place yesterday? If so, there may be a tower issue in your area, or there's something wrong with your SIM or APN. T-Mobile can't just flip a switch and make you go to EDGE. When they throttle you, you're still able to connect to 3G/H but the speeds are slower.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Alex8288:
Update: this morning I woke up and I was not connected to anything. I tried to manually connect to T-Mobile, but failed. I switched to automatic network and restarted my phone and back on 3g/hspa. I figured it had to be a tower issue. I was just a little disconcerted when several reps told me they were not having issues in my area. Regardless, everything is great now. I appreciate your quick attention in helping me out.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
No problem. I'd take anything that a random store or CS rep says with a huge grain of salt. They're generally trained to just say any unlocked non-T-Mobile branded device that you bring won't get HSPA on their network. Its easier to do that then try and train everyone on every single unlocked phone with 1700/2100mhz HSPA+ support.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] HemRoyd:
LOL, try waking up EVERY day and the best you're gonna get IS Edge!

Reminds me of that Frank Sinatra line:

"I feel sorry for people who don't drink...because when they wake up in the morning, that's the best they're going to feel all day..."
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Zorachus:
LOL that's a great line. R.I.P. Frank, what a mans man.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ndwgs:
So reuthermonkey (btw, nice you still got the OG Vibes, lol), you think it's OK to have the SGS3 rather than having Pentaband? Since eventually 1900 mhz will have HSPA on TMo network?

What's the bands it can do? I want to stay at TMo, and might move to Maryland, so i know i'll be ok with signal on ATT or TMo.... But still... I'm interested on having a repeater...

Truth. Have you rooted your GNex? Try another ROM? Not sure why your network would fail like that...
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] bozzykid:
I think by the time 1900 mhz is rolled out on T-mobile everyone will have moved on from the GN and GSIII. I definitely would never buy a new phone based on T-mobile possibly rolling out 1900 mhz.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Gene_Bailey:
First off, this thread is truly amazing. Starting Tuesday, with the arrival of GSM Galaxy Nexus from UPS I will have control of my phone from software it runs to the amount of money it costs to run it.

Now for my question (we all knew this was coming): I'm wanting to go the straight Talk route. I'm at the website right now, about to purchase the SIM (because until next Thursday I only have enough for the SIM and I want to have the SIM on hand and then just activate it on Thursday so that I won't have to wait throughout next weekend to get the SIM) and I'm seeing that if you just purchase the SIM and not the $60.00 bundle that includes the little unlimited card I won't be able to activate the SIM? Is this true? You can't activate the SIM online or over the phone?

*edit* I did a bit of reading even further and answered my own question :p
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
For sure. They're simply starting trials of 1900mhz HSPA right now. Were a long way off of having it even cover entire markets, let alone nationwide.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] rubiconjp:
I have ST on at&t and my friend on at&t postpaid called me and it appeared on his web account as free mobile to mobile minutes. Not sure about T-Mobile though.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Nxxx:
Great Thread

I have a VZW Nexus and really want to make the switch to T Mobile. I really hate the slow updates and the horrid battery life. I know the GSM Nexus will get faster updates and will probably have better battery life. I'm just concerned that it isn't compatible with HSPA 42 and I have great HSPA 42 coverage in my area. I'm contemplating on whether or not to get a GSM Nexus or wait until Fall when they will have HSPA 42 compatible Nexus('), and maybe a bigger screen?

BTW, I've read all these posts throughout the last couple weeks and have to say that this is the 2nd best thread I've ever seen. This is second only to the Galaxy Nexus Pre Release thread over at the AFs. :good:
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ndwgs:
Based on what I know:

Theoretically, you don't necessarily USE the whole 42Mbps, do you? :confused: I have a DSL with 50Mbps, but I hardly use the whole bandwith. That's using both my PS3, Computer, and GNex (and two other phones) some kind of streaming, Netflix, or straight youtube. All at which I notice NO lag of any sort. And my netgear has a tracking tool to which it monitors and averages the actual usages on my home WiFi. Max that I ever did is 35Mbps for 3 days. Averaging weekly: 20Mbps, more or less.

That's the same concept on the mobile network. I think 21Mbps is WAY more than enough for a single phone you'd be using it too. Unless you use your apps all at the same time on your phone and use the max bandwidth, which is impossible to do, is.... well. Holy moly.

There's apps in the Play store, like, Data Widget Monitor, or Task Free, all that. You'll see you never actually hit the 21Mbps hump. If anything, you'll hit it when you do netflix on HD.

