Possibly getting a Captivate for T-mobile use, some questions

[AndroidSPCS]

I am thinking of getting a Samsung Captivate, and using it on T-mobile. I believe the Captivate should be relatively easy to unlock through XDA how-to instructions, but please correct me if I am wrong.

Are there any things I should be aware of, check out before I get one?

Anythings like firmware updates to be cautious of, OS updates that may make it harder to unlock, etc?

Thanks for any insight you can provide.

 

[Joeydroid]

I believe AT&T uses a different band for 3G than TMobile so if you use a Captivate on TMobile you will not get 3G service only Edge. Get the Vibrant for 3G service on TMobile.

 

[Sledutah]

I believe AT&T uses a different band for 3G than TMobile so if you use a Captivate on TMobile you will not get 3G service only Edge. Get the Vibrant for 3G service on TMobile.

I agree.
You will only get Edge with an ATT phone on TMobile when unlocked. Go with the Vibrant.

 

[AndroidSPCS]

Thanks but the Vibrant is a no go for me. It won't work with my T-mobile Blackberry plan. T-mobile checks the IMEI of the Vibrant and blocks the data...

I don't care if it's just Edge or not, I just want data with my GSM Android!

So if an unlocked Captivate can work on my T-mobile Blackberry plan, even if just on Edge, I'll be happy.

Does any one here know or have tried?

 

[titan2005]

I'm not sure if the Captivate will work with the BB plan.
I have the captivate unlocked using with Tmobile.
I have the Web2Go ($10/mo.) Yes it's EDGE and not 3G.

You will NOT received any phone calls while using EDGE.
All my voice went straight to VM with no indications of missed calls or anything. While it's a nice phone, I don't think it's meant to be use
with anything beside 3G. Even peoples on AT&T that don't have access to 3G have troubles with this phone.

 

[AndroidSPCS]

Thanks for the info. This is not promising....

When I use my Jailbroken iPhone on Edge I was still able to receive phone calls... you'd think phone calls are more important than browsing and should come through. If it doesn't ring while you're using data then that defeats the purpose...

 

[srslyfresh]

My captivate is on tmobile. I have the 3g plan but only get edge. Everything works normally, just a lil slower. Receive all calls and what not. No auto updates to the phone though.

 

[AndroidSPCS]

Update: I got my unlocked Captivate to work fine on my T-mobile blackberry plan. It's on Edge only but it works fine. This is a better route to go than trying to get a Vibrant to work on the Blackberry plan.

 

[Captain19]

I have to disagree. I live in an area without 3G and my Captivate works just fine only slower on 2G. At home I use wifi for all data. Could you be more specific on just what troubles people are having with this phone that don't have 3G?

I don't think it's meant to be use
with anything beside 3G. Even peoples on AT&T that don't have access to 3G have troubles with this phone.

 

[AndroidSPCS]

I have to disagree. I live in an area without 3G and my Captivate works just fine only slower on 2G. At home I use wifi for all data. Could you be more specific on just what troubles people are having with this phone that don't have 3G?

I agree with you. In Los Angeles the area I was visiting (near Disneyland), T-mobile Edge (2G) was as fast or faster than Sprint's 3G signal. I had the Epic and the Captivate, and most of the time I was using the Captivate instead of the Epic.

Back home with full Sprint 3G signal I can finally use my Epic to its 3G potential, but Captivate still works fast and fine on Edge.

 

[CrimsonPride]

my area just got 3g a few weeks ago. worked fine on 2g, for the several wasnt real fast but it worked fine