Baby Wong ™
New member
Everyone knows i got a Q. So after a few days of work i got it to work. (If your buying one from Verizon it'll take longer. From sprint even longer.) So i thought i'd make a write up of what i've done / what to expect if you get a Q for Cricket.
[This is only containing my experience. Mine was already on cricket when i got it, In fact the person i bought it from had used if for a little while on cricket before selling, It has some wording in it which might make it sound like its meant for those of you who are buying direct from a verizon store. Which is beacuse i'm planning to make it so it has both. Use at your own risk!]
A) The purchase.
Remeraber when you buy. Your not going to get one for 99.00. Your buying without a contract which means you could pay near full price for a Q if your buying new. but for those of you who buy used or who don't really want to spend that much you can get one from 130.00 - 299.99 up and still be doing fine.
The place i recommend to get one is Craigslist. Its good as you can shop locally. and in most cases pickup same day / next day if your ready to get started.
B) What you'll get.
Most of the time you'll get, a Moto Q, a charger, battery and door and sometimes a box and cable with the manual and CD. In my case the seller didn't have it (He thought he did, He apologized.) so i got a Q (Has some scratch's but nothing that i can't tolerate. the worst one is on the Battery cover. I'll get into that later.) a battery door and extended 1640mAH battery. along with a charger. and i appear to have lucked out. As the price of that was only 150.00.
C) What you'll need
If your Q is **PRE-FLASHED** for cricket
A cricket line of service. (You'll probably have a phone already.)
Some codes (Keep reading for those)
Either a computer with bluetooth, or a USB Cable.
15.00 (For the re-programming fee.)
Some patience and time.
If your Q is *NOT Pre-Flashed** for Cricket
Working on it.
D) Start here.
for *pre-flashed Q's*
Once you have your Q than you'll need to charge the battery. You can program while charging.
You'll need your MDN and MIN and your Sys ID.
I don't know the code for all phone's but on Motorola's you'll need to press 4-7-6-6-3-# and then CLR twice. You might get prompted to enter your security code (0000 if you haven't changed it) but you shouldn't get prompted for a Subsidy Code. (If you do 33333 seems to work on this screen.)
Once you get done with that you should be in the User Activation menu for NAM1. This should show:
-Your MIN
-Your MDN
-CDMA Sys ID
-IMSI_11_12
Write down your MDN and MIN along with your Sys ID. IMSI... should be 00. or it was in my case.
Once you've written that down power down your phone. and power up your Q if it isnt already. than you'll need to dial
#-#-0-7-3-8-8-7-* and press send.
You should be taken to a screen and prompted to enter your security code (The header should say "SPC Check") On most Q's it will be 000000. If you enter 000000 but nothing shows on screen than press the Alt button. Its the black / silver key below A or * on Verizon Q's. You should then see a list of items after entering your security code. You'll need to go to "B. User Activation" and NAM1. You'll then get fielRAB for your MDN, MIN, Sys ID, and IMSI_11...
After entering those hit Done. Then power off and power on your phone. When you power on you should see "Home Service" displayed. From there you'll need to either call customer service, or visit a cricket store. As if you try to call a phone nuraber besides *228 or 611 you'll get "Your phone is not authorized to make calls at this time."
What you'll need is behind the battery or in Start>Settings>Phone Settings (Which can be accessed by hitting "G. More" two times or hitting right on the D-Pad 2 times.) You'll then need to go to "A. Phone Information" under the software version information you should see your ESN. mine is 0x...
From what i've been told you can call Cricket and have them add that to there system. If you get asked what phone say either CPE (Customer Provided Equipment) or a RAZR. Some have had more luck with CPE than saying a RAZR but its your choice. If you go into the store you'll get charged a 15.00 re-programming fee. (I think. I did)
After your done with all that your phone *Should* make a phone call. Try calling voice mail. If you here "Please enter your password" (For those who require your password when calling from your own phone.) then you'll have success. In my case a *228 wasn't required. It began to make phone calls right after the ESN was put into the system (It took no longer than 10 seconRAB for it to go into effect. As they called it right after i paid the 15.00 before i left to make sure everything was working.)
Once its running.
So you've got it making phone calls (It make a stunning phone call for a Win Mobile device and for a phone.) and your now interested in getting music, movies and other things like pictures on it. That's where either bluetooth or a USB Cable comes in handy.
