Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with unlocked

Unlocked Phone Options.

922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 17:37:18 -0800

My contract for my current phone is up in April. Ideally I'd love to get a Nexus 4, unlocked and then use a Straight Talk sim for service. But the Nexus 4 is out of stock, so my question is, what is the best currently available Android phone that is unlocked and will take a Straight Talk SIM?

Tmobile android phone recommendations

lalochezia — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 23:01:17 -0800

Jumping into smartphone world for the first time.…..i) I would like advice on an android phone that works on T-mobile 4G for email/websurfing/productivity. ii) Would also like advice on buying used phones in general. I have the tmobile value plan which is cheap and requires me to bring a smartphone of my own...I want an android phone.

Phone advice - In order of importance
the phone must:

0) Be reliable hardware*

i) Run smoothly, without crashing, on at least some version of ICS (Android 4.0+). Don't need highest graphic speed/gee whiz, do need RELIABILITY and SMOOTHNESS (would rather have a basic visual interface that works quickly than one with the most cool UI w/beautiful animations). Can't deal at the moment with uploading/beta testing nightly builds.

ii) Is possible to use with 1 hand: I have a long thumb(!) and would like to be able to use w/ one hand. Either swiftykey's new gizmo or swype look like I could actually type on it with the thumb too.... so no giant 5" phones.

iii) Is international - works with UK sim cards and frequencies for phone

v) Has removable storage and removable battery

vi) Has a decent camera

---

Buying used phone advice

Advice request: I'm a little paranoid about buying an unlocked GSM phone off ebay or swappa (or craigslist!) only to find that IMEI is locked, or about to be locked, or the phone is a dud.

I have an active tmobile sim….

If you buy in person off craigslist, what simple tests can you do on the phone in person?

If buying online, what can you look for?

Bonus: Have the galaxy S3 handset death rumors been put to bed?

In which I reveal my ignorance about the cell phone landscape...

ersatzkat — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 11:10:02 -0800

My husband has a phone I'd like to replace as a gift for him, and I want to be sure I understand what I'm getting into. My husband has a fairly new (4 months old?) Samsung Galaxy III. Something horrid happened to it and I'd like to replace it for him. He bought it through Amazon Mobile and we added it to our Verizon account. Replacement is not covered, so I'd like to just order this for him. Is there any difference at all between the "bought it for a specific carrier" phone and the "international unlocked phone" besides price and unlocked-ness?

Need a cheap cell phone

roaring beast — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 21:31:14 -0800

Shopping for a cell phone - new unlocked GSM or t-mobile android smart phone, good camera (at least 5 MP), respectable battery life and under $200 without a plan (ebay ok). Any recommendations?

Help me ditch my dumb-phone.

artemisia — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 22:30:28 -0800

New to smartphones; want to buy an unlocked, preferably quadband phone. Advice? I've resigned myself to replacing my flip phone with a smart phone, but I'd very much like to use the Smart Talk plan - that is, I don't want to be tied to a two year contract. It seems like an unlocked phone is the way to go; all the better if it's a GSM, quadband phone I can use abroad. But I'm adrift in a sea of options!

Google's Samsung Galaxy Nexus seems to be a popular choice on AskMefi, but judging by reviews across the web, the battery life is poor and the camera isn't so great. I'm also not tech-savvy, so a lot of the advantages mentioned here on AskMefi don't mean anything to me. (I have no idea what it means, for instance, to "root" a phone.)

An unlocked iPhone 4s from Apple is now (kind of, barely) affordable, but I really want a phone that has good (voice) sound quality, and judging by a conversation I had on my friend's iPhone recently, it's not great in that department.

My dream phone would have a keyboard, because I fail at typing on smartphones... but that may be asking too much.

I turn to the hivemind for suggestions on a solid, (ideally affordable,) unlocked phone. Also, any advice on where to buy said phone? Craigslist is full of unlocked phone deals but I'm hesitant to buy from there because I have a creeping suspicion that some of those phones are stolen. Aside from Amazon and Newegg, where does one look for unlocked phone deals?

