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Android for Both US and Europe, Suggestions?

I have been looking for my first smartphone as I have had a ipod touch but now would like a phone all in one, but I dont want an iphone.

Here is my dilemma:

I am living in Germany for the next year.
I will move back to California after Germany.

I want a smart phone that will last me several years so it needs to work on both US and European networks, for both Data and Cell.

What I am looking for:
Android (iPhone will work, but I would like the OS options of android)
Willing to pay for unlocked version of phone
Must use a least "3G" or equilivant data for both EU and US

I have looked at and like phones similar to HTC Desire, Ace (Desire HD), EVO 4G, and Motorola Dorid/Milestone. I prefer a touch screen (no need for slide out keyborad)

Can you give me any suggestions?

Thank you in advance!
 
It absolutely must be a GSM phone, so anything in Verizon/Sprint's stable is out, save rumors of the Droid Pro coming out in a few years. I'd recommend either getting an unlocked Nexus One and buying uncontracted plans, (possibly only data to buy TruPhone calls when necessary,) or get something on the Europe end with world roaming, and get it over here. Good luck.
 
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If you *truly* want a phone that will work in both places over the long haul then you need to pick where you want it to work best. At the moment, you simply can not have fast 3G in both places. The 3G frequencies are not compatible. The best I have been able to do is get something like a European HTC hero. However, in the states it falls back to EDGE.
 
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If you *truly* want a phone that will work in both places over the long haul then you need to pick where you want it to work best. At the moment, you simply can not have fast 3G in both places. The 3G frequencies are not compatible. The best I have been able to do is get something like a European HTC hero. However, in the states it falls back to EDGE.

Well I would defiantely want it to work better in the US. But if I want one that does work well in the US it seems like it is difficult to buy a unlocked no contract phone for the US. Any suggestions?

Also it seems like the iPhone is the only phone that works on all networks??
 
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I don't know if it is the only one, but yes I think it works almost everywhere (including 3G). However, be careful with the new iPhone. I think it uses a micro SIM (much smaller than normal). It will probably be much harder to find a local micro SIM in Europe. I have not looked. You will have to jailbreak/unlock the iPhone if you want to use it with out the AT&T sim (or buy it in a country where it is unlocked).

I think the new Dell Streak (Android) also works world wide. Again you have to work on unlocking it.
 
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Your two choices for carriers in the US for GSM are AT&T and T-Mobile I think. Neither uses 3G frequencies that will work in Europe. I have a European version E71 and it works fine as a GSM/Edge phone on AT&T, no 3G though.

AT&T's android selection is pretty slim but the Captivate is a good phone. Its got teething problems with the GPS but that should be fixed soon. I think the selection on T-Mobile is wider but I'm not as familiar with their phones. You can buy a Captivate from AT&T with no contract, its just expensive.

Could you just rent a phone for your time in Germany? I don't think there is a super-phone that does 3G everywhere.
 
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BTW, the captivate may not be what you are looking for. There is a big long thread on the Captivate being locked on the XDA forums. At this point no one has figured out how to unlock them so they would work on other carriers and AT&T is saying they won't unlock any of them until the 10 month exclusion period ends. Sorry, I had assumed that if you were buying the phone outright without a contract then it would be unlocked, but they may not be the case.
 
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What are your opinions of the Samsung Galaxy S? It seems that it will work on all 3g networks. Can someone varify this for me?

BTW, the captivate may not be what you are looking for. There is a big long thread on the Captivate being locked on the XDA forums. At this point no one has figured out how to unlock them so they would work on other carriers and AT&T is saying they won't unlock any of them until the 10 month exclusion period ends. Sorry, I had assumed that if you were buying the phone outright without a contract then it would be unlocked, but they may not be the case.
 
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What are your opinions of the Samsung Galaxy S? It seems that it will work on all 3g networks. Can someone varify this for me?

The standard galaxy S has 900 / 1900 / 2100 bands for 3g. I'm getting this from the amazon listing.

Amazon.com: Samsung Galaxy S I9000 Unlocked Version. Quad-band GSM w/ 900 / 1900…

I think those are standard European frequencies. That phone will also get 3G for some locations on AT&T. AT&T uses 1900 3G for some markets and 850 for others. Thats why the capitvate uses 850 / 1900 / 2100. That phone should work just fine as a standard GSM / edge phone. I have an e71 with those frequencies and it works as edge but no 3g. I don't think that phone will work with T-mobiles 3g frequencies.

BTW, since I made my last post the captivate has been unlocked. There are details in the captivate forum.
 
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BTW, the captivate may not be what you are looking for. There is a big long thread on the Captivate being locked on the XDA forums. At this point no one has figured out how to unlock them so they would work on other carriers and AT&T is saying they won't unlock any of them until the 10 month exclusion period ends. Sorry, I had assumed that if you were buying the phone outright without a contract then it would be unlocked, but they may not be the case.

As of last Saturday, you can unlock ANY galaxy S with root and a hex editor.

I know this for a FACT because I unlocked 3 different Captivates and they're all using different SIMS
 
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