Is there a way to see where my phone originated from?

[Drazil]

I'm wondering if there is a way for me to find out where my Hero originated from? I bought it while I was in HK, but since the guy knew I was going to be leaving the country with it and wouldn't be needing a warranty, I got a grey market phone instead which was a bit cheaper. The manual that was in the box was written in Russian (I think) but the plug type is the same as those used in HK.

I went to HTC site to see if there was any updates (as per the sticky) but didn't know which country to choose.

 

[Slug]

What's the build number listed in Settings - About phone?

 

[vjprakashbe]

Install an app call "Android System Info". It will strip down the details about your phone.

 

[Drazil]

The build number is 1.79.482.3 146733 CL#49365 release-keys

What's the build number listed in Settings - About phone?

I will search for that app and see if it give me more info. I was looking in Spare Parts but I don't understand what all the code numbers mean.

Install an app call "Android System Info". It will strip down the details about your phone.

 

[Slug]

From searching around that appears to be for the HK market, although it was released by HTC as a generic update towards the end of August with English, French, Italian and Spanish options for touch input languages. I suspect yours is different, though.

Try downloading the latest generic ROM update - just pick the server location closest to you - and see if your serial number is accepted.

Hope this helps.

 

[thisnameistaken]

Wait for the BBC documentary "Walking with Androids".

 

[Drazil]

I think the place I bought it from flashed a custom ROM onto it. The only languages I can choose from are English/Chinese (Traditional)/Chinese (Simplified). When I turn on the phone, the boot screen shows a URL HiAPK.com which appears to be some kind of android forum in chinese. The User manuals are all in Russian.

The international site allowed me to download the ROM update (ROM version 2.73.405.5)

From searching around that appears to be for the HK market, although it was released by HTC as a generic update towards the end of August with English, French, Italian and Spanish options for touch input languages. I suspect yours is different, though.

Try downloading the latest generic ROM update - just pick the server location closest to you - and see if your serial number is accepted.

Hope this helps.

 

[Slug]

The international site allowed me to download the ROM update (ROM version 2.73.405.5)

Glad you found a solution. In case you didn't know, the User Guide can be downloaded in PDF format from HTC's support site.

 

[Drazil]

Is the ROM version (2.73.405.5) listed as the Baseband, Kernel or Build in the Settings > About Phone? I'm just wondering what I should be comparing the number to in order to determine if I need an update.

Does the International version of the ROM that I downloaded have all languages available in it or only English?

 

[Slug]

Is the ROM version (2.73.405.5) listed as the Baseband, Kernel or Build in the Settings > About Phone?

Build number.

Does the International version of the ROM that I downloaded have all languages available in it or only English?

It's what's known as a World Wide English (WWE) so there definitely are other languages available, probably the main European ones if you downloaded from a European support server. Sorry I can't be more specific.