Want iphone carrier suggestions

udon — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 08:35:03 -0800

I got an IPhone so that I can play games while at dialysis to pass the time with. I chose AT&T because GSM network friendly phone can be unlocked and used on ANY GSM network carriers. I got mine unlocked and currently using a Simple Mobile plan which gives unlimited voice/text/data for only $40. A Verizon unlocked Iphone can only be used with international GSM networks (see this link explaining that: GSM Iphone vs CDMA. So that was the reasoning on choosing ATT. My unexpected dilemma is GSM (ATT, TMobile, Simple) does not work at my dialysis center. And I get spotty signal at work depending what part of the building I am in. So I just don't get calls when at dialysis or work. I have to forward the calls to my work phone. My question is if I switched to a Verizon Iphone. Can anyone suggest a plan that is around that $40 amount. I really don't use the phone that much for calls (between 100-200 mins a month). I don't really need text, because I use google voice for that. Having DATA is the important thing. I need the data to play games and access google voice.
Forwarding the calls to my work Blackberry has been a work around, but I don't know how much long I will have it. Thinking about finding another job.
Can you think of another solution? Would a cell tower booster be a good option so that I can just stay on my current plan?

Have Superphone, Will Travel

Slap*Happy — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 19:20:34 -0800

I bought a Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ and an unlimited pay-as-you-go plan. Ummm. Now what? I bought a Motorola Droid way back when, and while planning on doing crazy awesome stuff with it, I wound up only using it for casual web surfing, checking forecasts and GPS navigation.

This time, I'm gonna do it right. I have an unlocked super-phone running JellyBean (4.1), an interest in programming and information security, a voracious appetite for knowledge, particularly current events and ancient history and investment strategies and what the hell is that growing in the garden I just bought and why is it dying?

Difficulty - Mac user, at home and at work. Also something of a Unix wonk.

What life-changing apps, sites or books should I be devoting some time to?

How do I bring my own iPhone to a US carrier?

Schismatic — Thu, 31 May 2012 14:42:35 -0800

I have a legally unlocked GSM iPhone 4 from Europe and will be moving back to the states soon for the foreseeable future. Since I don't need to trade the next year or two of my life for a hardware subsidy and am not bound to any company already, what is my best carrier choice for a data plan with modest talk use? Does having my own phone free and clear give me any extra options I wouldn't have otherwise? If it matters, I'll be in Northern Virginia, working in the suburbs and living in Arlington, but do expect to travel around the US a good amount for conferences. I understand that the US offers are expensive (but also overly equipped) compared to Europe, but ideally I'd have something like the Cricket wireless deal announced today. Unfortunately, they are CDMA only, so don't work with my phone. Also, I might well want to upgrade when the next iPhone comes out, and thus have no interest in locking myself into a contract whose main benefit is a phone discount I don't need.

lost iphone, how to buy unlocked?

Salvatorparadise — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:02:36 -0800

Wife lost here Verizon Iphone 4, can we buy a cheaper refurb, unlocked 3gs and get it going w/Verizon, and how? Finally convinced my wife that iPhones are great. Now, several months after getting the 4 via Verizon, she lost it. :( Since they're about 700 new, I want to buy a 3Gs online that is unlocked.

How hard is it to get the unlocked iphone running w/Verizon for calls data etc? Is this a pain?

Is there anything I should look for/avoid when buying an unlocked phone?

The 3 series phones are so much cheaper. But there aren't really 3 phones for Verizon unless they were unlocked 3's. Anyway, i have no experience with this, so I need some help. Tips?

