Is this the best phone for going international?

[JQuill]

HTC Shift
http://www.htc.com/www/product/shift/specification.html
(Would be running Linux on it with international sim not Vista Business)

HTC HD 2
http://www.htc.com/www/product/hd2/specification.html

Sprint TP2
http://www.htc.com/us/product/touchp.../overview.html


Okay so....

Right now I have the Sprint Diamond, and the European Hero (Unlocked GSM). I use the Hero whenever I'm in London, and I use the Diamond whenever I'm in the states.


Now let it be said that whatever carrier or plan I am on makes no difference to me. I am simply asking about which device is best and I am aware that I'd have to go with different carriers to get diff. devices.

With the Sprint TP2 having a sim card slot, if that ***** can ever get unlocked I would probably just use the Sprint TP2 for everything and keep my international sim in that device 24/7 and just turn GSM mode on whenever I'm in London.

OR

I could get an HTC Shift, and put Linux on it, using it internationally and in the states with AT&T. (or figure out a way to steal a TP2 sprint sim card and make other phones work on sprint...please let somebody here be smart enough to do that)

OR

I could wait for the HD2 to come out and use that internationally and in the states (it will be compatible with AT&T's 3g network so high speed data will work in the states...similar to the unlocked GSM Hero I have now, the antenna can read AT&T's 3g network(


So...which would you go with. Sprint TP2, HTC Shift, or wait for the HTC HD2?

[mseck]

hey buddy

I would go with the Touch pro. I travel between France and the states and the Touch pro 2 has not let me down so far. all i do is call my carrier(Sprint) to have it switch to GSM and voila! i am using my touch pro 2. i have not drop or miss call since i bought it.
Having only ONE DEVICE, made my life more easy.

From where i stand i would recommend the touch pro to anyone for international trips.

[psycho_maniac]

mseck when you go international does your phone number change?

[MadlyAlive]

What kind of roaming charges do you incur? Are they different than roaming in CDMA in other countries?

I'm in Mexico 4 - 6 times a year and pay $1.50/min voice, $.20/SMS (or it could be $.30) and $0.002/KB Data in Mexico (I don't travel overseas very often).

[p-slim]

Originally Posted by psycho_maniac

mseck when you go international does your phone number change?

if you use the sprint sim then you're number won't change, but you will be charged whatever sprint charges for overseas calls. if you pop in a random sim it will be waaaay less expensive but it will be a random number.

[mseck]

No it doesn't

PS: so if i buy a random sim card , i will not need sprint for coverage
?
i will try that next month.

[bikeandestroyx]

I would say the leo or the shift if you want like a netbook type device.
The pro2 is the lowest end of the three devices, and im guessing you just buy a prepaid simcard in london.
I would buy the leo because of how nice it is, but the shift is good if you dont mind carrying it around.
Leo has the best specs on a smartphone ATM.

[JQuill]

Thanks for all the help guys. To answer some questions...

I don't use an international PREPAID sim....I have a plan with Vodaphone for when I'm overseas. I work in london once every two months for about a month at a time, so using prepaid service for international calling isn't an option I'd be spending way too much money if I did it that way.

To the guy who said he was calling to and from mexico a lot....from being a former Sprint employee, I can say that those prices seem a little high. I know Sprint offers an option (I'm pretty sure they still do, I haven't worked for them in a few years) where it's $5 a month on your plan and having that option basically cuts what you pay for international roaming and calls in half. Mexico should only be like .50 to .60 cents a minute, it also depends on where you're calling, some areas are cheaper.



The thing is I'd love to just pick up the TP2. But the Leo (HD2) is going to be one of the best phones out there. The only thing I'd be worried about as far as how much I like using it is the lack of a slide out Qwerty. After using the Diamond I really missed my keyboard after a while, especially on such a tiny screen where typing e-mails is a chore every time. But with a bigger screen it might not be as bad. I think I'm going to pick up the TP2 soon and if I find that it's too slow or that I'm just not using the Qwerty because I don't need to then I'll grab the Leo.

[pimpsuprazx]

Originally Posted by JQuill

Thanks for all the help guys. To answer some questions...

I don't use an international PREPAID sim....I have a plan with Vodaphone for when I'm overseas. I work in london once every two months for about a month at a time, so using prepaid service for international calling isn't an option I'd be spending way too much money if I did it that way.

To the guy who said he was calling to and from mexico a lot....from being a former Sprint employee, I can say that those prices seem a little high. I know Sprint offers an option (I'm pretty sure they still do, I haven't worked for them in a few years) where it's $5 a month on your plan and having that option basically cuts what you pay for international roaming and calls in half. Mexico should only be like .50 to .60 cents a minute, it also depends on where you're calling, some areas are cheaper.



The thing is I'd love to just pick up the TP2. But the Leo (HD2) is going to be one of the best phones out there. The only thing I'd be worried about as far as how much I like using it is the lack of a slide out Qwerty. After using the Diamond I really missed my keyboard after a while, especially on such a tiny screen where typing e-mails is a chore every time. But with a bigger screen it might not be as bad. I think I'm going to pick up the TP2 soon and if I find that it's too slow or that I'm just not using the Qwerty because I don't need to then I'll grab the Leo.

correct me if I am mistaken but doesn't the leo have the same size screen as a tp2? if so using the onscreen keyboard is still a chore in landscape mode and I'm using fingerkeyboard, but I got some big fingers so it could be ok for you lol

[bsweetness]

Originally Posted by pimpsuprazx

correct me if I am mistaken but doesn't the leo have the same size screen as a tp2? if so using the onscreen keyboard is still a chore in landscape mode and I'm using fingerkeyboard, but I got some big fingers so it could be ok for you lol

No, the HD2 (Leo) has a 4.3 inch screen while the TP2 has a 3.6 inch screen. The HD2 also has a capacitive screen instead of a resistive screen like the TP2, which means using an onscreen keyboard will be easier.