buying an unlocked phone?

Dijos

Dijos

Joined
Nov 20, 2001
Messages
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My wife's phone died the other day , and I had the bright idea to look at the bay for a replacement. I keep seeing "unlocked" or hacked phones for sale. My question is, how difficult is it to get one to work with your provider (in this case Verizon). Is it woth it, or is this an idea better left alone? Thanks, and happy new year!
--Joe
 
Dijos said:
My wife's phone died the other day , and I had the bright idea to look at the bay for a replacement. I keep seeing "unlocked" or hacked phones for sale. My question is, how difficult is it to get one to work with your provider (in this case Verizon). Is it woth it, or is this an idea better left alone? Thanks, and happy new year!
--Joe
Click to expand...

It's not a problem. Just stick your SIM card in there and you should be in business. I was using an unlocked Cingular badged phone with T-mobile for a while; worked like how it was supposed to.
 
It's very, very worth it, ESPECIALLY if your provider is Verizon.

I have a Motorola RAZR, and have been upset for a while that I'm blocked from using most of the features of the phone. Especially since I bought it full price.

The RAZR should be able to wirelessly connect to my Mac via Bluetooth; but Verizon has blocked that feature, and a couple others I'd like to have. For instance, changing the way the phone looks.

I finally broke down and bought a micro SD memory card--I no longer pay for image transfers.

However, I hate Verizon's interface, the way the block features, and their customer service.

I'm in no rush to change providers, however, since I have a neat little deal worked out where my cell bill is never above $20.00 a month :)
 
If you buy on eBay, make sure the seller's feedback is 99.6+%. 99.0% is not good. Watch for insane shipping or insurance charges, and keep in mind people might be stupid or lying if their feedback is not good.

"Unlocked" means the phone itself won't argue with you trying to activate it with a carrier other than the one it came from, but it still has to be compatible with whatever system you use. Verizon needs a CDMA phone that does both 800MHz and 1900MHz (not either/or). No GSM phones (including Cingular, T-Mobile, or AT&T) or TDMA (really old system) will work at all, unlocked or not.

Sprint phones have compatible CDMA hardware, but are hardly ever unlocked. Sprint and Verizon are the only major CDMA carriers, so...

You basically need to look for a used Verizon phone. Limited options, but at least it's simple. Trying to find something branded for a less common carrier that will still work will be more complex and unlikely to pay off.

I'm not sure if Verizon is doing this, but they might not let you activate older phones not compatible with their fancy new 911 locator system, so try to get a recent model. CDMA phones do not use SIM cards, so you can't just switch it yourself without Verizon allowing it.

After all that typing, I am thinking you should just call Verizon and see what they can sell you. You don't have as many options as you would with a GSM carrier. If Verizon will sell you a new phone for $50 or less with a contract extension, it is probably not worth the risk of getting a used one on ebay for not much/any less. Unless she want an upper-end phone that is expensive when new.
 
We just bought the unlock code for an old phone we had off the internet for about 5 bucks. Entered the code and bam the phone was unlocked. I would just go to wal mart get a pay as you talk phone and buy the code.
 
Just make sure that the code is available for the phone you will be purchasing. Sounds obvious, I know, but not all brands of phones have been hacked, and, in some cases, the unlocking is a lot more complicated than just punching in a code. Good luck. :)
 
I live near a major Asian community and that means that there are all kinds of unlocked cell phones available. Usually they stick to the GSM phones (Cingular and T mobile) with a SIM card but they make sure that all the features work before you walk out the door. These phones are not black market phones but phones that are made for the Asian phone market. In Asia you purchase the phone from an independent retailer. They have to be unlocked so that they will work with whatever local provider that you choose.

I buy tri band unlocked phones so that when me or my wife goes overseas all we have to do is buy a local sim card and off we go.
 
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