Android noob seeks new phone

snowysoul — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:09:49 -0800

Should I get an unlocked Android instead of a dumbphone? If so, any tips on things to consider when buying a Android phone for a smartphone noob? My current dumbphone, sadly has finally died (after being thrown in a river, left in 1m of snow in an avalanche zone for 6 hours, and countless trips down the stairs!) and I'm looking for a new one. However, I am totally lost when looking for a new one, especially since I need it to be GSM compatible (I'm travelling in Europe) and unlocked to accept my Lebara SIM card. Ebay has some I think might be ok, but I have no idea if they are good or not

At this point, should I get an Android smartphone to replace my dumbphone? I can't afford a dataplan right now (or an Iphone!!), but like the features a smartphone (GPS, etc.). Also, it seems to be harder to find a decent dumbphone with a decent QWERTY keyboard (my make or break feature)

Things I would like in a new phone:
- Texting with a QWERTY keyboard - I like the slide out keyboard on my current LG phone and would like something similar
- GPS for geocaching
- Occasional WI-FI access or opps I forgot to do something data access (i.e. directions at the airport, what's the pizza guy's number, etc)
- Decent camera would be nice
- Decent battery life
- Needs to be reliable: My last phone was a tank and I will be overseas for the foresable future, and don't want to have to worry about things breaking or returning a phone for repairs.

Things I would not like:
- A blackberry or iphone (out of my price range)

What kind of things should I be looking for in an a decent Android phone? Any recommendations on a not so expensive (<$300) phone you like? Thanks!

No more hacktivation for me... I'm going straight

MiaWallace — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 13:26:06 -0800

How do I copy the contents of my unlocked and jailbroken iPhone 3G to my new iPhone 4S? Apologies if the answer to this question is blindingly obvious, but I haven't found any of my Google searches useful.

I've been using an unlocked and jailbroken iPhone 3G on T-Mobile for the past couple of years. My boyfriend and I are making the jump to Verizon for the 4S, which means not only am I getting a sweet, sweet upgrade, but I'll also finally be legit. Yay! The only problem is- how do I get all of my apps and settings off of my old phone and onto the new one? I know how to restore a phone from a backup, but I'm afraid that restoring the unlocked/jailbroken phone on the new phone (which I do not need or want to be unlocked/jailbroken) might mess things up. What should I do?

How to convince my Kazakh student that her unlocked iPhone will work in Kazakhstan

amtho — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 13:30:44 -0800

Do you know anything about Kazakhstan, or how to say "the phone is already unlocked" in Russian? How about using an iPhone in Kazakhstan? Please help me reassure my extremely skeptical Kazakh student that her new, unlocked phone will work at home -- huge bonus points if you can do it in Russian (or Kazakh)! So, I'm teaching English to this very nice lady from Kazakhstan. On my recommendation, she purchased a used, unlocked, jailbroken iPhone 3G from this place I know in Raleigh. It seems to work pretty well, and I've loaded some free ESL app and podcasts on it for her.

However, someone told her that iPhones won't work in Kazakhstan unless she pays someone ~$200 to have it "modified" or "changed" (I forget the exact English word she used). I'm pretty sure she means something like "unlocked", but who knows what the word is in Russian. Probably most people buy locked iPhones and don't discover this until they arrive in Kazakhstan, where few people can unlock them, but my limited experience doesn't let me convince her of this.

She won't believe me that it will work in Kazakhstan, and really, why should she? I can't know 100% that it will work in Kazakhstan. Maybe the transceiver will have to be replaced; maybe there's some secret code; maybe there's a new frequency that no other country has -- all unlikely, and I did, in fact, try to verify that the frequency band(s) used in Kazakhstan would work with this phone.

We even tried calling the store; the nice, but slightly annoyed, person we talked to (and they are pretty smart/educated at that store) assured me about 15 times that it would work in Kazakhstan, that it was unlocked, etc. She was Asian, but not Kazakh, so again, why should my student believe her?

I'm a techie, somewhat (you mean everyone isn't teaching English with iPhone apps?), she's a sociologist who grew up in the Soviet era. Her $$ is pretty tight, and I think she worries a lot.

Can anyone help?

Are there options for data-only plans for factory unlocked iPhone?

