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So I'm thinking of buying a Note but I'm wondering what's the best way to use it in the USA.
I hear using it on T-Mobile only provides EDGE-level speeds but using it on AT&T Straight Talk or whatever gets you 3G speeds (maybe even 4G HSPA+?).
correct, went from tmobile to straight talk, getting HSPA+ speeds
PolishDude said:
correct, went from tmobile to straight talk, getting HSPA+ speeds
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Nice.
How do you use it with straight talk btw?
Would it be possible to just buy a sim card like this:
http://www.amazon.com/AT-3G-SIM-Card-Unactivated/dp/B001ONWGMC
Activate it through the ATT site, choose plan and then have it work on my Note?
The straight talk thing seems very cool but I don't have the money to shell out for a $250 phone.
I bought a refurbished E71 for 100 bucks shipped straight from straight talk, activated straight talk using the e71 then just took the sim card out of the e71 and put it into my note...thats it, super easy. You do have to keep the e71 since the sim is registered with the phone so if you sold it and someone tried to get a new sim card for straighttalk it would disconnect your sim card but honestly I am now paying $45 bucks a month versus $85 a month so the savings more then makes up for it
Where did you purchase the Note?
okstate95 said:
Where did you purchase the Note?
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I bought mine through Expansysusa.com. It was pricey.
I am disappointed with AT&T. There are no HSPA or 4G towers within 25 miles of my house so I am getting smail pace data connection. I get 3 of 4 bars signal strength, but the slowest data, and yes I setup the APN like it should be using "phone". Even my wife's Galaxy S II Skyrocket which is LTE is so slowwwww, so know it is not just my Note.
Straightalk SIM only purchase announcement
If case no one knows. Straight Talk Wireless announced on Feb 7 a SIM only purchase plan for their $45 unlimited talk, text and data. No Straighttalk phone needed to activate.
Check it out.
StraightTalk SIM Purchase Plan
access.denied said:
If case no one knows. Straight Talk Wireless announced on Feb 7 a SIM only purchase plan for their $45 unlimited talk, text and data. No Straighttalk phone needed to activate.
Check it out.
StraightTalk SIM Purchase Plan
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Click to collapse
That's what I did. I missed the delivery of my Sim card Friday so will have to get it tomorrow. My International Note should be here late this week or early next week.
EndlessMike133 said:
Would it be possible to just buy a sim card like this:
http://www.amazon.com/AT-3G-SIM-Card-Unactivated/dp/B001ONWGMC
Activate it through the ATT site, choose plan and then have it work on my Note?
The straight talk thing seems very cool but I don't have the money to shell out for a $250 phone.
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Click to collapse
Straight talk now had a "bring your own phone" online selection. It ill just cost you like 15 for the SIM and then 45 for unlimited data, talk, text! Check out the website! No need to buy a phone!
EDIT: I did not see the posts above... sorry for the double or triple post on Straight talk!
Is the ST plan faster than the t-mobile I'm on now? If so I'm Gona switch
From the Beast : Galaxy Note
sprintuser1977 said:
Is the ST plan faster than the t-mobile I'm on now? If so I'm Gona switch
From the Beast : Galaxy Note
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If you are getting edge for data, yes ST will be faster.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using XDA App
What is the speed in and around NYC using Straight Talk, please post the speed test?
Do they throttle after 2gb, 5gb or it is really unlimited?
Any call disconnect like in AT&T. I am with T-mobile Unlimited Even More Plus Plan. They don't offer this anymore. I don't want to switch if Straight Talk sucks. Straight Talk allows number porting?
On ATT my speedtest scores really vary here in Chicago (2500-11,000kbps)...but I probably average 4000.
Do you see average scores likethat on straight talk...seriously.
If consider switching if this generally was the case. I've heard differently.
Thanks
][/B]
PolishDude said:
correct, went from tmobile to straight talk, getting HSPA+ speeds
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(
Moved To Q&A
All questions belong in the Q&A section!