Via bluetooth its really simple. Go to Start>Bluetooth and turn bluetooth on. [don't forget to turn it off! This thing drains the battery like nuts while bluetooth is on for extended amounts of time.] and check "Allow other Bluetooth devices to see this device" (So your computer can find the Q.)
Once your all connected you can drop things into the My Documents folder. Including:
Images: .jpg .jpeg .gif
Movies: .mpg .wmv .mpg4 [No .AVI .mov etc]
On pictures it will display them in the pictures application. And does so quite quickly. On movies it will open them in Windows Media Player. I've played movies in size from 3.6rab all the way up to 100.00rab and its played them flawlessly. With only a little delay on the 100.00rab video's.
[Tip: While in the pictures application click "Menu" and you'll get the option o set the current picture as the Home Screen image. Choose the transparency and it will set it as the image you see when your in idle.]
Applications:
App's that are designed for WM5 and don't require a touch screen seem to work fine. You'll need to use ActiveSync (Windows only) to install some but after the install they seem to work fine.
Games:
It comes with two games. Bubble Breaker and Solitare. Either i'm easily entertained or Bubble Breaker is fun as i lost 30 minutes just playing Bubble Breaker.
Text files:
It'll open power-point files along with Word Documents, Excell documents and .txt doc's. But you can't edit them. There are a few free app's that will edit .txt's but i haven't had much luck on finding ones for word doc's yet.
WAP & MMS.
Go to:
http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1177038
or to beezlewaxin's profile and click "View posts by beezlewaxin" He's got the Q Wap and MMS thing covered so well it makes me dizzy.
Web Services (Twitter etc)
If you have WAP working than you should be able to use any web service that allows you to use the service via a web page. For twitter, Beacuse the shortcode for them, 40404 doesn't work you can go to m.twitter.com and make tweets that way.
Cases, Accoories. etc
I'd suggest getting the Extended battery if your planning on using Bluetooth for long or being away from a charger for extended amounts of time. Either way i'd suggest getting a car charger (Go official motorola. Its a little bit more but i'd suggest it just to be safe.) It does make it slightly thicker. But no more than half a RAZR V3.
On cases i'm not really sure what i'd do. As i'm still looking for cases that will fit the extended battery. I would at the least suggest a screen protector. I use Fellows WriteRight. They go for about 4.99 - 6.99 at your local wal-mart electronics isle. They're usually in the corner towarRAB the end of the cell phone cases.
HeaRABets:
Bluetooth: I use a Motorola H300 and HS850. They're both great and sync perfectly with the Q. The HS850 is slightly more (at nearly 89.99) but does a better job at filtering sound than the H300 but if you don't need alot of sound filtering than the H300 should be fine (H300 goes for about 39.99 or is included in the V3c Value pack from Cricket.) i purchase mine at the local corp. cricket store just because its convenient and i can take a look at whats new etc etc.
Part II: My review
I haven't had alot of time with the Q, but from the time i have had i cal tell you i'm very very happy with it. I'd rate it above my old Blackberry 7105t, My RAZR, W370 or my Sidekick 2. I'm a mac user and admit that Windows Mobile isnt that bad. Its slow and lacking in some area's but shine's above the Blackberry interface in others. Overall pretty good.
Calls:
I've been extremely happy with call quality on the Q. It makes calls that are as good if not better than on my V3 or V3c. Calls come in clear and go out clear as well. Never had a prolem with being to quiet on either end. Really a stellar device for making phone calls.
Size:
Its thin. As thin as my RAZR or V3c. Even though its taller and wider than the RAZR, it still feels nice in the pocket and doesn't make a bulge like many smartphones do.
Runtimes:
Overall i get about 4-5 hours of talk time before i need to charge. It will go up if i would use the app's more but as i don't make phone call alot like most (I make plenty of calls, I'm just not on there for 2 hours)
The screen:
(Image scaled down to be easier on users with slower connections.)
Overall the screen is very very very veery good. It displays video crisp and clear with very few signs of artifacts and has a high refresh rate. Much better than the SK2 or SK3.
The Keypad:
It does take a little while to get used to. But once you get used to it you'll be able to send out messages very quickly. It didn't take me more than an hour to get used to it.
The Camera:
(Image scaled down.)
Overall the camera is very good. 1.3MP with 6x Digital Zoom and a flash. Its an improvement over the 1.3MP camera in the V3c as it can do a higher resolution picture.
Video:
(On screen is BBC News 24 - UK Only)
Overall:
I think the Q is a very nice device. And even though i've only had it for a little while, I already like it alot.
4.7 stars.
