Can I use an AT&T Pre3 on EU?

[manueljaime]

Hi there. Well, title says all, On ebay, I can see unlocked 16gb AT&T units at roughly the same price as 8gb UK ones (both with qwerty keyboard, already have an azerty one), so I was wondering if I'd get into some kind of trouble buying one to use it in Spain. I presume I could just stick my sim card in it and fire it up, did that with a Veer already, but I'd like to hear if someone has already done that.
Does it have any significant difference with the EU versions, apart from the AT&T crapware? Any markings or engravings?
Could I use an european doctor on it?

Thanks in advance!

[everythingsablur]

Markings: there is an AT&T logo screened onto the back cover.

Doctor: NO! Don't flash a full EU doctor onto it, if it would even let you. Use the right doctor for your hardware, unless you know how to monkey with Meta Doctors, or you risk screwing up the modem firmware.

Bloatware: You can remove it. I made a thread with patches to remove it or hide it. http://forums.precentral.net/hp-pre-...t-pre-3-a.html

Technical differences: Other than the two obvious differences of keyboard and RAM amounts, they have different radios. The EU version supports the 900 MHz band, while the AT&T version supports the 850 MHz band. Do you need the 900 MHz band? Only you and your carrier would know that. Some places still rely on 900 MHz IIRC.

Summary: Will it work? Yes, just put in your SIM and go. Will it be perfect? Maybe, maybe not... Depends if you need the 900 MHz band.

[ZehHa]

I'm using an AT&T Pre3 in Germany. With the AT&T Doctor you can configure the device to use english or spanish only; if you want to use german, italian, or french localisation your need to use the EU doctor. This can be flashed onto to AT&T device after changing the device tokens. Read here: Pre3 Impersonation

GSM 900 MHz is no problem, it's a quad band phone (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz). It's said that UMTS/HSDPA 900 MHz is not built in (don't know it it's true; found web pages telling me other facts). But as there is no german provider using the 900 MHz band for UMTS, it's not a relevant issue to me. 2100 MHz UMTS definitely works on my device (in contrast to an AT&T Pre2).

Regards

Carsten

[Andyf]

As to the 900MHz UMTS band, it doesn't look like any of the Spanish networks use it ( List of UMTS networks - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ), but I suppose that could change if that band becomes opened to UMTS traffic as it has been in the UK for instance. Even in that case I would think that the 2100 band would provide the bulk of the 3G coverage for the forseeable future (the 900 is currently only a 'top up' in major cities in the UK and only on two networks).

So yeah I doubt that would be an issue, you will certainly get 3G.

[iivanov]

I am using one in Croatia.
No problems so far, except I'm not able to see the paid apps in the catalog.
I am thinking to make it an EU Pre 3, currently I'm in the collecting valuable info's phase.

ZehHa, your link is a very, very valuable one.
Did You actually made your phone an EU Pre 3?
Any problems I should be aware off?

My only concern is the unlock process.
Do I have to unlock the phone after doctoring it, and is it a matter of simply entering the unlock code which I received with the phone?

Thx

[ZehHa]

Originally Posted by iivanov

ZehHa, your link is a very, very valuable one.

Thanks and donations should go to Rod Whitby.

Originally Posted by iivanov

Did You actually made your phone an EU Pre 3?

Yes.

Originally Posted by iivanov

Any problems I should be aware off?

Classic PalmOS Emulator doesn't work on Pre3.
QWERTY keyboard layout.
Know memory leak issue (may explain the sudden shutdown of navit once in a while)
Classic PalmOS Emulator doesn't work on Pre3.
AT&T branding on the back.
Oh, did I mention that Classic PalmOS Emulator doesn't work on Pre3? That's my main problem...

Originally Posted by iivanov

My only concern is the unlock process.
Do I have to unlock the phone after doctoring it, and is it a matter of simply entering the unlock code which I received with the phone?

I have no knowledge about unlocking whatsoever. Received the phone unlocked, put in my SIM card, worked. Doctoring didn't change anything.

Just my guess: unlocking the phone probably will survive doctoring, so it shouldn't make a difference.

Originally Posted by iivanov

Thx

You're welcome!

Greetings

Carsten

[cargoz]

Hi, I'm Spanish, sorry for my English, I will receive an AT&T pre 3, and I do not know whether to try the method "pre 3 impersonation", someone could help me with a step by step ...
I have a profile on a Touchpad , should I use the same profile to activate the phone?

Thank you very much in advance

[jae101]

I just got a ATT pre in the UK and bar skype being a bugger to get working (still cant manage to install it) everything else is fine.

[TopTongueBarry]

Originally Posted by kel101

I just got a ATT pre in the UK and bar skype being a bugger to get working (still cant manage to install it) everything else is fine.

you'll need to do a root install of skype to successfully install it on an att Pre 3

1 developer mode enabled
2 grab the skype ipk out of the eu Pre 3 doctor using your pc
3 use wosqi to send (copy) that ipk to your pre 3 using /tmp as the destination
4 use wosqi command prompt to enter the root shell
5 type the following commands at the command shell prompt pressing enter after each one (if the file name of the skype ipk happens to be from a newer doctor you'll need to substitute the new name/version in place of the version i use as an example below)

cd /tmp
ipkg -force-depends install com.palm.app.skype_1.1-8.3_armv7.ipk
exit
exit

6 quit wosqi
7 properly disconnect your pre 3 from your pc
8 restart your pre 3
9 configure your skype acct from the accounts applet/icon

[Gaga Djordjevic]

it says no such file or directory...what can i do... please help me. I can install skype via app catalog but it wont work...cant do anything with it... help me please.

[patapoof]

Originally Posted by everythingsablur

Markings: there is an AT&T logo screened onto the back cover.

Doctor: NO! Don't flash a full EU doctor onto it, if it would even let you. Use the right doctor for your hardware, unless you know how to monkey with Meta Doctors, or you risk screwing up the modem firmware.

Bloatware: You can remove it. I made a thread with patches to remove it or hide it. http://forums.precentral.net/hp-pre-...t-pre-3-a.html

Technical differences: Other than the two obvious differences of keyboard and RAM amounts, they have different radios. The EU version supports the 900 MHz band, while the AT&T version supports the 850 MHz band. Do you need the 900 MHz band? Only you and your carrier would know that. Some places still rely on 900 MHz IIRC.

Summary: Will it work? Yes, just put in your SIM and go. Will it be perfect? Maybe, maybe not... Depends if you need the 900 MHz band.

I have an att pre3 and it has quad band gsm and 4g which is only emerging in the eu ...I use it there without a single difficulty inasmuch as it is QUAD BAND 850,900,1800,1900 ...so much for voice ...the area I visit (Benelux) uses 2100 band for data... it works great (has 850,1900,2100) and the locale has only spotty 4g and mostly is 3g or even edge ...I don't know about removing "bloatware" ...I use it with the stock ATT install 2.2.4 ...the only big bloat on it is the att navigator which I may, some day, remove... I am no expert, but the phone works great as I have described with a local sim card obtained there... when I am not there, I revert it to pay&go which accumulates no charges at all & while there I get a contract which is without term (month-to-month) ..they don't advertise it but they have it when you ask... great !!