$50 unlimited everything- ATT gophone
may want to check this thread i just created. it's working good for me.
Just bought Int GNote, pros/cons of Straight Talk, Go Phone, or AT&T w/dumbphone data
Just bought a Galaxy Note and been reading all the topic posts on the different options for using my Note. Haven't figured out what's best so maybe I'll ask for people's experiences and get suggestions.
This will be a 2nd phone for me since my company already pays for a phone for me on Sprint, and I got tired of waiting for Sprint to come out (if ever) of their version of the Note. I already have an Epic 4G and we get WiMax here in the SF Bay Area, so I don't mind continuing using that since my company pays the bill.
What I would like to do on my Note would be mainly email, web browsing, texting and maybe a few phone calls, but since I have my other phone, phone calls are secondary. The one thing I really like doing THE MOST is watching YouTube videos and streaming songs from Google Music (Now called Play Music or whatever). On my Samsung Epic 4G with Sprint, I average between 3 and 4 GBs per month on data usage.
So in short my questions are:
1. Should I go with Straight Talk $45 Unlimited Plan, AT&T Unlimited $50 Go Phone Plan, or piggyback on my parent's AT&T postpaid plan ($10 to add a line, $30 for unlimited data + unlimited messaging for non-smartphone ie dumbphone plan)?
2. Which one of these would give the best possible data speeds? I know they all use AT&T's network but I've read that GoPhone plans are (possibly) throttled vs postpaid?
3. Which is more likely to raise red flags when using data? I know there is no such thing as truly unlimited data, but which plan is more "lenient" in your data use or will probably let you download a little more data than another option. I've read on Straight Talk, you should try not to go over 100 MB/day or 2 GB/month, but are those limits also similar on GoPhone unlimited or postpaid with dumbphone data.
Anything else I should know?
Thanks for the info!
i say try straighttalk since it no contract and if they ban u for useing to much fake unlimted data try at&t but i think its crap how these compony ban people f em lol almost like a scam
I'm currently using my old grand fathered unlimted Ipad sim in mine. Currently 3GB for $30 does not seem too bad, No contract. Just buy and Ipad 3g and activate and sell it. I've used that sim in an iPhone, mifi, my laptop and now the Gnote and ATT has never said anything. No phone calls or text, the work a rounds aren't great but they do work.
Once Sprint sees fit to let me out of my contract I was thinking of giving Straight talks a go
Edit
If you go with the Ipad sim, you will need an adapter to make the sim larger. I have a micro sim punch so I took an old full sized sim and punched out the sim and used the left over card board as the adapter. You may need to do some filing with a nail file but it seems to work the best compared to the plastic adapters you find. You will have be carful remove the aim sum and adapter from a device.
Using ST with my note for 4 full months now, very satisfied. I am not a heavy mobile data user though, I just do some browsing while out and about, read some news on pulse, and check e-mail a few times a day.
Thanks for some of the suggestions so far, but has anyone tried the AT&T post paid plan with the data for dumb phone plan or the old medianet plan lately? I assume it still works because AT&T does not have the IMEIs of the international version in their database? And they fixed the problem with it showing up as a Galaxy Tab? I read that you could delete out the /EFS directory and have it show up as a generic phone or use an IMEI from a loaner phone as well, but I haven't seen any posts regarding these strategies newer than January so not to sure if AT&T figured this out.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Had data working great on the GoPhone plan.. then downloaded some 600mb of files (don't really remember what, I think it was a few ROMs), and two days later my internet was shut off.. so the moral here is, don't be stupid with it if you get it to work on the gophone plan
joshnichols189 said:
Had data working great on the GoPhone plan.. then downloaded some 600mb of files (don't really remember what, I think it was a few ROMs), and two days later my internet was shut off.. so the moral here is, don't be stupid with it if you get it to work on the gophone plan
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No way I would download that much at one time, I think I do maybe 100-200 MB/day on average at the most. The question with you (and thanks for answering btw), is what kind of download speeds were you getting on the GoPhone plan? Were you getting FauxG speeds (HSPA+) or was it throttled? And did you have to do anything special to make it work on the GoPhone plan or was it a matter of just putting the correct APNs?
