Droid 2 Global on GSM - How bad is it?

[sb56637]

Hi everyone,

I am considering buying a used, unlocked Droid 2 Global for usage with a non-USA GMS 850 MHz network with HSDPA 850 MHz 3.5G internet. I need a phone with a hardware QWERTY keyboard and a fairly modern processor. All my searching suggests that the only two fairly modern phones with QWERTY and a decent processor are the D2G and the HTC Desire Z. The Desire Z is slower and a lot more expensive. The D2G has excellent specs and I really like the design. But...

I've heard a lot of things about GSM "resets" on the Droid 2 Global. How bad is it? Are there any firmware updates that correct the problem? Any other major gotchas with a D2G on GSM? Would I be wasting my money if I buy a D2G for use on a non-USA GSM network with a SIM card?

Thanks!

 

[Reader]

Hi everyone,

I am considering buying a used, unlocked Droid 2 Global for usage with a non-USA GMS 850 MHz network with HSDPA 850 MHz 3.5G internet. I need a phone with a hardware QWERTY keyboard and a fairly modern processor. All my searching suggests that the only two fairly modern phones with QWERTY and a decent processor are the D2G and the HTC Desire Z. The Desire Z is slower and a lot more expensive. The D2G has excellent specs and I really like the design. But...

I've heard a lot of things about GSM "resets" on the Droid 2 Global. How bad is it? Are there any firmware updates that correct the problem? Any other major gotchas with a D2G on GSM? Would I be wasting my money if I buy a D2G for use on a non-USA GSM network with a SIM card?

Thanks!

Well, I don't know about the 850 Mhz but I'm using D2G in Israel on the Orange network (I thinks its 900 Mhz, not sure) with a local (Israel local) Sim card .
I've used the phone with both the VZ Rom and Fisson Rom - both worked very well with no problems at all.

 

[sb56637]

Hmmm, thanks Reader! That's good to hear. Any other opinions?

 

[jb0072011]

Well I use it in Vietnam on a 2100 freq and before this phone I had a moto milestone 1. No question that I got better , more consistant network connection on the milestone. The D2G looses signal easier (no G,E or H on bar) and sometimes even when there is Edge I get an error saying there is a network connectivity problem. I fix these issues by putting the phone in Airplane mode and then back but it only works for a while and the same things happen. Even the voice looses signal faster, example in elevators where the milestone wouldnt. And yes I am using the same SIM in both with the same carrier. I am hoping that the coming GB update will include the rumored updated baseband firmware and fix some of these issues

 

[sb56637]

Hi jb, thanks also for your experiences.

So, it sounds like a toss-up.

I wish there was another decent option for a HSDPA 850 MHz phone with a keyboard.

Anyone else?

 

[jb0072011]

There is: the milestone 2 but the model with 850 is sold in south america and maybe Canada. Same phone but no CDMA stuff, GSM only so probably the radio is better. I bought the D2G in case I go back to the states I can use Verizon.

 

[sb56637]

There is: the milestone 2 but the model with 850 is sold in south america and maybe Canada. Same phone but no CDMA stuff, GSM only so probably the radio is better. I bought the D2G in case I go back to the states I can use Verizon.

Yes, the Milestone 2 would be nice, but it's hard to find used. And there's too many fools who sell these on eBay as a "Droid Milestone 2", so it's hard to be sure they'll send the right one with the compatible frequency.

I wonder if the signal strength issue you mentioned is a software meter calibration issue, or if the actual radio performance is worse compared to your other phone.

 

[leobg]

What jb0072011 reported on 2100 MHz in Vietnam, I can report on 850/1900 (and 2G too) in Canada.
The problem seems to be buggy GSM/UMTS support in D2G. Everyone is giving a big hope on the (ever) upcoming Gingerbread update, but I am somehow pessimistic radio will get properly fixed. We'll see, I guess. Eventually. If that update ever gets released...

