Rogers MMS APN Settings for CyanogenMOD 7

16. May 2011 · 14 comments · Categories: Android, Troubleshooting · Tags: , , , ,

I tried firing off an MMS from my Nexus One this morning to a friend only to have it hang on ‘Sending…’ with no network activity. The short version of it is the APN settings for Rogers that are built-in to CyanogenMOD 7 are incorrect. Here’s what you need.

For Data/Text:

Name: Rogers
APN: rogers-core-appl1.apn
Proxy: <Not Set>
Port: <Not Set>
Username: <Not Set>
Password: <Not Set>
Server: <Not Set>
MMSC: <Not Set>
MMS proxy: <Not Set>
MMS port: <Not Set>
MMC: 302 (might be different – is auto-set by your SIM card)
MNC: 720 (might be 72 – is auto0set by your SIM card)
Authentication type: <Not Set>
APN type: <Not Set>
APN protocol: IPv4

For MMS (edit the bottom entry in the APN list called ‘Rogers MMS‘):

Name: Rogers MMS
APN: media.com
Proxy: <Not Set>
Port: <Not Set>
Username: media
Password: mda01
Server: 172.25.0.107
MMSC: http://mms.gprs.rogers.com (IMPORTANT: in the default settings, this is listed as grps rather than gprs – make sure to correct this!)
MMS proxy: 10.128.1.69
MMS port: 80
MMC: 302 (might be different – is auto-set by your SIM card)
MNC: 720 (might be 72 – is auto0set by your SIM card)
Authentication type: <Not Set>
APN type: mms
APN protocol: IPv4

And that should be it. Make sure that the first ‘Rogers’ entry is selected, and your MMS messages should now send correctly.

An HTC DoA: Part 5

30. August 2010 · 1 comment · Categories: Android, Google, Rants, Support · Tags: , , , , ,

Continued from Part 4 (read from the beginning).

I took a trip to the UK at the beginning of the month, and when I returned on the 13th immediately checked my credit card statement. I wasn’t surprised to see that the refund still hadn’t been processed (now past the 14-business-day cut-off mark for credit card refunds). I called HTC yet again, and after a bit of hold time was given some good-ish news.

The agent confirmed that yes, HTC’s warehouse had received my phone and they had accepted it. However, someone at said-warehouse hadn’t closed the ticket in their system which prevented the refund from being processed. I was promised that the ticket would once again be escalated and that the escalations team would get the warehouse to close the ticket and things would get moving again.

I asked if HTC would compensate me for the interest accrued on my credit card from having this charge sitting on it for nearly two months, but was told they wouldn’t do anything. It was worth asking about, though.

So, on Tuesday the 17th I once again checked my credit card statement and there it was! A line item showing a credit for the DoA Nexus One. Although I wasn’t happy with the time it took to deal with the issue, and the interest charges that built up from it, I was ready to put the issue to bed.

And then I got the following email from HTC:

Dear Laslow,

Thank you for using HTC Customer Service. We want to make your next visit even better and would like your feedback. If you haven’t already done so please help us improve by taking a quick survey on your experience using HTC Customer Service.

Get Started

Thank you very much for your time. Be sure to visit us online at http://www.htc.com to read the latest announcements and check out our newly released products.

We are unable to receive replies to this email account. Please visit us at http://www.htc.com if you have any questions or need further assistance.

Sincerely,

HTC

I couldn’t pass it up. I filled out the survey and was completely honest about the experience I had with trying to get a refund for a DoA unit and how ridiculous that I had to choose that route in the first place, rather than having the option to simply get a new, non-refurbished replacement like American customers. I submitted it, and then completely forgot about it.

This morning, while I was off rebuilding a borked IPCop box, HTC left me a voice mail message that went something like this:

Good morning Mr. Laslow. My name <redacted> from HTC, and I’m just calling to follow up on your return. I am very, very sorry that it took so long to process your refund. I’m also very sorry that you received a DoA unit in the first place. If you need any further assistance with this, please call us at 866-449-8358. Once again, we appreciate your business and are very sorry about this whole thing.

I was stunned; I never expected to hear back from HTC at all. I’m not, however, surprised by the fact that they simply apologized rather than offering some form of compensation (be it an accessory, a t-shirt, anything really). Regardless, I’m happy that this is over and I can finally end the tale of an HTC DoA.

An HTC DoA: Part 3

09. July 2010 · 1 comment · Categories: Android, Google, Rants, Support, Troubleshooting · Tags: , , , ,

Continued from Part 2.

