[Q] Question About HTC Desire Z

i recommend here

Just report this to mods they will move it
Edit: been reported to move to Desire Z forum

Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA Premium App

You can unlock it (including SIM unlock), so it will work on any network, using the guide in the XDA Wiki for the Vision (Vision is the HTC codename for the G2 and Desire Z, which are basically the same phone except for radio bands).

Doesn't matter what branding is on your phone, but do make sure you get one with the correct radio bands for AT&T, because that's one thing that's set in hardware and can't be changed.

Sent from my Desire Z running CM7.

dsmoothfreestyles said:

Should I buy an AT&T HTC DZ and unlock it myself?

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There is no such thing. AT&T never offered the phone or anything close to it.

Branding does matter, as AT&T can generally only read the IMEI number of your device if its an AT&T branded phone. If they don't have the IMEI in their database, they can't tell its a smartphone. So you should be able to avoid the contract and data plan requirement if you buy a phone that is not AT&T branded. I've read of plenty of folks on here an dother forums that have used this tactic. Not sure if it works on the Pay-To-Go option. But I've read about plenty of AT&T customers that are on contract, but use a non-AT&T phone so they don't need to get a data plan, or to use the (cheaper) non-smartphone data plan. I've also read of some cases where they read the IMEI number incorrectly for a non-AT&T phone. One guy was using a Nexus One, and it was being read by AT&T as a Blackberry. They tried to add a data plan to his account, but he called them and told them it was just a dumb phone. They couldn't prove otherwise, so they removed the data plan.

The branding/version also matters if you want 3G data . The Canada Bell version is the only DZ that has the correct 3G bands to work on AT&T's network (UMTS 850/1900 MHz).

But since it doesn't sound like you want data anyway, you only need a phone that has AT&T's 2G/EDGE bands (GSM bands). AT&T uses the GSM 850/1900 MHz bands, and I believe every version of the G2/Desire Z is compatible with these GSM bands. As long as you get a phone with these GSM bands, and its SIM unlocked, it should work on AT&T.

If the phone is purchased SIM locked, you can get SIM unlocked either by following the Wiki guide (below), or use a pay service (usually than $10) available on places like eBay.

http://xdaforums.com/wiki/index.php?title=HTC_Vision#Rooting_the_Vision_.28G2.2FDZ.29_and_DHD

Another benefit of rooting the phone (aside from getting SIM unlock for free) is the ability to put any ROM or firmware on the phone you like. Aside from the radios (band compatibility) the hardware is essentially identical on the various DZ versions. So you can flash a new ROM to get whatever Android versions you like, remove branding, etc.

If it was from Bell, then yes its the A7275. That model number is the Bell version by definition, and the one that has the UMTS/HSPA 850/1900 MHz compatibility.

Whether its a good buy or not depends on what you want out of a phone, and how much the seller is offering it for. The Z is getting a little old hardware spec wise, with a single core 800 MHz CPU and only 512 Mb memory. Current phones have a Gig of memory, and dual core CPUs teasing close to 1.5 GHz. On the other hand, there really is not a better Android phone with a keyboard around, and nothing announced anytime soon. The Z has a healthy developer community here, so that guarantees a variety of ROMs, including ICS.

Unless you are getting a pretty good deal, or really need a phone with a keyboard, my personal opinion would be to buy something more current. I've been obsessing about upgrading myself. Just haven't find just the right phone. If/when AT&T picks up the Galaxy Nexus, or an HTC phone that looks and feels better than the Vivid, I'll probably be all over it.

dsmoothfreestyles said:

I see...

Well to be honest, Ive never owned anything android and Ive always like the HTC phones... (never had one) and that was the one thing I liked about this particular phone was that it had a physical qwerty. I'm new to all this phone tech with the hardware and software and ROM's so I think it would be a good "starter phone" for me BUT, by the same token I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for something outdated...

I know even now a lot of the Desire Z's that I could find on the net are going for upwards of 300 to even 500... esp unlocked... although there are some advertised on eBay for 240 but the seller is from Honk Kong and I'm pretty leery about all that...

In your opinion what would be a good price or offer to pay?
I thought about offering the guy 250 for it but I don't know...

haha I swear Ive spent the past week researching phones and figuring all this out and narrowing it down and figuring out what will work and what I want and how much I want to pay for it... and I still don't have a phone lol

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I have had just about 12 Android phones in the past 3 years (I get access to whatever I want at work). The desire z was probably my favorite device. It has the best mix of features for me...but I love hardware keyboards.

It is getting older, but mine easily overclocks to more than 1.2GHz and there are many roms to choose from.just learn about flashing. You can't really go wrong if you are not willing to pay more for newer or get a contract.

Sent from my SGH-I897 using xda premium

You need to manually enter the APN (or network) info. Since its Bell branded, it only has the Bell network info built-in.

Go to Settings>Wireless & networks>Mobile networks>Access Point Names

Then create a new APN and enter the following info:

Name: AT&T
APN: wap.cingular
Proxy: leave blank
Port: leave blank
Username:WAP@CINGULARGPRS.COM
Password:CINGULAR1
Server: leave blank
MMSC: http://mmsc.cingular.com
MMS Proxy: wireless.cingular.com
MMS Port: 80
MCC:310
MNC:410
APN Type: leave blank

dsmoothfreestyles said:

The Sim I have is an ATT Go phone sim... does that have anything to do with it...

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Umm, yeah . . . it would have been helpful if you mentioned that. So you didn't have any service at all (voice, SMS) on the old SIM? The typical issue with post-paid accounts is that voice works, but data doesn't, and that's where the APN comes in.