Berkeley CSUA MOTD:Entry 39646
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2025/07/08 [General] UID:1000 Activity:popular
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2005/9/12-14 [Consumer/CellPhone] UID:39646 Activity:moderate
9/12    I'm going to be in Spain and Morocco and I'm considering
        getting a GSM phone to use while I'm there.  I've heard
        it's best to buy the phone in the US and then get a sim
        card for the phone there (or maybe off of ebay while still
        here).  So, can I just get any GSM phone (assuming it uses
        the same frequencies as they use in Europe), or are some
        of them somehow not going to be compatible with the service
        providers in Spain or Morocco?  Would I be better off going
        to an independent cell phone store, or buying something off
        of ebay?  I basically just want the cheapest possible phone
        that will work.
        \_ Dear Aaron, I'm not so sure asking technical question on motd
           is such a good idea anymore. Over the years, it's turned into
           a freeper libper trolling ground. There are other good place
           to post these types of questions, just google them.
           \_ p0wn3d
        \_ You'll want a quadband phone or a tri-band phone with at
           least the 900MHz frequency and those phones are usually
           never cheap. Expect to spend $150 or more depending on
           what you're willing to shell for a phone. Go to
           http://www.prepaidgsm.net/en/operators.html
           to get information on local calling cards.
        \_ the frequencies between Europe and NA are different, so you will
           need to get a world phone. Also, you need an unlocked phone- a
           phone that is not locked to a particular carrier. My parents
           went to China and got a GSM Motorola phone dirt cheap there.
           \_ Right.  I understand I need to get a phone that has the right
              frequencies, and of course it has to be unlocked.  Suppose
              I get any old phone that has the right frequency and is
              unlocked and then I go to some store in Spain to buy a sim
              card.  Do I need to be concerned that I will have somehow
              gotten a phone that's not compatible with the sim cards they
              sell in Spain (or at a particular store), or is this not an
              issue?  Also, how much is dirt cheap?  $10? -op
              \_ couple things:
                 1. look for so-called tri-band phone.  Rest of the world
                    uses 900Mhz/1800Mhz, USA uses 1900Mhz cuz military refused
                    to release the 1800Mhz band for civilian uses.
                 2. If the phone is unlocked, then, any SIM card will do.
                    you won't encounter any compatibility issue.
                 3. Phone cost about the same around the world.  Motorola /
                    Nokia if anything, cost a bit more than the develped
                    Nation... excpt that there isn't much channel to buy
                    phones retail in developed nation.
                 4. Phone actually cost a lot more than you think.  The
                    price you see is the subsidized price.  If you are going
                    to buy a phone at retail, you are looking at $300-400
                    for a mid-ranged phone.  A good phone (e.g. high end
                    SonyEricssion) is going to cost you $600-700 or more.
                 5. I bought a dirt-cheap tri-band phone for my parents.
                    The phone I got was Nokia 3100 (newer version is 3120).
                    It cost about $80 USD.  Unless you are willing to buy some
                    Chinese made phone (Bird, TCL), you are looking at
                    $80-100 for a Nokia/Motorola phone.
                 email me for detail                    kngharv

                   \_ I found one on ebay for $35.  I'm not talking about
                      the latest and greatest.  Just some piece of junk
                      that works.
                      \_ i posted more info, but someone censored it again.
                         email me for more questions.  I would be very
                         careful about $35 phone, as one can sell battery
                         for that price alone.
                         \_ Plenty of people sell old phones for below
                            $50.  Probably stolen, though.  :)  -John
                                \_ It could have been found in Lousiana
                                   recently.
                                   \_ Cell phones do not, in general, float,
                                      and react poorly to immersion.  My Nokia
                                      6130 took a drenching at Song Kran in
                                      Thailand, and had a cute little aquarium
                                      in the display.  Still made calls when I
                                      dried it, though.  -John
                                      \_ My Motorola StarTac fell into the
                                         Fox River, IL, and after a few days
                                         of drying, came alive again.