Opa-Opa — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 05:13:22 -0800

I want to get an iPhone primarily as a portable computer/GPS/camera, and sometimes if someone wants to Skype me, that would be okay too. I am uninterested in getting tied down to a voice plan for what sounds like an eternity. Thus, with the option to get an unlocked phone from the Apple Store, what are my options for data-only plans? AT&T seems to be the best data provider where I live (in the Upper CT River Valley of NH), so I found their list of plans at http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/services/services-list.jsp?wtSlotClick=1-0060AL-0-2&catId=cat2510038&catName=Data+%26+Internet&_requestid=237492 . Most of these are GSM plans but as a newb I'm concerned about the list of acceptible phones for each plan. Is there any reason these won't work with an unlocked GSM iPhone?

Achievement Armlocked!

pickingoutathermos — Fri, 20 May 2011 02:25:09 -0800

RewardFilter: Inspired by the recent Habit Judo hoo-ha, what are novel and interesting ways to reward yourself ? I've been developing my own spreadsheet based Habit Judo-esque system for making goal tracking more fun and motivating.

The only part I'm having trouble pinning down is how to reward myself in a way that is distinct and inherently "more special" than just buying something (like a gift, or a nice meal) - something I might already do regardless of what goal I achieved.

One promising idea is to devote a lump sum of money to the game. The percentage of the money won at the end is related to what percentage of the goal I have achieved. At the end of the game the winnings are given to a friend, and they buy me something(s) of their choosing. The randomness of the prize makes the gift more exciting than just spending the money how I'd like. (The flipside could also be that failure to achieve the goal means the friends gets some or all the money!)

Obviously there isn't an unlimited amount of cash to devote to random prizes, so: what are some creative rewards that evoke a game-like element of surprise, fun, magic, or novelty (that are free or less costly)?

Will an international unlocked smartphone work with Fido? Which one to buy?

If only I had a penguin... — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 18:28:08 -0800

A two-parter on smartphones: 1. Can I buy an unlocked smartphone on Amazon and use it with Fido? 2. Help an iphone user pick a non-iphone smartphone. I am Canadian but currently in the US. I'm thinking of buying a smartphone while I'm here and having it delivered to my hotel. These unlocked phones are normally "international versions" not for sale in the US. I don't want to use it in the US, I want to use it in Canada. Will that work and will Fido set up my data connection on such a phone? It looks from the reviews like some people in the US have been refused data service by AT&T. I want to know that I will be able to get service and be able to download apps.

Part 2. I'm an iphone user. I loved my iphone with all my heart, but now it is gone and I can't afford to replace it at the non-contract price. Still, the want of a smartphone is frequently proving inconvenient. Please suggest an under $300 smartphone (as in purchasable on amazon, unlocked, without contract at this price) smartphone that would meet my needs.

- For no particular reason, I think I prefer Android to windows. This is mainly anti-windows reactionism, so I'm willing to be told I'm wrong.
- Nice app selection.
- Lots of room for music 16-32G. I suppose I could tolerate having this on an SD card and not the phone.
- Must sync with gmail, google calendar, and preferable google contacts.
- Nice touch-screen interface.
- Camera.
- I think I prefer the iphone style touchscreen keyboard to the blackberry style keyboards.

What phone should I be looking at?

There WAS an app for that

terrapin — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 11:13:49 -0800

How come Foursquare (and a few other apps) disappeared from my iPhone 3G after it was jailbroken, and can I get them back? Jailbroke/unlocked my iphone 3G so that I can use it while traveling for 2 weeks in England. Process involved PwnageTool > FuzzyDownloader > Ultrasn0W and seemed to go perfectly. However, I noticed a few oddities:

1) I can see Foursquare in iTunes. I can move it to different iPhone screens and even into my Social Apps folder. But even after syncing it will NOT transfer to the iPhone. No error messages. Just won't do it. I tried deleting the app and then re-downloading it from iTunes with no luck. This is not a huge deal, but I was hoping to play 4Square while in England.

2) Default Map app disappeared completely. No sign of it in iTunes or on the phone. I really wanted this app for our trip. I can go to m.google.com/maps and use the browser-based app, but not the same.

