[richip]

Probably unrelated, but similarly on Rogers with an EU Palm Pre 2, every now and then, I would lose data connectivity (even though the indicator above says I'm connected either to the GPRS or EDGE network). I restart the phone and that usually fixes it. Rather irritating and unusual for phone technologies these days.

[cmahy]

Richip -- for what it's worth, I'm running an AT&T Pre+ on Rogers and have occasionally had that issue on both Rogers and AT&T networks. A quick data disable+data enable usually does the trick. Not sure why that happens. Based on your note above, perhaps this is a general WebOS flaw with GSM data vs. a Pre2 issue.

[T3CK]

hboivert, how did you activated your Pre 2?
You first entered on eCare the phone serial, then the card serial? Please post the exact details.

Thanks for letting us know.

[hboisvert]

Richip -- for what it's worth, I'm running an AT&T Pre+ on Rogers and have occasionally had that issue on both Rogers and AT&T networks. A quick data disable+data enable usually does the trick. Not sure why that happens. Based on your note above, perhaps this is a general WebOS flaw with GSM data vs. a Pre2 issue.

Definitely looks like a palm gsm issue... I never had that on my CDMA pre... Very annoying.

[hboisvert]

hboivert, how did you activated your Pre 2?
You first entered on eCare the phone serial, then the card serial? Please post the exact details.

Thanks for letting us know.

I actually went to a Bell store, asked for a SIM card and to move my current number from CDMA to that new SIM. The wanted to see the Pre2 to get it's serial#. I had it with me so it wasn't a problem.

After they did the switch, I inserted the sim card and powered the Pre2. It tried to login to the palm profile but failed. I had to manually setup the APN (network) information (I used pda2.bell.ca) and I to reboot the phone (battery pull) and then it was able to login to the profile.

The app store still doesn't show me Paid aps (only free Apps), so I use Preware and UberAppCat (available in the free App Catalog) to get paid apps. I'm still waiting on Palm for a callback regarding this issue...

That about sums up the experience...

[DS_Palm_Lvr]

The app store still doesn't show me Paid aps (only free Apps), so I use Preware and UberAppCat (available in the free App Catalog) to get paid apps. I'm still waiting on Palm for a callback regarding this issue...

That about sums up the experience...

Did you lose any apps you'd already paid for?


-- Sent from my Palm Pre using Forums

[jhoove09#IM]

Thanks hboisvert. I do have both of these apps hacked onto my original Bell Pre and they work wonderfully!

Has anyone tried to hack these apps onto a Pre2?

Yes, Here are a few links to help you out. I don't think anyone has tried the SPrint Nav app as of yet.

Mobile Hotspot on Pre2 is not working as of yet but on the last page of this thread, you'll see that webOS internals is working on the required service to get it up and running.

As far as Sprint Nav goes, it has been done but requires some system files inside the app to be edited. See the post and thread here.

[hboisvert]

Did you lose any apps you'd already paid for?

A lot of apps don't work on webOS2, notably AngryBrids, Everlands and other games. I also use Noted which the app catalog also says is incompatible (although the developer doesn't know why it would say that). I use the Beta version for now.

However, I didn't have to re-buy the apps that I re-downloaded, so I'm guessing that as the apps get updated to work with webOS 2.0, I'll be able to re-download without paying for them again.

[mthillis]

You can change any bell cdma phone to an unlocked hspa phone yourself. You just need a SIM card, and you use the Bell self care website, manage features, change my phone. You input the IMEI and the SIM card numbers, decide whether or not to keep the same plan, and your number will be switched to the new SIM. The only charge is for the SIM ($5 at a Bell store, also sold other various places for $10). There is no activation charge if you do it online. I have done this with three numbers, no trouble any time. In fact, you can then use the SIM card in any compatible hspa phone without further changes/activation.

The problem with a pre/pixi is that the bell network settings are not baked into WebOS, so unless the phone has been "palm activated" (not just bell activated), you can only get by the first use screen using the metadoctor, or palm's developer tool. Once by the first use screen, you need to get a copy of the CarrierNetworkSettings.db3 file and edit the network settings (there are various posts in the forums for doing this), so that you get data on bell. Rogers (and maybe Telus) setings are already there, so not a problem for Rogers.

The Pre 2 network settings are handled differently, and I don't know if bell is in there from the start. If not, it isn't clear how or what file to edit, as there is no CarrierNetworkSettings.db3 file in the extracted doctor for WebOS 2. Also, is a WebOS 2 metadoctor available?

So, you really don't need to go to a bell store at all, as long as you can get by the first use app and edit the network settings. Also, I don't think that bell will be much help with all of that. It is not their phone and they won't have any idea how to support it or do any of this.

The beauty of doing it this way is that when it is not their phone, their network can't identify it by the IMEI number, and for all they know it as a flip phone. You can put a minimal data plan on it (say mobile browser 50) and carry on. Their phone and they will insist you put a smartphone plan on it. I have an AT&T pre plus, pixi plus, and google nexus one all set up this way, no problems, and I move the SIM cards between them, again no problem.

As an aside, I also have mobile hotspot installed on the pre plus and the pixi plus, working well.