                            \_ again, I've posted this before but someone
                               censored it.  I would avoid used phone because
                               it is the battery which tend to show its age.
                               A typically used 2 year old phone will not
                               able to withstand 1 day of normal usage even
                               at the full charge.  And the cost of a
                               replacement Li-Ion battery will destory any
                               of the savings you are trying to do.
                                        -- been there, done that.
              \- You should ask one of the professors studying wireless and
                 cellular netowrking which phone to buy.
                 \_ won't they just forward your e-mail to a grad student,
                    who does all the work anyway?
                 \_ I only approach my profs with PROPERLY SPELLED QUESTIONS.
        \_ Get a prepaid SIM card.  Telefonica mobile, Movistar and I believe
           T-Mobile and a few others do this in Spain, and if you don't intend
           to call for hours, that should be fine for Morocco too.  Do some
           research on Spanish GSM providers, and send them a mail to ask if
           you can get a card at the airport.  If you've got the unlocked 3-
           or 4-band GSM phone, it'll fit in there.  -John
        \ What John said. Since I'm going to Spain too, here's what I did:
          For SIM Card, Amena is the cheapest I found. This guy from eBay (whom
          I've dealt with) got a bunch: http://stores.ebay.com/Phone-Call
          I paid around $25 for 12 Euro worth of starting balance. Remember that
          incoming calls in Europe and Asia are FREE (on European and Asian cell
                        Sometimes (not UK). _/
          numbers, of course) - so you may sign up for a callback service
          (<DEAD>kallback.com<DEAD> comes to mind) to save money. Read up on how it
          works (it's not as difficult as it sound).
          For cellphone, since you want barebone stuff, I just bought this:
          http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5807241582 An oldie
          but goodie Sony Ericsson T28World, UNLOCKED. (so any SIM card would work
          in it.
          If you miss this bid, don't worry, he's got more to sell, just find more
          items under his name. DO NOT get into a bidding war on this phone.
          Bid for the starting price ($9.99) and let yourself lose (since some
          eBay schmuck will trump you on the last minute). Wait for an hour or so
          and you'll get a second-chance offer for the last price you bid. (in this
          case, $9.99, plus $12.95 s+h plus 8.25% tax).
2025/07/08 [General] UID:1000 Activity:popular
7/8     

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www.prepaidgsm.net/en/operators.html
click here Debiting method explanation: for every prepaif tariff of each operator the debiting method is indicate d by 2 numbers separated by a "slash" ("/") symbol. The first number indicates the duration in seconds of the first billing, while the second number indicates the duration, in seconds, of the follo wing billings. So, for example, a 60/1 taxation means that you pay for t he whole first 60 seconds, then you pay for just the seconds you "use"; a 60/30 means that, after the first minute, you pay every 30 seconds (an ticipated);
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stores.ebay.com/Phone-Call
Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respectiv e owners.
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cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5807241582
Ericsson introduces the T28 WORLD, the phone that redefines th e parameters of mobile communications, inside and out. The T28 WORLD not only looks unlike anything else, it also performs like no other phone o n earth. Terms and Conditions: Call your service provider to assure that this model phone will work with your carrier for we will not be responsible for activation problems. Please only bid on this item if you are serious in acquiring this item. Items are to be paid for within 5 business days, anyone who fails to do so, this item will go back up for auction and a complaint will be filed with EBay of such Non-Paying Bidder. When payment clears, we ship produc t that day or following business day. Our operating hours are Monday-Fri day 10-6 PM closed Sunday. We answer all emails within 48 hrs, if for some reason your email is not answered, it is because we did not get it . This means the phone will not be re funded, but only replaced. The batteries that come with these phones are used unless otherwise specified; We test all phones we sell, but problems do rarely occur, we want you to be satisfied with your product, so please if you come across an issue just email us and see what we can work out. Give us the opportunity to help prior to giving negative feedback. We will leave a feedback for you as soon as we receive one from.