Buying an Unlocked Cell Phone [HELP]

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-- Buying an Unlocked Cell Phone [HELP]

Posted by Steven Hays on Sep-27-2005 18:31:

Buying an Unlocked Cell Phone [HELP]

Ok, I want to get the new RAZR from Motorola, but of course I have Sprint. I will most likely get an unlocked phone from Ebay. Here's my dillemma. I do not understand, even after reading upon reading on google searches how to do this. Can someone explain to me what they know about going from one service to another and if its possible for me to buy a RAZR and still use my existing Sprint service. I just don't want to shell out the money on Ebay for a kick ass phone and then find out that it will never work with my sprint service.

Any information in this area is so much appreciated.

Thanks!

Posted by Allied Nations on Sep-27-2005 18:38:

Re: Buying an Unlocked Cell Phone [HELP]

quote:
Originally posted by Steven Hays
Ok, I want to get the new RAZR from Motorola, but of course I have Sprint. I will most likely get an unlocked phone from Ebay. Here's my dillemma. I do not understand, even after reading upon reading on google searches how to do this. Can someone explain to me what they know about going from one service to another and if its possible for me to buy a RAZR and still use my existing Sprint service. I just don't want to shell out the money on Ebay for a kick ass phone and then find out that it will never work with my sprint service.

Any information in this area is so much appreciated.

Thanks!

is sprint GSM? do u have a lil chip in your phone u can take out and put in other phones?

if not i dont think you can. i believe the razr is just a GSM phone...

even it is does work for CDMA, god knows how u would modify it to work witrh your prvious account

Posted by Lepanto on Sep-27-2005 20:11:

since we're on this topic...

i had an ATT phone, a nokia that i LOVE, then i had cingular a month or so before they finally completed the merger and ATT became no more. I also got a shitty LG with my cingular contract. Then after a few months i got tired of that piece of shit and tried to put my SIM card into my nokia and it said "enter unlock code" i was like wtf? they have this same phone for cingular and it's an ATT phone why would it be locked or w/e?

Posted by Creamfields23 on Sep-27-2005 20:19:

Here in Holland the phones need to be flashed. You have to remove the simlock. So you are saying that in your country that simlock has to be activated for a specific company or else it won't work???

Posted by jdat on Sep-27-2005 20:33:

if the phone is unlocked when you buy it you shouldn't have any problems.

You have two options:
1. Take the simcard from your old phone put it in the new one, you may have to enter your pin code and/or call your cell phone carrier to get the phone activated( not sure if activation is necessary )
2. If your phone works without a simcard, I forget the actual technical term but you will have to call your cell phone carrier give them the serial number of your new phone which they will then activate on the network ( and deactivate your old one at the same time ).

Creamfieds23:
Cell phones in the US work very similarly has phones in Europe. But there is GSM and some other phone standards so the phones are compatible with all the cell phone carriers ( regardless of simlock or not).
I don't believe a phone has to be simlocked to a particular carrier in order to work.
You should very easily have an unlocked phone and use it on all the carriers as long as the transmission standards is the good one.

Posted by allcentury18 on Sep-27-2005 20:37:

i tried to do the same thing, i have sprint/nextel. the unlock feature was not available for my service and he said in general it was rarely used in US. since there is only one provider in europe it's easier to get whatever phone you want.

not sure if that was any help

Posted by daydreamer on Sep-28-2005 00:22:

i have the cingular black razr and i am using with t-mobile.
you need to get the subsidy code from the other service provider.

ps. the phone looks really cool, but the software suck major balls.
and they tend to have issues. be forwarned.
my first phone crashed so motorola send me a new one. my friend's phone is having issues with the outer screen as well.

Posted by Yan on Sep-28-2005 02:28:

Here's your advice:

WAIT.

The next in line for the RAZR brand (or so we're led to believe at the moment) has been leaked but not officially announced. Don't be a whore like everyone else who just recently bought the RAZR.

And for the skeptics:

http://img.engadget.com/common/images/3060000000046367.JPG?0.5882914707030474

http://img.engadget.com/common/images/3060000000046368.JPG?0.9734874702194923

http://img.engadget.com/common/imag...896250579439008

And in case you're one of those whores that needs MP3s (specifically iTunes) on their phone, here's a next gen RAZR:

http://img.engadget.com/common/images/3060000000046162.JPG?0.6639262959024931