:) Think about it. All of the LTE's, HSPA+ are theoretical.

Edit:

What I'm trying to say is.... If you are so hungry, and you were given the most delicious Ice Cream you know of, and a plate of food (not as appetiting as the ice cream, just normal staple food), what would you choose? Ice Cream to satisfy you for an hour or two, or an actual meal that can last you till the next?

Are you willing to give up a 42Mbps for a measly 21? I think it's simple. Pay more or Pay less. Beggars are not choosers
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Gene_Bailey:
It doesn't have the HSPA+ 42 radio in it, but it still benefits from the fact that you have that coverage and backend system in your area. So.. you may not get speeds past 21mbps but, if I'm not wrong, you may get close to that 21mbps cap from time to time in speed tests and your overall bandwidth should be better I think

---------- Post added at 01:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:36 PM ----------

He beat me to it :D
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
There's a difference between free "mobile to mobile" and free "in network" calling (AT&T to AT&T).

---------- Post added at 11:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:42 AM ----------

You'll still only see about a max of 12mbps in real-world with a 21mbps HSPA+ device. Extra backend and good coverage help his speed, but he'll still be limited by the radio in the phone.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Gene_Bailey:
I gotcha. But even so, as stated before by someone else, hitting download speeds of 12mbps would be roughly what Verizon advertises as their highend with their 4G LTE. Granted, when I had my Thunderbolt, I could capp out at nearly triple that, but dowloading a 40MB app from the market isn't done at those speeds cause theirs more to it, right? Like how many other people are downloading the same content you are and how strained the server you're accessing is.

12mbps is fantastic for real world usage. Hekk.. even 6 or 7 is good enough for streaming some hulu or netflix without buffering every 3 minutes
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Absolutely. The speedtest app results don't really accurately represent the "speed" of your network that you'll experience when you're downloading an app or loading a web page. Given how quick all of these networks are, the processing power of your phone and the ping times of your connection are what really will effect the "speed". That being said, some of the 42mbps T-Mobile speeds I've seen around are quite amazing, in most cases pushing well over what you get real-world on Verizon LTE.

I'm more than happy with 21mbps HSPA+. I did notice a nice little speed jump from my G2 @ 14.4mbps, but I've never had the feeling that I'm getting less than I paid for not having 42mbps.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Gene_Bailey:
I'm glad my understanding of it is right :-)

To be honest, when my GNex gets here and I start service through Straight Talk (AT&T) and while I'm sure my speeds won't be 12mbps here in Central Texas, even hitting 5-6 in real world usage would be a serious jump from the speeds I get with sprint. My speed tests on 3G show like 200kbps to 300kbps and on 4G (yea, WiMax is here, go figure) I get like 2 or 3 mbps at the very most. In circumstances rarer than seeing a pure black lion in Antarctica. Yea. Anywhooo.. Lol its going to be an amazing upgrade for me.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
T-Mobile

EDGE

is faster than Sprint's

3G

in most cases, sadly.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] DroidRC1:
Does anyone know if I could get a at&t sum card and just get a data plan?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] tsnstuff:
I got my T-Mobile SIM cards today and I should get my new phone on Monday! So excited to try this lol. Not sure why I'm so excited to get rid of almost the exact same phone in a much faster more reliable service to go to the same phone in a prepaid account. Could be the money I'll be saving or the fact that I'll finally be able to say "F YOU VERIZON!"
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] DOHCtor:
A few years ago when I was on T-Mobile postpaid, calls made from simple mobile didn't eat up my anytime minutes. It was counted as mobile to mobile.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Just

a data plan? Don't think so. Maybe you could do something like buy a data sick SIM and set that up... but at that price point you could go Straight Talk and have proper voice and text services. Or $30 T-Mobile which has lots of data and hardly any minutes. Might as well be data-only.

Don't see why you'd wanna hamstring yourself with just data at this point. Its a lofty thought for the future, but with the way current VOIP services are, there's really no way you could rely on it. And as I said there really aren't any savings to be had trying to do it.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Mr.Mischief:
You could activate an iPad or Android tablet sim and stick it in your phone.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] BennyJr:
Im hoping to say f u slow 3g and f u to bad battery life lol
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Nxxx:
The reason why I'd like the 42 Mbps is because I have good LTE coverage in my city. The one thing I loved about LTE is that it would take less than a couple seconds to download apps and web pages would load at lightning speeds. LTE is pretty sweet other than the fact that it's a battery killer. Is HSPA 21 that close to LTE? That's my only issue. I feel like LTE to HSPA 42 wouldn't be as big as a drop off. I have to say, LTE has really spoiled me. :P
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] reuthermonkey:
At the spec-level, HSPA+ and LTE are about 95% identical. There are a few notable differences, but when deployed equally they perform quite similarly. The key is "when deployed equally". HSPA+ isn't (and likely wont be, in the US at least) deployed in an equal manner to LTE.

