in2dwww

I need help figuring out how I can get a GSM phone that is unlocked. I live in the US. My recent trip to Australia made me realise that this overpriced Motorola in my pocket, which happens to be termed a "quad-band world GSM phone" only works in the US.

All I want is a GSM phone that I can take with me around the world.... and when I land, I can buy a chip at the airport and start using the phone. When I get back to the US, I want to stick my US chip back in and go about my day.

The phone needs to be compatible with the MB bluetooth, so that means it should be another overpriced Motorola or a Ericsson.

Does anyone have any experience with an unlocked phone? Does it work outside the US? Does it work in the US?

I used to have a Ericsson T-28 and it was the smallest, lightest, most amazing phone... back in 1997. Now all that's out there is espinage camera crap the size of a remote control. Frankly, if I want something that big in my pocket, I'll just carry around a gun.

DesignoSLK

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Yeah, but your reception won't be near as good.

sorry...I had to chime in, I found it to be humorous. I'm laughing with you, right?

I know here in Germany you can get a prepaid SIM, no contract. I'm not aware of whether or not Australia has the same function for their phones. Bazzle?

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Kevin
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cyberdrakon

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what kind of motorola do you have, and what carrier? most of them just need to be unlocked, very easy to do, but phone companies don't want you to do it.

in2dwww

I have a Motorola SLVR from Cingular.

Because the phone is locked, I can't stick in any SIM card other than Cingular's. That's where I get pissed. Becuase the roaming fees in other countries are almost $3 per minute with Cingular. So a local SIM solves this problem, but not when Cingular locks it... is that even legal? This is one reason why I hate living in the US. Speed limits are the second reason.

07SLK55

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in2dwww, It's really easy to unlock Motorola phones and it's perfectly legal. Just go to your local cellphone store and have them unlock the phone for you. Depends on where you live, it cost about $20 in San Francisco to unlock the phone.

alroumi

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Second that, Its the same thing when I used to live in France; you get a spanking deal from a Service provider eg Vodafone or Orange including a Phone and a Chip. after that you unlock it.

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in2dwww

I want to thank everyone for the help with this. I'm going to stop by Cingular today and get the phone unlocked. When I get back from Europe, I'll let everyone know if the phone worked in Germany and Holland.

Thanks!

Banned

No idea what a telephone is We are using drums and fire signals yet. Come to good old Germany! Are you walking on two legs? I´ve heard about people doing that. Don´t go to France, they are decades behind us...

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I use a D500 samsung, bought from germany "sim free" (is the term) and I've used it in Germany, Demark, Sweden, France, Spain, Italy, Egypt, US and Australia. Quad is a bit of a myth, really you just need a tri-band for any country. Mine broke and they sent me a new one without asking for the old one. so I repaired the speaker and now have 2. getting dated now but I love it's simplicity and seems to work everwhere.

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cyberdrakon

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the 4th band for quad band is actually for the US, as they phase out the analogue, they added a new band in...limited areas though.

Also, the cingular place may try to BS you that the phone can't be unlocked...so they can sell you another phone. you can also call cingular and they can do it over the phone/email for you for free, (the operator may not know how though, or may insist it's not possible, ask for someone else).

in2dwww

And this gets me all ticked off again about how these crappy, revenue mongering companies are just destroying the freedom of this country. And to think that those bottom of the totem pole employees are ignorant enough to follow some BS corporate rule.

On a similar note, many small businesses are now refusing to accept Bank of America issued checks and credit cards because the bank is offering accounts to illegal immigrants. It's about time we start chewing at the ankles of these lousy empires.

Greed is good, but not when it's "transparent" and the buck is passed. Where's the accountability?

DesignoSLK

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Probably should dump my B of A accounts to head off any issues.

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On which band does your phone work?

In Europe, we use the 900 and 1800.

07SLK55

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I will second what cyberdragon says... In2dwww, do not go into a Cingular store. I will guarantee they will say "we can't unlock the phone" and give you lots of run around. The best way is to go to your local cellphone shop, which means a shop that carries multiple carriers. These are the only shop that would unlock your phones for you or buy a new "unlock" phone to use. Here's a link for you to do research on world phone www.gsmarena.com

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My very first cellphone's body was the size of a large loaf of bread and it was very heavy; it was designed for use in a car. Its attached handset was little different from those found in landline home phones during the '70s. A telescoping antennae was required because cellphone towers were far and few back then. The machine could only talk to other phones; yes, that's all. And, its receiving-call capability was limited as all its wiring and other hard parts consumed a lot of battery life so most users left the thing off when not actually initiating calls.

My second cellphone was much smaller ... about the size of a builder's brick. It could be carried with comfort if the user bought a special holster; otherwise it was happiest in a briefcase. It, too, was used for talking to other people. But, it had the advantage of staying on when you thought you might receive a call.

Since then I have gone through half a dozen other cellphones whose evolutionary benefits were mostly size shrinkage.

Last year I bought a Samsung. Yes, it allows me to call people...and I can receive calls (still the main purpose?). And, of course, it has the camera, the video, the organizer and an address book ... all of which have been incrementally added to these devices over the years. But, it also now has a web browser with GOOGLE as its search engine. Hey, I only discovered this feature today! OK, so I am a slow learner ... but, long ago I WAS an early adapter (adopter?).

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cyberdrakon

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same here, our first 'cellphone' was about the size of a briefcase and was installed in the car. and external antennae was REQUIRED for any reception whatsoever, and was still quite spotty.

my current mobile phone is running linux, is about 1/2 inch thick, and does nearly everything you expect a computer to do and more...internet, word, excel, pdf, video, camera, planner, touch screen...

alroumi

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My First mobile phone was the Ericsson T38 back in 96, the phones before werent that great so I decided to wait.

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My first mobile phone was Motorola 5200... it's a very thick flip phone.

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You can purchase an unlock code from unlockcellular.com.

Check out HowardForums for anything you need to know about mobile phones and carriers, including tips for travellers.