Anyone who is thinking that they'll swing by Walmart and grab a Straighttalk sim card/activation kit once their Nexus arrives: they don't appear to sell them, or at least not at mine. There was every permutation of everything else they sell there, but no sim cards, so order now!
Although I did find a promo code to get the sim free online, so I guess it wasn't a total lost trip.
That's what I get for putting it off. Now I might have a nexus that isn't a phone for a day. Oh, the humanity.
For those that don't know, using the promo code SIMSAVE on the $45 monthly plan will give you a free SIM card!
I won't be buying the Nexus 4 right away, probably a month after release once the kinks are worked out, but can anyone explain why the straight talk coverage has two seperate coverage maps?
One is for non-android (and the coverage is great)
Another is for android (and the coverage is barren)
http://www.straighttalk.com/Coverage
Also does Straight Talk use T-mobiles network? I thought it was just ATT but it says right on there website here : http://www.straighttalksim.com/ : that you can "Bring your T-Mobile compatible 4G phone and keep your 4G service" Of course the Nexus 4 is pentaband, but thats a rarity and not all phones are so how would they give other T-mobile phones 4G service?
ap3604 said:
I won't be buying the Nexus 4 right away, probably a month after release once the kinks are worked out, but can anyone explain why the straight talk coverage has two seperate coverage maps?
One is for non-android (and the coverage is great)
Another is for android (and the coverage is barren)
http://www.straighttalk.com/Coverage
Also does Straight Talk use T-mobiles network? I thought it was just ATT but it says right on there website here : http://www.straighttalksim.com/ : that you can "Bring your T-Mobile compatible 4G phone and keep your 4G service"
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Straight talk will use whomever is best in your area. Be in AT&T or T-Mobile. The reason the maps are so different is that the Non-Android one is for voice/2G the Android is 3G+. Basicly it is saying Basic coverage is almost everywhere, but data isnt.
You choose either an at&t or T-Mobile sim card at checkout.
Or you can pick up a net 10 sim kit at best buy. Kit costs $15 and you get 3 Sims (at&t normal size, at&t micro, and T-Mobile normal) all with seperate activation codes. They have the exact same unlimited plans straight talk does but there $50 a month. Just putting another option out there
Sent from my A100 using xda app-developers app
vita10gy said:
Anyone who is thinking that they'll swing by Walmart and grab a Straighttalk sim card/activation kit once their Nexus arrives: they don't appear to sell them, or at least not at mine. There was every permutation of everything else they sell there, but no sim cards, so order now!
Although I did find a promo code to get the sim free online, so I guess it wasn't a total lost trip.
That's what I get for putting it off. Now I might have a nexus that isn't a phone for a day. Oh, the humanity.
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You're right. Buy it online. Ships in a few days.
lowrider262 said:
Or you can pick up a net 10 sim kit at best buy. Kit costs $15 and you get 3 Sims (at&t normal size, at&t micro, and T-Mobile normal) all with seperate activation codes. They have the exact same unlimited plans straight talk does but there $50 a month. Just putting another option out there
Sent from my A100 using xda app-developers app
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Looking a bit online net10 seems like the way to go! Why am I just now hearing about it? I was getting nervous from straight talk horror stories...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
v3rk said:
Looking a bit online net10 seems like the way to go! Why am I just now hearing about it? I was getting nervous from straight talk horror stories...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
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Though be advised that net10 is owned by the same company as straight talk. I personally have straight talk and can attest that their cs sucks more than att. But I've only had to call them once. Never had an issue with throttling but I stay under that hush hush of 2gb a month
I never heard about them in the bring your own phone game either until last week, I was going to every store trying to buy a straight talk sim for my nephews at&t phone, then I ran across this at best buy. Best part is the 3 Sims, you can try one service and if you don't like it, you could switch the same day:thumbup:
Sent from my A100 using xda app-developers app
coverage maps
ap3604 said:
I won't be buying the Nexus 4 right away, probably a month after release once the kinks are worked out, but can anyone explain why the straight talk coverage has two seperate coverage maps?