It’s day 5 now and still no shipping label. I called HTC again and got a slightly different answer out of this rep. This one told me that my ticket had *just* been escalated and was on it’s way to the warehouse now. When I told him that the other agents had told me it had already gone up to the escalation team, he started backpedaling and said that although the ticket had been escalated it takes them time to look things over.

4 days? Ya, right.

So I asked for a supervisor. After waiting on hold (no music, just silence so you never know if you’ve been cut off), a ‘supervisor’ came on the line (supervisor is in quotes as, having working in a call centre before I have first hand experience pretending to be a co-workers supervisor – it’s a very common practice). I asked again what was going on, and she had yet another story. Apparently, HTC’s shipping system has been ‘down’ for ‘a few days’, and they have no ETA on things. She assured me, though, that (for real this time!) my ticket has been escalated, it should be at the attention of the warehouse, and I should have a label by Monday or Tuesday.

So, starting Monday afternoon (as nobody’s around to man the phones on weekends), I’ll continue with my daily phone campaign trying to find out when I can possibly expect to send back my wife’s brick…err…Nexus One.

Continued in Part 4.

An HTC DoA: Part 2

08. July 2010 · 3 comments · Categories: Android, Google, Hardware, Rants, Support, Troubleshooting · Tags: , , , ,

Continued from Part 1.

Day four of the return process and no real progress to report. According to the details given to me by HTC on Monday (see part 1), I should have received a shipping label in my email the following day. When I didn’t, I called HTC support back. The agent I spoke with told me to check my spam folder (already done – nothing), and then said that she would ‘escalate the ticket’ and a label sent out right away. I thanked her, disconnected, and waited.

And waited.

End of day Wednesday rolled around and still no shipping label. I called HTC again and was told that it can take an extra day when things go through the escalation process and that I should expect it to show up in my email no later than Thursday.

Well, here we are on Thursday and still no label.

I called HTC yet again, and was told that yes, I should have received the shipping label today. The agent then proceeded to tell me that he update the ticket, ‘increase the priority’, and that I should keep waiting.

Really, HTC? I’m normally a pretty patient guy, but come on! I’ve heard of American customers getting new, replacement phones within days, but we Canadians need to go through this gong show of a return process and then re-purchase the device because otherwise we end up a refurbished phone instead of a new one. This is bad PR, people. It’s time to start spreading the news.

Find out what happens next in Part 3.

An HTC DoA: Part 1

06. July 2010 · 3 comments · Categories: Android, Google, Hardware, Support, Troubleshooting · Tags: , , , , ,

When Google first offered the Nexus One in Canada (by making a GSM version for AT&T, which is compatible with Rogers, Telus, and Bell in Canada), I jumped on. I had my order in the day the web store was updated, and in my hands by the end of the same week. Despite the cost, I consider it the best gadget purchase I’ve ever made.

Fast-forward to last week. With my wifes birthday coming up, I thought it would be nice to surprise her with a trip to the local Telus dealer (her carrier) for a shiny new phone. After looking at their offerings (the only two real considerations were the Motorola Milestone and the HTC Hero), she decided that she’d come down with a case of Phone Envy and wanted a Nexus One as well.

So, no big deal – we ordered the phone and waited. Unfortunately, due to the stat holiday on July 1st, the phone didn’t arrive on Friday like expected and instead came in yesterday (the following Monday). I left the phone plugged in to charge, and when the light turned green to say all was well I fired it up.

And waited.

And waited some more.

Nexus One Boot Screen

The Boot Screen on my other, unlocked (and functional) Nexus One

After about five minutes of staring at the above picture (minus the lock on the bottom, as I hadn’t gotten around to doing that yet), I got the feeling something was wrong.

I powered off the phone by pulling out the battery, then booted in to HBOOT mode (hold down the VOLUME DOWN key while pressing Power). That worked fine, so I tried to enter recovery. Unfortunately, I was met with the same screen. I tried several more times for both normal mode and recovery without success. Then I gave up and called Google.

At this point, I’d like to point out that I’m fairly certain it’s just a software error. Unfortunately, the only way I could really do anything about that would be to Unlock the phone, which voids the warranty. As such, the call to support was warranted.

I called the number listed on the Google Phone Contact Support page (1-888-48-NEXUS) and after a few quick IVR choices I was greeted nearly immediately by a tech. He asked about the problem, what I had tried, and immediately agreed the phone was D0A and would need to be replaced. That’s when things started to go downhill.

