Comments on: Looking for a good cheap QWERTY phone.

Question: Looking for a good cheap QWERTY phone.

spacefire — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 18:38:19 -0800

What is the best value QWERTY phone that one can buy used (unlocked or At&T/Cingular), and where from? EBay didn't yield any crazy deals.

By: whiskey point

whiskey point — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 18:48:24 -0800

Have you checked the forums and reviews at Phonescoop? The board posters will at least give you a sense of what to look for, I'm not sure of where you can actually obtain one once you get an idea of what you want. In Fargo,ND we have a store where you can take your dysfunctional cell phone in and they'll either fix it or sell you a used/refurbed one, so maybe a search for a store like that in your area would work. Good luck.

By: Sinner

Sinner — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:12:03 -0800

Don't get a Q.

By: Orb2069

Orb2069 — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:54:33 -0800

Since you don't list any applications, I'm assuming it's for txt.
Treo 180, unlocked - The 180s and 270's(Same, but color) usually go for under $30 or so.

The OGO is a cheap data-only phone that At&T used to offer pre-Cingular-merger.

Blackberries: Go down this list until your cheapness and your patience balance each other out: Here's a 7230 for $36 Buy-it-now(Not unlocked, but an example).

By: mattoxic

mattoxic — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:17:45 -0800

Got a Treo 750 from ebay

unlocked

rocks

By: jackbrown

jackbrown — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:27:16 -0800

I bought my T-Mobile Dash for 120 dollars used but in basically brand new condition on Craigslist/SF about 6 months ago. It seems to me that if you live near a big metropolitan area in the US, craigslist is the way to go for this (I considered ebay as well but found craigs to be cheaper and more trustworthy(you go look at the phone in person instead of getting it in the mail).).

I think the Dash (an HTC excalibur I think) is the best deal in terms of both size (smaller and easier to hold than a Q or blackjack) and features than any of the other phones in its class. It's one downside is that it runs Windows Mobile Smartphone edition, which runs fewer apps than the real windows mobile OS. ie - no tomeraider.

I did still find a copy of the wikipedia for it, along with google maps and gmail, so with the builtin wifi I am pretty happy. You can also get in unlocked by contacting Tmob, which is how I use mine on other GSM networks, including overseas (its a 4-band worldphone).

By: dance

dance — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 04:13:35 -0800

Nokia E61

By: omnidrew

omnidrew — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 07:19:08 -0800

How cheap do you want to go?

I picked up a Treo 650 (GSM unlocked) on ebay for about $125 shipped. That was on the low end of the range... Treo 600s now seem to come in at around $100. Despite the creakiness of the Palm OS and Mac syncing issues, I still love (and depend on) the little sucka.

However as soon as there are some iPhone apps available so I can run my business, I'll be jumping off the Palm ship.

(Contact me via profile if you want to discuss buying my old 600...haven't gotten around to selling it off yet.)

By: ijoyner

ijoyner — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:32:08 -0800

Get an unlocked Blackberry Curve from Newegg

By: Mr. Gunn

Mr. Gunn — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 13:32:51 -0800

I'd go for the Nokia E61 or related.

By: mrw

mrw — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 13:34:03 -0800

I managed to get a Treo 755p from ebay a couple months ago (for Telus), opting for this over the blackberry. (touch screen is what really got me) It has a fantastic texture (soft-paint) and well rounded buttons making them easy to push.

It cost me <100 CAN$ all inclusive. I highly recommend it.