One is for non-android (and the coverage is great)
Another is for android (and the coverage is barren)
http://www.straighttalk.com/Coverage
Also does Straight Talk use T-mobiles network? I thought it was just ATT but it says right on there website here : http://www.straighttalksim.com/ : that you can "Bring your T-Mobile compatible 4G phone and keep your 4G service" Of course the Nexus 4 is pentaband, but thats a rarity and not all phones are so how would they give other T-mobile phones 4G service?
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Click to collapse
Regarding Coverage and providers, you get to pick which Service Provider to use, as in T-Mobile or AT&T, it ultimately depends on where you live. You may not get the option for both depending on coverage and your location. I did not get the option to choose T-Mobile when I got my Straight-Talk Sim and Plan. However I am sure you could plug in a different Zip Code and get the Service of your choosing.
You can look at a Carrier's Coverage map for areas they SHOULD cover. During my Evaluation of T-mobile and AT&T, I found using the Root Metrics Coverage Map and the Sensorly Map helped out quite a bit. Many times I ended up using the apps to record coverage in areas I or my Family frequented.
http://www.rootmetrics.com/
http://sensorly.com/map
Have a few months left on my AT&T contract so I am going to pop into an official brick and mortar store and ask for a micro sim. Will I run into any troubles?
dcarpenter85 said:
Have a few months left on my AT&T contract so I am going to pop into an official brick and mortar store and ask for a micro sim. Will I run into any troubles?
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They really don't sell ST SIMs in Walmarts. Only with phones. So just buy it online...
Straight Talk doesn't offer T-Mobile micro Sims...just fyi.
ap3604 said:
I won't be buying the Nexus 4 right away, probably a month after release once the kinks are worked out, but can anyone explain why the straight talk coverage has two seperate coverage maps?
One is for non-android (and the coverage is great)
Another is for android (and the coverage is barren)
http://www.straighttalk.com/Coverage
Also does Straight Talk use T-mobiles network? I thought it was just ATT but it says right on there website here : http://www.straighttalksim.com/ : that you can "Bring your T-Mobile compatible 4G phone and keep your 4G service" Of course the Nexus 4 is pentaband, but thats a rarity and not all phones are so how would they give other T-mobile phones 4G service?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those coverage maps are for straight talk's own phones. The non-Android map you see is Verizon's coverage which their cdma non-android phones use. The android map is for sprint which the majority of their android phones use, they actually have a few android phones that use Verizon's network now. Again, those maps are for their own branded phones, if you bring your own phone obviously those maps don't apply
OK guys so I've been working in wireless back to the Airiel days. Then voice stream.
I've seen plans come and go. I've seen companies come and go.
I've seen limited data. Unlimited data, and limited data again.
This thread is to post your experience with plans on the nexus 4 to give people the information on what's out there.
Now as a wireless consultant which this is what I do.
I rate and create projects for customer feedback.
Go smart was my last job.
One word..... Sucks!!!
Now if you want to pay $35 for your iPhone on edge its a great deal.
Beyond that its a crappy deal.
I've personally used. Straight Talk... Ehhh OK.
Simple mobile ..... False advertising.
Net 10..... Data issues galore.
Att unlimited prepaid..... With imei hack... Still throttled to 500kbps...
Then we come to TMobile prepaid plan.
Out of everything prepaid I've used.
And this includes Solavei. Don't get me started on mlm wannabes.
The T-Mobile $70 plan directly through T-Mobile is the best plan hands down.
And for the solavei person who will say but ours is unlimited.... I did your consulting affiliate... Its only 4GB of data. And they are having massive billing issues, and not to mention losing people in there customer base.
I give them six months before imploding.
Did you know they are amassing a massive roaming bill.
Back on track.
I get true unlimited data. Everywhere in the u.s.