D2G is clearly a not good choice for use outside Verizon (or suitable CDMA/EvDO network). You should definitely look elsewhere.
Milestone 2 (the one with 850/1900/2100 bands) is the way to go if you want same hardware experience but without crippled GSM radio (at least Milestone 2 users across the forums do not complain about issues with connectivity). That one is quite difficult to find as it was released only in few South American countries AFAIK. Alternative would be Milestone 2 ME722 which has all the right frequencies you require, which was designed for the Chinese market. It lacks Google apps like market and maps/etc, but I hear there are ways around this, but don't quote me on this. This one is easier to find/purchase.
Alternatively Desire Z would be your way to go. Not a bad phone, certainly no problems with radio and "unlocked bootloader" so you can get rid of unnecessary slowing down things like Sense and put Cyanogen 7 with slightly OC'ed processor it moves as fast if not faster than a Droid 2 Global.

 

[sb56637]

Hi Leobg, thanks for the reply... Hmm that's disappointing.

I wish I could find a GSM 850 Milestone 2. There aren't many out there, especially used.

 

[pkw1]

What jb0072011 reported on 2100 MHz in Vietnam, I can report on 850/1900 (and 2G too) in Canada.
The problem seems to be buggy GSM/UMTS support in D2G. Everyone is giving a big hope on the (ever) upcoming Gingerbread update, but I am somehow pessimistic radio will get properly fixed. We'll see, I guess. Eventually. If that update ever gets released...

D2G is clearly a not good choice for use outside Verizon (or suitable CDMA/EvDO network). You should definitely look elsewhere.
Milestone 2 (the one with 850/1900/2100 bands) is the way to go if you want same hardware experience but without crippled GSM radio (at least Milestone 2 users across the forums do not complain about issues with connectivity). That one is quite difficult to find as it was released only in few South American countries AFAIK. Alternative would be Milestone 2 ME722 which has all the right frequencies you require, which was designed for the Chinese market. It lacks Google apps like market and maps/etc, but I hear there are ways around this, but don't quote me on this. This one is easier to find/purchase.
Alternatively Desire Z would be your way to go. Not a bad phone, certainly no problems with radio and "unlocked bootloader" so you can get rid of unnecessary slowing down things like Sense and put Cyanogen 7 with slightly OC'ed processor it moves as fast if not faster than a Droid 2 Global.

I agree 100% with this, the reception is so unreliable outside of Verizon (or suitable CDMA/EvDO network)... Don't let the name "Global" on this device fool you. I have had mine for 3-4 months now and nothing but trouble.

 

[Byakushiki]

Have any of you tried the RadioComm and local.prop hack? I think it improved how the global handles gsm signal to a point where it's stable and useable.
>Thread on hack here<

 

[jb0072011]

I tried it. Very little change. I still get the signal go from H to E to G in an area of high signal strength. If I set the phone to UMTS only it stays on H but unfortunately when I go into a building or elevator it looses signal. Not just data but phone as well. I have to change it back to automatic mode, at least then I may loose data sometimes but can still use the phone

 

[pkw1]

Have any of you tried the RadioComm and local.prop hack? I think it improved how the global handles gsm signal to a point where it's stable and useable.
>Thread on hack here<

Thanks for the tip Byakushiki, I have tried that too, again, it didnt' help.. reception (phone & data) is still very unstable. I even did a test to see if it was due to the areas I go to.. so I found a place where I get very good reception and sit there with the phone, observing it's behavior.. and found that it's the phone that is unstable, nothing to do with where i am, or how strong of a signal that area has to offer.

 

[Gasai Yuno]

My experience so far:
At home (far eastern Japan, Rausu), Softbank Mobile: near perfect operation.
When on a business trip to Russia: MegaFon: near perfect operation; MTS: crappy coverage and ****ty reception due to the carrier, not the phone (my Nokia 9300 and Motorola V547 show the same issues with signal on MTS).

 

[tsanhan]

hi,

Well, I don't know about the 850 Mhz but I'm using D2G in Israel on the Orange network (I thinks its 900 Mhz, not sure) with a local (Israel local) Sim card .
I've used the phone with both the VZ Rom and Fisson Rom - both worked very well with no problems at all.

hi
my name is victor, and i'm trying to do the same as you, using D2G in Israel on the Orange network.
can u help?
0546-510255 victor