G1 in lands without T-Mobile + unlocking?

**AION** · 02-25-2009, 06:12 AM

Hi everyone!

I made the decision at last to join the ever growing Android userbase

A little history about this decision:

Ever since I saw the first talk about Google Phone and things I have been very excited. I exactly don't love Google but I have been fond to it for a very long time. I like their work on Wine and all the google apps (mostly maps and gmail).

Then the Android got revealed and I was so .... I'm pretty much *NIX fanboy and I couldn't even imagine Google + Linux based OS + SmartPhone...

So when I saw the G1 first time I felt a sudden and strong urge to get one. But here we crash into hard times. I live up here north of Europe in Finland. So there isn't T-Mobile here so I wouldn't be able to use any T-Mobile service and in a first place I should need to order the device from some other country.

Then Google announces Dev Phone at a decent price point (399$). I was allmost ordering it allrdy but then I hit the wall, ordering and tolls would be 199$ and joining dev's would cost 25$. It sums up to 623$ which makes roughly 500€. That was just bit too much for me.

Now T-Mobile made the G1 awailable in Europe, escpecially in Germany which made my day. I have been ordering PC parts and things from there because they are 10 to 20% cheaper there than in Finland.

I begun to scout how I would be able to use the G1 in Finland and found some unlocking info's around the net and some service which sells the code's for 25$ and I would just need to send my IMEI.

So I found Germany phonestore which was selling G1 for 350€ and sending them to Finland for 25€ extra. So I ordered mine with T-Mobile Prepaid (10€) if I would need to access the phone before unlocking code gets to me.

I put the T-Mobile thing in and hasslet around with the device yeasterday night and I fell in love. I specified my Service providers APN into phone and was ready to buy the unlock code.

HERE IS WHERE THE MYSTERIOUS PART STARTS:

I just put my Service Providers SIM card in BEFORE ordering the unlock code. G1 asked my PIN, contacted to 3G and normal network automatically and asked me to log into Google. I did it and the phone started to work correctly without any word that I don't have T-Mobile SIM? All things like market and 3G, GPS, Wifi, EDGE, calling with the phone and sanding / recieving SMS/MMS works...

Is this supposed to happen?

**deserttopping** · 02-25-2009, 06:18 AM

welcome to AC, AION!

**gbk1** · 02-25-2009, 06:40 AM

Welcome to AC!

As far as I know you got yourself an unlocked G1. Try a friend's SIM, diff carrier, and that'll put you to rest.

**GasBot** · 02-25-2009, 09:36 AM

You're asking if the phone is supposed to work? Yes.

**AION** · 02-25-2009, 01:36 PM

I'm asking if it is supposed to work without unlocking. I'm pretty amazed.

And btw, the phone just didn't meet my expections, it does 10 times better

**cal3thousand** · 02-25-2009, 03:54 PM

But you are using TMO prepaid? they have a network that you can use it on in Finland?

**AION** · 02-26-2009, 07:11 PM

No, I just tried it and bought it to get IMEI and stuff if the phone wouldn't let me in with Finnish SIM-card.
I'm not using it and btw I think it got drained when i inserted it first and phone begun roaming :P If I try to call it some chick begins to talk germnay to me and I don't get a word without google translating it

Now I'm curious about the updates. I have been hassling around in the internet and some ppl say that it is Google who pushes the updates and some say it is TMO...

Atleast I have build 123099, and it is not the newest available in EU..

SO how it is? Will I get the updates or not? Should I try some SD card updating if I find the 128XXXX OS somewhere?

And TMO hasn't network in Finland but it got into "Saunalahti" 3G atleast. (because I specced that into APN) So it is just considered as foregion phone here.