The problem is that I live in Canada, and HTC has a different policy for international orders than their standard ‘send you a replacement and then send the old one back’ policy for domestic ones. If you live in Canada and get a DoA phone, you have two options:

  1. Send it back via their normal repair process and get a refurbished phone (no option for a new one)
  2. Initiate a ‘Buyers Remorse’ return, get a refund for the device, and then order a new one.

The choice was fairly obvious – I ordered my wife a new phone, so that’s what she was going to get. After gathering a little more information, the Google tech transfered me over to HTC support to process the return order.

As the new tech was going over the specifics, a thought occurred:

Me: Okay, so I do the return, and within 14 business days of you receiving the device and okay’ing everything, you credit the purchase price back, correct?

Tech: Yes, that’s correct.

Me: So what about the duty charge that I had to pay CoD?

Tech: Oh, that. Hang on. –Pause– Okay, I checked on that, and what happens is you’ll get some paperwork from us once the refund has been processed. Once you have that paperwork, contact Customs and they’ll be able to issue a refund.

So at this point, I may have to wait three weeks for credit from HTC (although apparently it usually doesn’t take that long), and then I can file a claim to get my ~$70CAD that I paid for taxes back.

All was said and done, and I prompted received a confirmation email repeating what the agent said. However, as of posting I still haven’t received a FedEx shipping label in my email as promised. I called HTC back, and they escalated the ticket and said they’d resend the label, so now I’m waiting on that. Once I’ve got the label in and the phone sent away, I’ll order another N1 and see what happens.

The pain begins in Part 2!

Froyo: First Impressions

22. May 2010 · 1 comment · Categories: Android, Software · Tags: , ,
It's Froyo!

It's Froyo!

IMPORTANT NOTE: It’s been pointed out that the Froyo ROM floating around is nothing more than a Release Candidate. Although that means that it’s technically feature complete, it’s still little more than a beta. Expect bugs, expect brokenness, and don’t expect any help with it.

I’ve been using the pre-rooted Froyo update (Android 2.2) for a few hours now, and here are my first impressions:

  • Speed: Holy crap is this fast! In fact, it’s even faster than some of the ROMs running over-clocked kernels. It takes about the same amount of time to boot, but the phone is very responsive as soon as the lock screen appears, and I haven’t encountered any lag throughout the system.
  • App Restore: I had no idea this feature was in Froyo, but imagine my surprise when I booted up Froyo after a full wipe only to have it immediately restore all of my installed apps! Talk about a time saver!
  • Bookmarks: Even though I was missing a few, most of my bookmarks in Browser were automatically synced. This alone almost makes the Froyo update worth while.
  • Exchange Sync: Everything works exactly as before, only now it syncs with my Exchange calendar out-of-box quickly and painlessly. No more need for CorpCAL.apk!
  • Froyo-Only Apps: One of the first apps out for Froyo is ChromeToPhone — it lets you send links from Chrome on your desktop/laptop computer directly to your Android device. Gone are the days of using URL shorteners or QR codes to get something on your phone – instead, simply browse to the site you want on your computer, then click a button in the toolbar. You’re Android device will near-instantly receive the link and notify you.
  • Bugs: Yes, there are a few. The main one I’ve run in to is trying to turn off USB Storage. If you attempt to turn it off on the phone before ‘Safely Removing’ the device in Windows, Android becomes generally unresponsive and eventually reboots. While annoying, I’m not really that surprised, as I did it wrong. Also, Terminal Emulator crashes in Froyo due to a compatibility issue with the stock ROM. This will hopefully be addressed in a future update, but for the time being, use ConnectBot.

I can’t wait for the eventual CyanogenMod 6.x based on Froyo, but that won’t be out for a while, as Google has yet to release the source code for 2.2. Things are definitely looking good for Android, though!

UPDATE: The HTC_IME (virtual keyboard) has been updated for Froyo. Get it on XDA.

Short: Wherein My Nexus One Saves Me Money

22. May 2010 · 2 comments · Categories: Android, Google, howto, Short, Tomfoolery · Tags: , , ,

I found myself in need of a new microphone for my computer, as the cord on my cheap Staples-brand one broke. After spending the day looking around town for a nice set that fully covered my ears, I found these at Future Shop:

Razer Carcharias

Razer Carcharias - Image Credit: hardwarelogic.com

However, at $99 CAD, they were a little outside of my price range. All was not lost, though – I walked up the counter and asked if the clerk could do anything about the price. After being initially rebuffed (“Sorry, this is the best price I can offer”), I pulled out my Nexus One and loaded up Barcode Scanner. I proceeded to scan the UPC code on the box, then do a Product Search. I showed the clerk that, according the results listed, I could get the same product from Wal-Mart for $69 CAD.