All that said, end results today are what matters now. So for downloading apps, you'll find the HSPA+ is more than competitive with LTE. In fact, speed (as in max raw speed) isn't nearly as big of the issue with wireless internet as people think it is. The biggest issue is latency. ping times. The lower those pings are, the faster you'll perceive your connection to be overall. It so happens that HSPA+ (specifically on T-Mobile) uses a flat IP backend similar to LTE which keeps latency low. So while peak speeds may not be as high as LTE, that responsiveness is definitely there.

nerds: For a bit of insight on what "flat IP network" means, take a look at http://connectedplanetonline.com/wireless/news/core_networks_090201/

Also a good read - Anandtech's review of the TMO SGS3 which touches on TMO's network capabilities: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6022/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-review-att-and-tmobile-usa-variants/8
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] scoobdude:
Bah. i have had nothing but bad luck with this GSM stuff grrrr.

Next obstacle to overcome, money is in my account, but my account did not aut renew. called customer service and their computers are in the middle of an upgrade (YAY). uggg. customer service rep said it should auto renew if the funds are there. Oh well.

On the bright side i only used 86 minutes in 30 days and around 2GB. must say i am happy about saving money. But if i need to call every month to renew this is going to get annoying real fast. I need to see how it goes next month and also see what happens if i go over my minutes as well.

Either way, it could be worse...and if it does I can always switch :D

**UPDATE** Not more than 10 minutes after i posted this i got an email on my phone...which means my phone was back up and running. verified it took my monies and gave me services!!!!!
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Nxxx:
Thanks for the clarification about LTE vs. HSPA+. I do have to say though, I'm pumped about LTE Advanced and as soon as my contract with Verizon is up I'm switching to T Mobile. :D
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] DroidRC1:
Thanks..I'm going the $30 T-Mobile route just at my house I get better AT&T signal so I might buy couple gigs from them..and does anyone know if I can buy an activation kit at a T-Mobile store?
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] funziebear:
The 30 dollar 5gig plan is exclusive to Walmart I believe from when I had it
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] 3rdstring:
The $30 T-mobile (100 min 5GB) plan is advertised as "Web only"
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] bmolloy:
Does anybody have a straight talk sim card on AT&T's network and have it assigned to an AT&T Microcell? My family has an exchange student coming this summer and I have a couple of older android phones laying around that would work well for her, but AT&T sucks at my house so we have a microcell for the phones on my plan. Curious if it would work or if I need to add another phone to my family plan.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] DroidRC1:
Yes I know the plan is web only but can't I get the sim card from a T-Mobile store besides ordering one online and then ill activate it online..because I get my Nexus Tuesday and if I order an activation kit online it may take 3-4 days
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Gene_Bailey:
Lmao I'm in the same spot as you are mate. My Nexus comes in Tuesday but the SIM won't arrive till Wednesday or Thursday it seems cause straight talk instead of taking the funds from my card just put a hold on them. FML
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] 3rdstring:
I asked at a local T-mobile store (about buying the sim) & that's the answer they gave me, I would have to buy the sim online to be able to activate the $30 plan.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] DroidRC1:
Hmm shouldn't be any difference
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] bozzykid:
Many of the sims ordered from t-mobile.com have had activation problems with the Walmart 30 dollar plan. You can get them to activate it over the phone though. They consider it a Walmart exclusive so they may give you a bit of a hard time but they will activate it eventually.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] xur17:
The main downside that I have found with HSPA (and I have no clue if this exists with LTE or not - my guess is not) is that the modem defaults to a low power state (UMTS) until faster data speeds are needed, and then it switches to HSPA. UMTS ping times are higher than HSPA, and the switch over takes ~1-2 seconds, during which data transmissions seem to stall. The phone aggressively switches to UMTS to save power, which makes loading a web page take significantly longer than normal.