The new unlimited plan "includes roaming"
I have used 25GB of data this month see screen shots.
If you are a smart wireless consumer for your nexus.
Get this $70 plan and then here is how you save.
Find someone on eBay there are hundreds folks.
Selling $100 prepaid card credits for $69.99
Or even $50 cards for $40
Its all over eBay.
Right now im on the $70 plan and I pay about $45 a month average because of where I buy the refill cards.
So if you have a nexus 4.
This is the best plan on prepaid for power users.
I've achieved speeds over 30mbps and average 25mbps
That's better than Verizon lte and AT&T LTE postpaid plans.
This very well could be the best plan in wireless post paid or prepaid in wireless.
Tell me what you think.
And your experiences with other companies on the nexus 4.
There is a cheaper business plan.
$54.99 total cost I'm looking at but its post paid.
On the Dev side. I'm looking to try to improve the radio issue.
Using a optimus g hack.
Stay tuned
Screen shots attached.
Oh one last thing.
$7.00 a month insures your nexus 4 on prepaid.
No other mvno does that.
Sounds awfully like an advertisement. Try to be less biased from the start and condense your information.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
plznote said:
Sounds awfully like an advertisement. Try to be less biased from the start and condense your information.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
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Sounds like it. And I looked at the T-mobile option and most aren't going for any measurable discount. As for comparing them to straight talk. Im on T-mobile directly, my girlfriend is on ST. Both of us on Nexus 4s. Our service and speeds are identical (and I can attest to LTE speeds on T-Mobiles network). Straight talk is nothing more than a virtual operator that either uses AT&T or T-Mobile's network.
There's just one problem with you post, T-Mobile's coverage sucks balls. Yeah its cool to get 20Mbps but if your not getting that you're usually on edge, which is at least half the time. I'll stick with straight talk att.
Source: I had T-Mobile before straight talk.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
There's already a T-Mobile discussion thread.
The intricacies of cell phone plans aren't really specific to the Nexus 4, anyway.
Closed
I've had a Sprint SERO plan for years. Service was always crappy here in the SF Bay Area, but, the price was cheap (SERO is a good deal) and there was always the promise that things would get better - the current promise being Spark.
I bought a Nexus 5 thinking it was the phone I wanted, and that I would recoup some of the Sprint subsidy I wasn't getting by getting a subsidized iPhone and then selling it on ebay.
Since the phone was unlocked and GSM capable, I thought, what the heck, I'll buy a Straight Talk prepaid AT&T SIM and try it for a month. After a week I terminated Sprint (I was out of contract.)
It was a whole new world. I could drive from San Francisco across the Bay Bridge and back without the call dropping once. I could drive from San Francisco to Marin County across the Golden Gate Bridge and up the Waldo grade without the call dropping 3 times. I could take out the phone practically anywhere and the internet would work reasonably fast, rather than having about a 50% chance of getting the webpage I wanted.
I could get the phone on the network by simply inserting the SIM card, no hassle of reading long MEID numbers to a phone agent, no scrounging around for a SIM card that was always out of stock. I had LTE service right away, rather than at some indeterminate point in the future when they would fix the towers so that they could work with my phone.
I can be on the internet and talk on the phone at the same time.
I don't mean this to be a rant, but to inspire others. If you are on Sprint and out of contract, try a prepaid AT&T SIM and see if you see the radical difference I did (this would include AT&T Gophone, AIO, Straight Talk, and others, Straight Talk being the chepaest of the bunch at $45 per month.)
Did the same but went with T-Mobile and their $30 prepaid plan (5g of 4G data but only 100 min talk) and have not looked back. Sprint was, to a degree, a failed service for me and at close to $90 a month for unlimited but unusable data and talk, life now just seems easy.
As a note, the 100 mins of talk time seem limiting and might be for some who need to talk on the road. For me, as a Google Voice user, I have the Obi box at home and call forwarding to my work phone. Additional minutes are 10 cents/min extra, so if you keep some extra dough in your T-Mo account, you won't see any cutoffs as it'll just debit your account. Either way, Sprint was just too full of promises and too slow on the implementation.