Also, bell does not track data properly on my hspa phones, each session capped at 0.0977 MB, total monthly usage on the bill usually 6-10 MB, but is about 400-700 MB tracked using netstat.

So, the three questions for Pre 2 are metadoctor availability, bell network settings baked in, and how to edit network settings when they are not there by default.

[mthillis]

Also, an above post use pda2.bell.ca as the apn. I think that is the one that tracks data use accurately (it is used in the iphone). Might be better to use pda.bell.ca for the apn. A long list of data settings can be found here:

APNlist - cyanogenmod - page to maintain an accurate working list of APN's for cyanogen (and other?) builds. - Project Hosting on Google Code

[T3CK]

You input the IMEI and the SIM card numbers, decide whether or not to keep the same plan...

The phone IMEI or card IMEI? They both have one.
Which one do I enter? I presume is the card IMEI...

[mthillis]

The phone IMEI. There is a place to enter the SIM card number.

[hboisvert]

Also, an above post use pda2.bell.ca as the apn. I think that is the one that tracks data use accurately (it is used in the iphone). Might be better to use pda.bell.ca for the apn. A long list of data settings can be found here:

APNlist - cyanogenmod - page to maintain an accurate working list of APN's for cyanogen (and other?) builds. - Project Hosting on Google Code

What apn do you use that tracks data oddly (pda or pda2.)?

[hboisvert]

So, the three questions for Pre 2 are metadoctor availability, bell network settings baked in, and how to edit network settings when they are not there by default.

I don't know if there is a metadoctor, but I didn't need it. The settings are not baked in, but there is a scene to edit the apn information easily. You can access it right after the profile login failed. Type the new info, reboot and you're all set. No need for the db3 edit.

[mthillis]

Excellent. In WebOS 1.X, there is a screen to do that but if the settings you enter are not in the db3 file it won't accept them.

[mthillis]

What apn do you use that tracks data oddly (pda or pda2.)?

The apn pda.bell.ca (at least for me and many others) uses a session "cap" of 0.0977 MB, and a session lasts for anything from a few minutes to a day. The apn pda2.bell.ca tracks data accurately. It is used with the iphone, and I think is used with the hspa devices bell sells. In some of these locked devices it may not be user configurable.

In my google nexus one the data settings can be entered manually, and with my unlocked pre plus and pixi plus I had to edit the CarrierNetworkSettings.db3 file. I have to admit I have not actually used the pda2.bell.ca apn, but from reading many, many posts it seems that one does track data accurately.

With the pre/pixi, when setting them up, I tried to do it without meta-doctoring. You start with the palm profile page, which fails because you don't have a data connection. You are then given an option to enter an apn, but that fails too, I think because even though you can enter settings, those settings must exist in the db3 file for it to work - a catch 22. It seems from a post above that this may be fixed for WebOS 2.

[hboisvert]

It seems from a post above that this may be fixed for WebOS 2.

I can't tell if it's in the db3 file or not, but it worked for me.

[antondat]

I am living in Vietnam. I got Palm Pre 2 from HP site in USA. I can use with any SIM in my country. I am planing to switch radio board from Palm Pre to Pre 2 to use 3G network

[T3CK]

I've got the phone today and activate it with no problems over eCare using pda.bell.ca setting.

Unfortunately, nothing changed with Palm products:
- their WebOS is simply brilliant packed on a poorly manufactured/assembled phone

There is some nasty light leakage on the middle right side of the phone, as well a dead pixel. The leak is a huge spot, about half inch height and 1/8th wide. It lights up like a Christmas tree when you look at the phone a little from the right side. It would of been toooo great getting the right phone from the start. It reminds me that I had to change 4 phones, in order to get a properly working one, with no Oreo and bad leak screens. I cannot do this because I purchased this phone in States.

I thought Palm learned the lesson, but it looks they dealt again with the same cheapass manufacturer to install delicate hardware. That screen looks like some guy sit on it while he eat his lunch, then he realized his error and installed the screen anyways into phone. Let's put it this way, my old Pre screen looks a million times better.

Can you confirm if you also have light leakage on the middle right side of the screen?
Curious if this is a general issue, so I can feel better a little.

Also, every time I reboot the phone, I'm welcomed by a page related to SIM services, phone numbers etc. How can I disable that?

In conclusion, a much as I love WebOS, I'm more and more inclined to abandon Palm because of their low hardware quality. At work there are 4-5guys in my team all with Galaxy phones. That phone uses the same Gorilla screen and is simply perfectly assembled, no leaks on any of their phones. I looked at their phones because I was hesitant in getting a similar one. So it is obviously not the screen quality but how you install that screen into phone.

[hboisvert]

Can you confirm if you also have light leakage on the middle right side of the screen?
Curious if this is a general issue, so I can feel better a little.

Also, every time I reboot the phone, I'm welcomed by a page related to SIM services, phone numbers etc. How can I disable that?

Well, mine feels quite right. There is no light leakage or manufacturing defects. Feels quite solid to me.

I also have the SIM services app on boot, but I don't reboot that often, so it's not a big deal for me.