For example, when I go to load a new page on a site (after reading a page for 30 seconds or something), the phone starts downloading the page, then sees that it needs a faster connection, and switches to HSPA. This ends up making loading a page take a lot longer than even a slower wifi connection, due to latency.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Alex8288:
I received my Nexus and T-Mobile sim card (ordered from their website) two weeks ago. When I activated my phone I picked the $30.00 plan on their website. It maybe took all of 30 seconds to do. It is a really simple process if you have a computer and a credit card/ account number and routing number to use.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] vash1122:
I was able to do this. I bought the activation kit from the store (it cost $10 instead of $2 unfortuantely) and then activated it online with the $30 5GB plan.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] DroidRC1:
K thanks ill pay the $10 no biggie
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Cabal_:
Yes, it will work fine, as long as the Femtocell is associated with a real AT&T account. I've used my Net10 ATT SIM at my parents' Maine house under such conditions.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
It took me a whole 7 days to get my activation kit. They send via USPS.

This is the general line. I'd be extremely surprised if you were able to get

just

the activation kit in-store without buying a $30 burner Nokia phone.

Shouldnt

, but it does. If you can get them to sell the kit it'll work, but I highly doubt you'll find a store that will. Remember you need a whole activation kit, not just a SIM.

Not sure about this. Bought mine online and activated it perfectly. When I had issues converting my number from postpaid to prepaid, they handled it on the phone also.

Well I see this as a feature, not an issue. Would you prefer its stuck at HSPA+ all of the time and your phone dies in 4 hours like all of the people with the Verizon version?

Same experience here. Ordering kit online + activating kit online really is the best combo with the least hassle for most.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] reuthermonkey:
Anandtech's SGSIII review touches on just that. This is a "feature" of T-Mobile's network. I've been using an ATT Straight Talk sim for the past couple months and ATT's setup definitely "sticks" to HSDPA while T-Mobile's drops all the way to base UMTS.

While I disagree that it takes as much as 2 seconds for UMTS to kick up to HSPA, I definitely agree that it takes a toll in some cases when you first begin a data session. However, as soon as data begins rolling, you'll stay in HSPA throughout.

Personally, I prefer ATT's "sticky" HSPA because it doesn't really drop down to UMTS. The overall network performance isn't as good as T-Mobile's, but it does increase the consistent feel of HSPA.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] xur17:
I somewhat agree. I do wish there was the option to force it to 4g only when the screen is on, or make the UMTS fallback less agressive. My screen is by FAR the highest battery user, so I doubt leaving it on 4g when I have the screen on would have a huge impact.

I do understand and somewhat appreciate the battery life gains though.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] ndwgs:
Holy moly kinetics! Great read from the anandtech.com.... Now i'm inclined to get a SGS3 and wait for this community to "unlock" the TMo Variant of SGS3 (not the international) and stay on pre paid :) Switching to ATT and TMo !!

Nice find reuther!

Hey, at least you are open minded about it! Trust me, i know some people i work with are so hung over that LTE or HSPA+ is so fast, they're not letting go Post Paid. But, it just tells you that most aren't willing to learn and go the easy route than learn the truth.

And you know, you don't have 'ta switch just because we say it the same technology. Switch because you learned and are willing to give up a commodity. Be free my friend! :D

Hmm, i didn't know this "feature". Well, if it saves me batt life, the more the merrier! :laugh:

2 Seconds? Yeah, i have to agree to disagree... But not a deal breaker :)
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
The screen is the highest drain and we want to keep it that way. We don't need the mobile network taking up any more battery than it does.

I just think that the slight lag when switching from UMTS to HSPA+ is well worth the increased battery life.
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Goodfella80:
T-Mobile has the SIM card activation kit for FREE!!!!! dunno how long it's going to last:

http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/prepaid-phone/T-Mobile-Prepaid-SIM-Activation-Kit
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
Shows $0.99 for me. Its been like $3.00 or less for several months now though. And comes with over $3.00 in credits on it. They're almost always effectively "free".
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Goodfella80:
Yup, it dies right after I posted :(
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] harveydent:
Saw it on slickdeals, a lot of people were able to jump on before it died. Probably was a pricing/coding error since they pulled it so quickly

Too bad as it was a free activation kit + 10 dollars preloaded credit
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] martonikaj:
I think someone brought this up recently, but when did the mobile T-Mobile site/account page get updated (haven't used in... ages)? Seems really good, clean and useful. Kinda removes the necessity of having the "My Account" app installed, which I've always kept handy. Now I can just pin the bookmark to my homescreen.

View attachment 1153972
[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] BennyJr:
So with that tmobile sim u could effectively setup GV and hardly use any minutes? Is it free mobile to mobile? I tried looking on their site but i cant find the plan details