HTC Desire - ANSWERS NEEDED!

The Great One · Aug 9, 2010

Sorry for being a noob guys but I got some questions I need answers to fast.
I got my Desire through e2save.com and its an Orange deal. Just some info for you guys to know if it does turn out to help you answer my questions.

First of all, this Q might be on the ******ed side but a response I would like nevertheless. If I take my HTC handset to another country, will it charge me for just having it turned on (no 3G, apps, widgets or anything that uses the net in some way turned off). Cause I take it, it will try to find an Orange signal in that country if they do have Orange there so will it charge me for that? (I'm on contract by the way).

Next question is similar to my last question. Can I still use my internet allowance from my contract (500Mb) in another country or will I get charged?

What is an unbranded phone?
Is mine unbranded?
I'm just gonna take a wild guess - since I purchased my mobile through a third-party site (in this case, e2save), those guys simply buy the airtime off Orange and get the handset directly from the manufacturer so is this an unbranded phone? What are the advantages of having an unbranded phone?

Maybe another ******ed question but do my texts/minutes from my contract work when I phone/text my friends in the UK or will I get charged for that too if I'm doing it from another country?

I have Magic Numbers so I can make free phone calls - am I still abloe to phone my magic number mates for free from another country?

What apps (that come by default with the HTC handset at first) would you recommend I turn off when I go on vacation so I dont get charged for accessing the internet?

Thanks a lot guys. Sorry for being a bit of noob but I'm a bit concerned since this is my first time I'm taking my smartphone out with me abroad.

Cheers!!

I also apologise in advance if this is in the wrong section - I'm new
(Whats up with the **** stars? I only said 'dedrater' backwards)

diggerbucket · Aug 9, 2010

You don't get charged for just having the phone on abroad.

You can't use your allowance abroad. Data charges would be high if you did use any data.

The phone will have an option on it to turn roaming on or off, keep this off and none of your apps will try to access data while you're away.

The Great One · Aug 9, 2010

diggerbucket said:
You don't get charged for just having the phone on abroad.

You can't use your allowance abroad. Data charges would be high if you did use any data.

The phone will have an option on it to turn roaming on or off, keep this off and none of your apps will try to access data while you're away.

Thanks bro but not all my Qs are solved yet guys so keep the answers coming in

nx1977 · Aug 9, 2010

Turn off all data unless you know and agree to the costs abroad.

And it's not entirely true just having the phone on wont cost you. Vodafone have started charging for US and asia/pacific simply for being able to connect to a network - even if you dont use it.

I dont think Orange do this yet, but only a matter of time before other jump on this.

None of your UK package perks will be valid outside of the UK. So no free minutes, free data or magic numbers. Making or taking calls or texts WILL cost you! Depending on where you're going, this could be very expensive!

HTC_Desire · Aug 9, 2010

Call Orange and ask them if they have an international option that you can buy for a month or something. Will likely cost a few pounds but could save you from any horrible bills when you come back. It will likely include some calls texts and data etc that can be used whilst abroad. No idea of any specifics, but t-Mobile is certainly like that - would be amazed if Orange didnt have something. Can't hurt to call them.

thomsonga · Aug 10, 2010

The Great One said:
Sorry for being a noob guys but I got some questions I need answers to fast.
I got my Desire through e2save.com and its an Orange deal. Just some info for you guys to know if it does turn out to help you answer my questions.

First of all, this Q might be on the ******ed side but a response I would like nevertheless. If I take my HTC handset to another country, will it charge me for just having it turned on (no 3G, apps, widgets or anything that uses the net in some way turned off). Cause I take it, it will try to find an Orange signal in that country if they do have Orange there so will it charge me for that? (I'm on contract by the way).

Next question is similar to my last question. Can I still use my internet allowance from my contract (500Mb) in another country or will I get charged?

What is an unbranded phone?
Is mine unbranded?
I'm just gonna take a wild guess - since I purchased my mobile through a third-party site (in this case, e2save), those guys simply buy the airtime off Orange and get the handset directly from the manufacturer so is this an unbranded phone? What are the advantages of having an unbranded phone?

Maybe another ******ed question but do my texts/minutes from my contract work when I phone/text my friends in the UK or will I get charged for that too if I'm doing it from another country?

I have Magic Numbers so I can make free phone calls - am I still abloe to phone my magic number mates for free from another country?

What apps (that come by default with the HTC handset at first) would you recommend I turn off when I go on vacation so I dont get charged for accessing the internet?

Thanks a lot guys. Sorry for being a bit of noob but I'm a bit concerned since this is my first time I'm taking my smartphone out with me abroad.

Cheers!!

I also apologise in advance if this is in the wrong section - I'm new
(Whats up with the **** stars? I only said 'dedrater' backwards)

1 - You don't get charged for taking your phone abroad. If it can't find an Orange network Orange will have agreements with local carriers so that you can piggy-back on their network. Again, no charge for connecting to a 3rd party network.

2 - You can't use your data allowance abroad.

3 - An unbranded phone is a generic phone, as it was produced by the manufacturer. No network operator-specific software has been applied to the handset.

