3 X-Series on an unlocked Windows Mobile phone?

MightyMax_3

Hi,

I've read varying reports on whether this will work or not. I've just purchased an unlocked O2 "XDA Exec" (HTC Universal) and hope to use it for mobile browsing and push email, along with standard calls/texts etc. If I take out one of 3's £15 for life contracts and add their x-series package to it, will I be able to use the sim card in the unlocked phone and take advantage of the unlimited data to do this? I hope the answer is yes, but this worries me. Also, if I found myself in an area where there was no 3G coverage, but wanted to check my email, could I do so at GPRS speeds and would I find myself charged extra for that? I'm happy to use gprs where 3G is unavailable, but I can't work out whether it's just the 3G network that is included in the x-series deal.

The x-series packages also confuse me. I couldn't add silve or gold to the £15 contracts, just the standard "x-series". All the discussion I've read has involved people using the silver and gold packages, would I need one of these to unlock the features I want on my unlocked phone? If so then that's fine, I'll take out a slightly more expensive contract, and it means I don't have to rush to get the £15 for life deal, but I'd like to know what the difference between standard x-series and x-series silver is.

I WOULD go with T-Mobile for their web'n'walk package, which sounds much more open and much less confusing. However, I'm currently with Virgin and know from bitter experience that coverage at my home and my place of work is useless and I'm guessing I'd encounter the same issue with T-Mobile as they use the same network? Real shame, because the T-Mobile tariffs really appeal. Bah.

Hopefully somebody will read this post and be able to advise me. Basically I want push email and web browsing on an unlocked HTC Universal, and I don't want to pay through the nose for it!

Many thanks,
Max

z4kir

xseries and xseries silver are both the same except that silver includes skype and Mobile Mail, I've not actually used mobile mail before, both cost an additional £5 so its a bit of a no brainer to go for the silver package in case you change your handset and want to use skype in future.

X-Series/Silver/Gold can be added to any 3 tariff once its begun, you only need to call customer services to activate it did it on the Direct Talker 1000; http://www.three.co.uk/xseries/get_x_series/already_with_3.omp

As to using it in another handset, from what I know aslong as the handset is 3G compatible then it should be fine, just need to set the phone to manual network selection and on 3, should be ok.

Sorry not too sure on how data works when in non 3G areas, haven't encountered one yet. If you set up Mobile Mail it may work in 2g areas aswell?

MightyMax_3

Thanks, I think I'll just go for it and grab one of the £15 for life contracts while they last and see whether or not I can add x-series and if it does what I want it to do. I can always cancel within 14 days, right?

If somebody could confirm that I can add x-series silver to the £15 contracts they're doing atm then I think this is what I'll do. I'm, still open to better suggestions for how to get cheap push email and web browsing with this handset, though!

(If only T-Mobile had decent coverage where I need it... )

z4kir

Three's return policy:

If you're a new Pay Monthly customer and you change your mind and wish to return your mobile, provided you have not used your mobile and have not transferred your mobile number to 3, you can return your mobile and original boxed accessories. You need to bring along your proof of purchase and do this within 14 days of the receipt date, and we'll give you a full refund.

The Returns policy doesn't apply:

* to new Pay Monthly customers who have activated and personalised their handset by inserting a SIM card and turning it on, or
* to new Pay Monthly customers who choose to transfer their mobile number to 3 within 14 days of delivery of their mobile

Ask a question online on their site and they will be able to answer if you can add the xseries, don't see why not.
If you do go for the deal don't forget £55 Quidco, the free bluetooth headset code (from the Ask A Question folks) and the £30 recommend a friend cash (if you dont knw any1 on three then pm me)

rash.m2k

TBH I can't tell the difference between all three? I mean once you've got 1GB of high speed traffic you've got everthing else.

It's easy to install skype, mobile mail (using 3rd party application), and yahoo search........

z4kir

Xseries = Unlimited Browsing + Microsoft Windows Live Messenger + Yahoo! Search + Mobilcast + eBay

Silver = as above + Skype + Mobile Mail

Gold = as above + Orb + Slingbox

Fair enough you can get Skype through other programs but I can assure you the quality is not as good as the Skype application with xseries (it dials a land line number..) Orb and Slingbox are massive bandwidth usage applications which is why they are suited to using only with Gold (hence the additional charge)

rash.m2k

z4kir wrote: »

Xseries = Unlimited Browsing + Microsoft Windows Live Messenger + Yahoo! Search + Mobilcast + eBay

Silver = as above + Skype + Mobile Mail

Gold = as above + Orb + Slingbox

Fair enough you can get Skype through other programs but I can assure you the quality is not as good as the Skype application with xseries (it dials a land line number..) Orb and Slingbox are massive bandwidth usage applications which is why they are suited to using only with Gold (hence the additional charge)

It's pretty good for £5 though. 1GB bandwith! Thats what I had on my home broadband first time I got it!!!!

It's a damn good deal and I think I might get it when I upgrade.

ChemicalBrother_2

On another forum there's talk that on plain Xseries there's many other things that don't work, including streaming radio. These things work with Xseries Silver (and of course, Gold) and as that's the same price, it's better to go for that.

z4kir

ChemicalBrother wrote: »

On another forum there's talk that on plain Xseries there's many other things that don't work, including streaming radio. These things work with Xseries Silver (and of course, Gold) and as that's the same price, it's better to go for that.

Bit of a no brainer to go for the silver package, especially since they are the same price, got my bill the other day and I only used 30mb of data! refuse to use opera mini now... will be caning the bandwidth this month! Bit disappointed I don't use Skype enough... 750 mins suits me fine

rash.m2k

z4kir wrote: »

Bit of a no brainer to go for the silver package, especially since they are the same price, got my bill the other day and I only used 30mb of data! refuse to use opera mini now... will be caning the bandwidth this month! Bit disappointed I don't use Skype enough... 750 mins suits me fine

Yeah obviously they are same price. But I was thinking about gold and silver.

MightyMax_3

Thanks,

I've decided to go for it and hope for the best. Apparently it's very rare to get disconnected for using a non-3 unlocked handset as long as you keep to using UMTS. It would have been nice to roll back to GSM for data access where necessary, but that's a limitation I can probably live with.

One final question, they're offering DirectTalker 1000 with 18 months half-price line rental provided I go with a ghastly cheap pink handset. If I get rid of the handset and use my own new one I've just bought, will they pick up on that and start charging me the full line-rental?

Thanks for the tip about the promo code, btw. Very useful.