Congratz! Sprint sux's!
I guess this is an illustration of how locked phones are dangerous for the carriers - makes it too easy to shop around.
You really hit the nail on the head when you said "life now just seems easy." After being on Sprint, reliability and dependability is a welcome change. You just know it will work.
jgreemo said:
Did the same but went with T-Mobile and their $30 prepaid plan (5g of 4G data but only 100 min talk) and have not looked back. Sprint was, to a degree, a failed service for me and at close to $90 a month for unlimited but unusable data and talk, life now just seems easy.
As a note, the 100 mins of talk time seem limiting and might be for some who need to talk on the road. For me, as a Google Voice user, I have the Obi box at home and call forwarding to my work phone. Additional minutes are 10 cents/min extra, so if you keep some extra dough in your T-Mo account, you won't see any cutoffs as it'll just debit your account. Either way, Sprint was just too full of promises and too slow on the implementation.
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Click to collapse
I just did the same, but dropped for Aio instead ($55 for unlim talk/text and 2gb at high speed before throttled). I'd been with Sprint for 10+ years, so was a little hesitant, but coverage was so bad that I dropped ASAP, even paying an ETF. Turns out, I should have been more brave months ago, as Aio has better coverage in my area than Sprint ever did. I can actually use data inside buildings, what?! I agree with the OP on this being a whole new world. Having a shiny new N5 definitely isn't hurting my opinion either.
breannesp said:
I just did the same, but dropped for Aio instead ($55 for unlim talk/text and 2gb at high speed before throttled). I'd been with Sprint for 10+ years, so was a little hesitant, but coverage was so bad that I dropped ASAP, even paying an ETF. Turns out, I should have been more brave months ago, as Aio has better coverage in my area than Sprint ever did. I can actually use data inside buildings, what?! I agree with the OP on this being a whole new world. Having a shiny new N5 definitely isn't hurting my opinion either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does AIO have LTE?
Man do you guys live in 3rd world countries? J/k tell us how things are in a year from now. Its just crazy how different parts of the country are at n t sucks here almost bad as t mobile. To much interference with the gsm signals.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
I preordered the N5 a month before my Verizon contract ended and hopped on the GSM ship. Has been smooth sailing thus far!!!
Went with Aio's $55/month plan and have been LOVING IT. Verizon's ~$100/month with unlimited data just wasn't worth it after all.
I have been reassured that when Aio (who is owned by AT&T) get's absorbed by Cricket (who's parent company is now owned by AT&T) in the near future my plan will stay the same, and continue to use AT&T's nationwide LTE.
I will gauge my experience when the switch happens and decide whether to try GoPhone (another AT&T prepaid, assuming AT&T doesn't fold it in with the Cricket brand name as well) or try T-Mobile's $60 plans. That is the beauty of GSM + Nexus devices. Freedom. That plus the dev support and international compatibility. Ya, I realize some Verizon phones can accomplish that as well, but come on. Verizon = they control you and your device
When I was on Verizon (Galaxy Nexus) I was streaming a lot of music in the car using 6-8 gigs/month. Never thought I could give up my grandfathered unlimited data! When I switched to Aio I started pinning (caching) my music when I got my Nexus 5 instead of streaming it, and now I only use about 800mb/month. Couldn't believe it!
I encourage everyone to join the GSM bandwagon :good:
I bought the Nexus 5 for the same reason I am going to ride my contract out on Sprint until March(cuz I'm a cheap bastard and don't want to pay an etf) but have been weighing my options in the meantime can't wait to be off this **** network. Side note I am on a family plan with 4 family members and pay my mom $30/month for unlimited everything and I still need to switch unlimited is a joke when you can't call or connect to anything.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
You're right that GSM is just so much nicer than CDMA.
yeah..... im on sprint and regretting it. still stuck on bloody 56k quality 3g. ****.