Five minutes later, I walked out with my new $69 headset. And I can honestly say, they are the best headphones I’ve ever owned.

Short Review: Google’s Nexus One (Rogers/AT&T Version)

09. April 2010 · 4 comments · Categories: Android, iPhone, Short · Tags: , , , , , ,

Now that I’ve had a few weeks to play around with my Nexus One, here are a few observations I’ve made:

  • I can’t live without the CyanogenMod ROM. Android 2.1 is nice, but the tweaks available in CM 5.x are too numerous to mention and offer many features that go well beyond what the N1 can do out-of-box. If you have an N1 (the TMO version, or the Rogers/AT&T one), get CyanogenMod. You’ll never go back.
  • The screen is, by far, the best I’ve seen on smart phone – it trumps my old iPhone 3G at every turn. Some people argue that the screen has a purple hue to it, but to them I ask, have you heard of Colour Temperature?
  • The last three phones I’ve had (an iPhone 3G, an HTC Dream, and an HTC Magic) have all had noticeable lag on the main screens and when load applications. The N1, both with the stock ROM (that I had left on for all of around an hour) and CyanogenMod simply scream. There’s nothing slow about this phone.
  • For all of those who say that the signal quality on the N1 is crap, please actually get one before forming an opinion. I’ve seen an increase in signal strength/quality on the N1 over the other HTC phones I’ve had, and over the iPhone 3G. Additionally, I’ve been able able to clock download speeds greater than 3Mbit/s on Rogers’ HSDPA network. Not too bad at all.
  • The camera is amazing – the fast auto-focus, bright flash, and fine-grain controls are simply amazing, and at 5 mega pixels, the picture quality is simply staggering for a smart phone.
  • My only real complaint about the N1 is battery life, but then again, I’m always complaining about that (the exception being my MSI Wind U123 with it’s 9 cell battery that gives me 8 hours of use). Under heavy usage, I have to charge the phone nightly. For that reason, I bought an extra battery with the phone, however as I have a power inverter for the car that features a USB port, I didn’t really need to get the spare.

That’s really about it for now. Overall, the N1 is an excellent phone, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it anyone.

The Nexus One – First Impressions

19. March 2010 · 1 comment · Categories: Android, Google · Tags: , , ,

Best. Phone. Ever.

Wow. That’s nearly all I can say. Nearly. However, there are a few quick notes:

  • The screen is absolutely amazing. In terms of smart phones, I have an iPhone 3G, an HTC Dream and Magic, and now this, and I can say without a word of hyperbole that the N1 has the best screen of them all.
  • The ‘softkeys’ at the bottom of the screen (Back, Menu, Home, and Search) are a little odd – they’re actually part of the touch screen, and you have to tap them at their tops, not in the centre of the keys as you’d expect. Very easy to get used to, though.
  • Rooting was incredibly easy following Cyanogen’s guide – Warning: HTC says that you’ll void your warranty by unlocking the bootloader. Proceed with caution, even though there have been statements honouring the warranty if the issue is completely unrelated to software.
  • The sound quality is excellent, and I had no troubles getting it to pair with my Jabra Bluetooth headset. A2DP works stunningly, with none of the choppiness/disconnects that I had on the Dream and Magic when listening to music.
  • Signal quality is on par with what I was getting with Dream/Magic with Rogers in south-central British Columbia.
  • This thing is fast. Not just the HSDPA+ connection, but everything. Wow.
  • Live Wallpapers == Coolest Thing Ever.

I’ll post more on this later after I’ve had more time to play with it, but really. Wow.

Short: Google’s Nexus One Now Available in Canada!

17. March 2010 · Write a comment · Categories: Android, Google, Short · Tags: , , ,

Yes, you read it right. I’m surprised there hasn’t been more news about this, but the Nexus One is now for sale in Canada, and it works on Rogers, Telus, and presumably Bell. Mine is already on order, and I’ll report back when it gets in with an unboxing and information post.

So far, it looks like the only difference between this Nexus One and the TMO one offered previously is the radio. As such, most cooked ROMs should work with it (as long as they include a library that allows access to the slightly different radio) – so hopefully, we won’t have another Magic 32A/32B issue on our hands.

More to come soon!

Update: According to Twitter user @AngioNicholai, the AT&T Nexus One runs CyanogenMod 5.x without issue!

Update #2: Additional confirmation by @PaulOBrien.

Update #3: First-hand confirmation! Cyanogen’s 5.0.4.1 works beautifully on my new Nexus!