Did i miss something? Something wrong? Something not working? Reply or PM me.
(I set a new personal record for longest forum i've made :lol: )
[This is only containing my experience. Mine was already on cricket when i got it, In fact the person i bought it from had used if for a little while on cricket before selling, It has some wording in it which might make it sound like its meant for those of you who are buying direct from a verizon store. Which is beacuse i'm planning to make it so it has both. Use at your own risk!]
A) The purchase.
Remeraber when you buy. Your not going to get one for 99.00. Your buying without a contract which means you could pay near full price for a Q if your buying new. but for those of you who buy used or who don't really want to spend that much you can get one from 130.00 - 299.99 up and still be doing fine.
The place i recommend to get one is Craigslist. Its good as you can shop locally. and in most cases pickup same day / next day if your ready to get started.
B) What you'll get.
Most of the time you'll get, a Moto Q, a charger, battery and door and sometimes a box and cable with the manual and CD. In my case the seller didn't have it (He thought he did, He apologized.) so i got a Q (Has some scratch's but nothing that i can't tolerate. the worst one is on the Battery cover. I'll get into that later.) a battery door and extended 1640mAH battery. along with a charger. and i appear to have lucked out. As the price of that was only 150.00.
C) What you'll need
If your Q is **PRE-FLASHED** for cricket
A cricket line of service. (You'll probably have a phone already.)
Some codes (Keep reading for those)
Either a computer with bluetooth, or a USB Cable.
15.00 (For the re-programming fee.)
Some patience and time.
If your Q is *NOT Pre-Flashed** for Cricket
Working on it.
D) Start here.
for *pre-flashed Q's*
Once you have your Q than you'll need to charge the battery. You can program while charging.
You'll need your MDN and MIN and your Sys ID.
I don't know the code for all phone's but on Motorola's you'll need to press 4-7-6-6-3-# and then CLR twice. You might get prompted to enter your security code (0000 if you haven't changed it) but you shouldn't get prompted for a Subsidy Code. (If you do 33333 seems to work on this screen.)
Once you get done with that you should be in the User Activation menu for NAM1. This should show:
-Your MIN
-Your MDN
-CDMA Sys ID
-IMSI_11_12
Write down your MDN and MIN along with your Sys ID. IMSI... should be 00. or it was in my case.
Once you've written that down power down your phone. and power up your Q if it isnt already. than you'll need to dial
#-#-0-7-3-8-8-7-* and press send.
You should be taken to a screen and prompted to enter your security code (The header should say "SPC Check") On most Q's it will be 000000. If you enter 000000 but nothing shows on screen than press the Alt button. Its the black / silver key below A or * on Verizon Q's. You should then see a list of items after entering your security code. You'll need to go to "B. User Activation" and NAM1. You'll then get fielRAB for your MDN, MIN, Sys ID, and IMSI_11...
After entering those hit Done. Then power off and power on your phone. When you power on you should see "Home Service" displayed. From there you'll need to either call customer service, or visit a cricket store. As if you try to call a phone nuraber besides *228 or 611 you'll get "Your phone is not authorized to make calls at this time."
What you'll need is behind the battery or in Start>Settings>Phone Settings (Which can be accessed by hitting "G. More" two times or hitting right on the D-Pad 2 times.) You'll then need to go to "A. Phone Information" under the software version information you should see your ESN. mine is 0x...
From what i've been told you can call Cricket and have them add that to there system. If you get asked what phone say either CPE (Customer Provided Equipment) or a RAZR. Some have had more luck with CPE than saying a RAZR but its your choice. If you go into the store you'll get charged a 15.00 re-programming fee. (I think. I did)
After your done with all that your phone *Should* make a phone call. Try calling voice mail. If you here "Please enter your password" (For those who require your password when calling from your own phone.) then you'll have success. In my case a *228 wasn't required. It began to make phone calls right after the ESN was put into the system (It took no longer than 10 seconRAB for it to go into effect. As they called it right after i paid the 15.00 before i left to make sure everything was working.)
Once its running.
So you've got it making phone calls (It make a stunning phone call for a Win Mobile device and for a phone.) and your now interested in getting music, movies and other things like pictures on it. That's where either bluetooth or a USB Cable comes in handy.
Via bluetooth its really simple. Go to Start>Bluetooth and turn bluetooth on. [don't forget to turn it off! This thing drains the battery like nuts while bluetooth is on for extended amounts of time.] and check "Allow other Bluetooth devices to see this device" (So your computer can find the Q.)