4 - Your handset is probably branded to Orange. When you start up your phone does it have an Orange splash-screen? And do you have an Orange wallpaper available? Although e2save sell lots of different phones on all networks they still get their stock from the networks and not the manufacturers direct. They buy in bulk and can often offer discounts.

5 - Your texts and minutes normally don't carry over, but it's worth checking with Orange.

6 - Magic Numbers won't be applicable abroad, but again best check with Orange in case they've changed their policy (for the better).

7 - To be honest i'd just turn off your internet connection totally to save any "whoops" moments.

Evil Genius · Aug 10, 2010

The Great One said:
Thanks bro but not all my Qs are solved yet guys so keep the answers coming in

seeing as most of your questions are network based, try calling your provider and asking them.

although i can imagine that it's going to be pretty expensive calling from heaven.....

The Great One · Aug 10, 2010

thomsonga said:
1 - You don't get charged for taking your phone abroad. If it can't find an Orange network Orange will have agreements with local carriers so that you can piggy-back on their network. Again, no charge for connecting to a 3rd party network.

2 - You can't use your data allowance abroad.

3 - An unbranded phone is a generic phone, as it was produced by the manufacturer. No network operator-specific software has been applied to the handset.

4 - Your handset is probably branded to Orange. When you start up your phone does it have an Orange splash-screen? And do you have an Orange wallpaper available? Although e2save sell lots of different phones on all networks they still get their stock from the networks and not the manufacturers direct. They buy in bulk and can often offer discounts.

5 - Your texts and minutes normally don't carry over, but it's worth checking with Orange.

6 - Magic Numbers won't be applicable abroad, but again best check with Orange in case they've changed their policy (for the better).

7 - To be honest i'd just turn off your internet connection totally to save any "whoops" moments.

Thanks for answering all my questions. Is there like a simple way of it not being connected?
Would entering airplane mode cut off all access to the net? Its much easier tapping on the airplane widget than individually turning off the 3G etc.

I recall some other user saying turning roaming off will do the trick. Is this true?

Evil Genius · Aug 10, 2010

The Great One said:
Thanks for answering all my questions. Is there like a simple way of it not being connected?
Would entering airplane mode cut off all access to the net? Its much easier tapping on the airplane widget than individually turning off the 3G etc.

I recall some other user saying turning roaming off will do the trick. Is this true?

a forum search could help you here. this topic has been discussed several times before but i think the main things to remember are:

menu > settings > wireless & networks > data roaming > uncheck

menu > settings > wireless & networks > enable always-on mobile data > uncheck

menu > settings > accounts & sync > uncheck all items you don't want to run (sync) in the background[FONT=&quot][/FONT]

The Great One · Aug 10, 2010

Evil Genius said:
a forum search could help you here. this topic has been discussed several times before but i think the main things to remember are:

menu > settings > wireless & networks > data roaming > uncheck

menu > settings > wireless & networks > enable always-on mobile data > uncheck

menu > settings > accounts & sync > uncheck all items you don't want to run (sync) in the background

OK I'll keep that in mind
I did try the search function but none of the topic titles really suggested that it was related to my problems so thought it was best I just found some answers personally.

Evil Genius · Aug 10, 2010

The Great One said:
...none of the topic titles really suggested that it was related to my problems so thought it was best I just found some answers personally...

and it's also a great way to meet like-minded singles

The Great One · Aug 10, 2010

Evil Genius said:
and it's also a great way to meet like-minded singles

Ha ha ha
Perhaps so...
But no one would've looked at this thread if it was the same-same sort of topic

thomsonga · Aug 10, 2010

The Great One said:
Thanks for answering all my questions. Is there like a simple way of it not being connected?
Would entering airplane mode cut off all access to the net? Its much easier tapping on the airplane widget than individually turning off the 3G etc.

I recall some other user saying turning roaming off will do the trick. Is this true?

I have a widget called APN OnOff by CurveFish that switches off my 3G connection. I also have my social apps set to never sync. I use the APN widget in conjunction with the built-in system control widget that lets you control WiFi/Bluetooth/GPS etc.

Evil Genius · Aug 10, 2010

The Great One said:
...I did try the search function but none of the topic titles really suggested that it was related to my problems...

try these:

http://androidforums.com/htc-desire/130370-taking-my-phone-abroad.html

http://androidforums.com/htc-desire/82483-htc-desire-constant-data-use.html

http://androidforums.com/htc-desire/135095-roaming-fears.html

benchmark · Aug 10, 2010

This is what i do when i travel.
if its within Europe, do not do anything to the phone, it automatically finds a network to roam on and i pay what it costs since i myself live within Europe so the prices are not bad . Furthermore , my tele provider has a function that you can set the phone to stop roaming as soon as the charges reach a particular amount ( set it to 60 Euros) this avoids any unpleasant surprises.

I do however travel to Africa occasionally and the best option i learnt from experience is to buy a new local sim card at the airport immediately on arrival (almost all third world countries sell them at every corner kiosk on pay-as-you-go basis , which means you load a card and use it till it finishes and load another . Again i just insert it into my phone and use it during the trip as i please. Occasionally during the trip i put my European Sim back into the phone and all sms messages missed calls etc are updated and i remove it again. This way i control what my European SIM card does while i am abroad.

This is just from my own personal experience and i found it to work best for me.

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