Using TMO Android smartphones when overseas
 

The nice thing about the BB is when traveling over is turning on TMO's unlimited email service for $19.99/month. Apparently if you purchase an Android phone, regardless of model/maker, there is no comparable plan. You're charged on usage basis [$15 per mb].

My question - for those with android phones - assuming reasonable email usage without a lot of attachments being downloaded, what would one expect for usage fees?

Well, 1MB = $19. So check how much data you use on a normal basis, and you'll probably exceed $60/day. There are also so many processes that run in the background, weather, news, updates and more - so if you are not very, very careful, you'll pull 10MB in a matter of minutes. I'm a heavy user, and I got well over 5GB/month.

Those people that end up with $4000 bills are not all morons - they just underestimate how quickly data is moved around.

Bottom line, unless someone else is paying the bills, get it unlocked and go prepaid, or disable data roaming and stick to Wi-Fi.

An easy way to disable data roaming is to download the free app APNdroid. Add the widget to your home screen, and just tap it to turn data on or off. All it does is prepent "APNdroid" to your active APN, effectively disabling data.

Maybe I wasn't clear, my bad.
TMO's international email plan gives free email and I know TMO also charges for data [$15 or $19 per mb :) ]. I was referring to only emails and not surfing internet [downloading data, checking weather, sports, news, etc].

Also, not familar with android but is there way to pull vs push email? With iPhone, you can configure settings to:
1. fetching emails manually.
2. turning off network

If android has similar functions, then I could wait to download emails until i'm connected to wifi.

Well, here is the problem - the Blackberry unlimited international plan is designed for email that passes through the Blackberry servers, which is why they are able to determine just how much data you use for email, and what you use for other services.

This means that the Blackberry email service will most likely not work with an Android phone.

It may, it may not - the risk is too great for me to find out the hard way.

The BlackBerry international plan is just email -- a lot of other network traffic gets charged at the same $15/MB rate. If it's really important to you to have push email while abroad, then you should stay with the T-Mobile BlackBerry plan.

There's no setting (as far as I know) for limiting what sort of traffic your Android draws from the network, but rest assured that just leaving it on will incur giant roaming fees since the device is constantly updating all kinds of things in the background. Best to stick with wi-fi and no data roaming (which still allows calls, texts, and other network traffic through).

Thanks - this really helps. I will call TMO tomorrow and find out if the following is permitted:

1. If and when i get android phone, I know I have to sign up for both voice and data plan [need data plan to activate the phone and various functions]. And lock myself for 2 year contract :(

2. When I go on one of my regular overseas trips, can I revert back to my BB plan (data) without any penalties and/or re-set the two year contract clock.

That way, I can switch to my BB when overseas, and use the android with a prepaid local country sim.

PS: ScottC - didn't mean to imply trying BB email plan on the Android phone; realize that's wouldn't work :)

T-Mobile doesn't use the same frequencies as networks overseas, does it?

So do their Android phones get full speed on HSPA networks in Europe?

Are there phones which support TMO's US and worldwide 3G frequencies? Given that TMO has European networks, you would think they'd distribute phones which support their networks overseas.

I think many of the TMobile phones support the 2100mhz frequency needed for 3G in Europe. What about renting a SIm from iPhone trip or a MiFi from xcomglobal?

I think you can, if the plan is currently offered each time you call. I'm not sure which data plans Tmo currently offers, though. I have been using my Nexus One with my grandfathered Unlimited Blackberry plan ($20/month) for quite some time now.

Most phones that Tmo sells support its AWS 3G frequency as well as the world standard 2100 MHz 3G frequency.

Yup.

Just finished long chat with TMO CS.
Bottom line - for my needs, best to purchase Android phone via craigslist or elsewhere, and sticking with my current TMO plan. If I was to purchase android phone from TMO, i would have to sign 2 yr contract plus anytime I wanted to use my BB when traveling, I would pay for the regular Android data plan, plus BB email plan, plus international unlimited BB plan.

Only downside to buying my own phone is that for the newer G2 or Mytouch4G, just won't get "HSPA speed", just 3G service. This way I can swap back to BB anytime I'm overseas.

I just got off the phone with TMO, and the CS agent I spoke with told me that WiFi data is still chargeable! And, calling/texting on a WiFi connection incurs the same charges as standard network calling.

Did I just get crappy information?

Completely clueless rep.

They are also confusing a couple of things.

1) ALL data on Wi-Fi is 100% free. T-Mobile will never ever bill you for that

2) SOME T-Mobile devices can make calls and send/receive SMS over Wi-Fi. When you have one of those devices, calls made of WI-Fi come out of your regular pool of minutes, and text messages are charged, or come out of your SMS allowance.

OK, so please bear with me. I do have a G2 which supports calling/SMS over WiFi. And, I have unlimited texting and minutes. So theoretically these ocme OUT of my unlimited "pool", but there's no incremental cost such as there would be with roaming?

Thanks so much for your help... indeed, a clueless rep.

TMO CS is usually pretty knowledgeable and helpful, maybe you didn't frame your questions or quoted here out of context.

1. First, I assume you're addressing calls/txt when overseas - either to international or stateside mobile numbers?

2. I am not familiar with any TMO plan that permits unlimited text when overseas - I do know there is a $5/month plan -- whereby you can text from states to international mobile phones. Also I'm not familiar with any program or plan that "supports calling/SMS over WiFi" [except UMA as described #3 below].

3. If the G2 is now configured for UMA calling [I read this was slowly being done OTA], then if you are on wifi connection, calls made to stateside number do not incur international roaming but may come out of your bucket of minutes [unless you have a grandfathered plan, $9.99/month, unlimited UMA calls]