Once your all connected you can drop things into the My Documents folder. Including:
Images: .jpg .jpeg .gif
Movies: .mpg .wmv .mpg4 [No .AVI .mov etc]
On pictures it will display them in the pictures application. And does so quite quickly. On movies it will open them in Windows Media Player. I've played movies in size from 3.6rab all the way up to 100.00rab and its played them flawlessly. With only a little delay on the 100.00rab video's.
[Tip: While in the pictures application click "Menu" and you'll get the option o set the current picture as the Home Screen image. Choose the transparency and it will set it as the image you see when your in idle.]
Applications:
App's that are designed for WM5 and don't require a touch screen seem to work fine. You'll need to use ActiveSync (Windows only) to install some but after the install they seem to work fine.
Games:
It comes with two games. Bubble Breaker and Solitare. Either i'm easily entertained or Bubble Breaker is fun as i lost 30 minutes just playing Bubble Breaker.
Text files:
It'll open power-point files along with Word Documents, Excell documents and .txt doc's. But you can't edit them. There are a few free app's that will edit .txt's but i haven't had much luck on finding ones for word doc's yet.
WAP & MMS.
Go to:
http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1177038
or to beezlewaxin's profile and click "View posts by beezlewaxin" He's got the Q Wap and MMS thing covered so well it makes me dizzy.
Web Services (Twitter etc)
If you have WAP working than you should be able to use any web service that allows you to use the service via a web page. For twitter, Beacuse the shortcode for them, 40404 doesn't work you can go to m.twitter.com and make tweets that way.
Cases, Accoories. etc
I'd suggest getting the Extended battery if your planning on using Bluetooth for long or being away from a charger for extended amounts of time. Either way i'd suggest getting a car charger (Go official motorola. Its a little bit more but i'd suggest it just to be safe.) It does make it slightly thicker. But no more than half a RAZR V3.
On cases i'm not really sure what i'd do. As i'm still looking for cases that will fit the extended battery. I would at the least suggest a screen protector. I use Fellows WriteRight. They go for about 4.99 - 6.99 at your local wal-mart electronics isle. They're usually in the corner towarRAB the end of the cell phone cases.
HeaRABets:
Bluetooth: I use a Motorola H300 and HS850. They're both great and sync perfectly with the Q. The HS850 is slightly more (at nearly 89.99) but does a better job at filtering sound than the H300 but if you don't need alot of sound filtering than the H300 should be fine (H300 goes for about 39.99 or is included in the V3c Value pack from Cricket.) i purchase mine at the local corp. cricket store just because its convenient and i can take a look at whats new etc etc.
Part II: My review
I haven't had alot of time with the Q, but from the time i have had i cal tell you i'm very very happy with it. I'd rate it above my old Blackberry 7105t, My RAZR, W370 or my Sidekick 2. I'm a mac user and admit that Windows Mobile isnt that bad. Its slow and lacking in some area's but shine's above the Blackberry interface in others. Overall pretty good.
Calls:
I've been extremely happy with call quality on the Q. It makes calls that are as good if not better than on my V3 or V3c. Calls come in clear and go out clear as well. Never had a prolem with being to quiet on either end. Really a stellar device for making phone calls.
Size:
Its thin. As thin as my RAZR or V3c. Even though its taller and wider than the RAZR, it still feels nice in the pocket and doesn't make a bulge like many smartphones do.
Runtimes:
Overall i get about 4-5 hours of talk time before i need to charge. It will go up if i would use the app's more but as i don't make phone call alot like most (I make plenty of calls, I'm just not on there for 2 hours)
The screen:
(Image scaled down to be easier on users with slower connections.)
Overall the screen is very very very veery good. It displays video crisp and clear with very few signs of artifacts and has a high refresh rate. Much better than the SK2 or SK3.
The Keypad:
It does take a little while to get used to. But once you get used to it you'll be able to send out messages very quickly. It didn't take me more than an hour to get used to it.
The Camera:
(Image scaled down.)
Overall the camera is very good. 1.3MP with 6x Digital Zoom and a flash. Its an improvement over the 1.3MP camera in the V3c as it can do a higher resolution picture.
Video:
(On screen is BBC News 24 - UK Only)
Overall:
I think the Q is a very nice device. And even though i've only had it for a little while, I already like it alot.
4.7 stars.
Did i miss something? Something wrong? Something not working? Reply or PM me.
(I set a new personal record for longest forum i've made :lol: )