3) Default Notes app disappeared completely. I can understand that positioning apps above, but Notes?

Upgrade a slow Iphone?

yfatah — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:48:55 -0800

I recently bought an unlocked iphone 3g off of ebay. I use it on Tmobile. It's jailbroken and is running ios4.0. Like many upgraded 3g phones it's really slow. If I upgrade to the new ios4.1 and it goes back to a locked unjailbroken state, how safe and easy would it be to get it unlocked again? Could I do this myself?

Should I buy a factory unlocked iPhone?

Gortuk — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:39:52 -0800

Should I buy an unlocked iPhone or remain indentured? I have an iPhone 3G purchased about 2 years ago, under 3-year contract with Rogers (Canada). I'd like to upgrade to an iPhone 4 which was just released in Canada, and we Canadians now have the option of buying a factory-unlocked phone direct from Apple.

For a 32GB phone, the price is $269 with an additional 3-year contract with a wireless provider or $779 direct from Apple. Paying full price from Apple is the only way to get a factory-unlocked phone.

Emotionally, being contracted to my provider for the next 4 years is intimidating, but all phone companies in Canada seem to suck equally and my plan is pretty decent right now ($30/6GB data + $25 voice).

Is there a clear financial justification to buying a phone without contract? I've read that resale value for factory-unlocked phones is higher, but not sure what the actual numbers are. I guess there's also a chance I could negotiate $X a month savings when it's time to renew my contract, which could pay for itself.

Having an unlocked phone would be fantastic when I travel, but I know I can probably do that myself (just did my 3G in 10 minutes, thanks jailbreakme.com!). What other advantages are there to a factory unlocked phone?

Looking for an unlocked copy of the 911 commission report

craniac — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:46:18 -0800

I'm looking for a pdf file of the 911 commission report that is unlocked so I can copy and paste the text into other applications. It's for a class where we'll be revising nice long paragraphs. I know the html exists, but I haven't found that as a single file either. Thanks.

A little unlocked Iphone advice please

citybuddha — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:29:19 -0800

I am in Hong Kong at the moment and considering getting a new Iphone that will be unlocked. My plan is to bring it back to the states and use it with my provider T-mobile. Can anyone tell me if I will encounter any problems or if this is easy as pie. I am hoping I just need to put in my sim card and go. Hive? What say you?

Buying Used Phone Quandry

readery — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:54:25 -0800

Can a phone used with AT&T as a service provider then be used with T-Mobile? What does unlocked even mean? I prefer buying used phones or cheaper phones for kids, as they are hard on them. It seems each week there are new features and options, but we have a plain phone plan for calls and texting.
Thanks!

Carrier unbranded smartphone under $200?

Mr_Thirdworld — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 07:41:31 -0800

I'm upgrading from a Treo 600. Any suggestion on a good unlocked smartphone under $200 without carrier branding? My beloved Treo 600 is on its last legs and I'm looking for a suitable replacement. Does anyone have suggestions on a good smartphone replacement? Here what I'm looking for:

- Under $200
- Bluetooth
- Wi-fi
- QWERTY keyboard
- Task management
- Contact management
- Calendar
- No carrier branding
- Good call quality

With that budget I'm targeting older smartphone models which I'm fine with. It just needs to be a joy to use, durable with great features.

My iPhone is on strike... help!

ComeUndone — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:10:51 -0800

Help! My iPhone has decided to not connect to any cell-phone network. After happily owning an unlocked iPhone on T-Mobile for the past year or so, it has suddenly decided to quit working. It comes on fine, but when it tries to connect to a cell tower, it just says "Searching." or "No Service".
I'm at home, where I've consistently had 3-4 bars for the last year. If I go to manually select a network, it will display all the networks in the area, but when I select one, it tries to connect, then tells me that network is no longer available.
I've tried restarting the phone, restarting the phone after taking out the SIM card, restoring the phone from a backup, and restoring the phone from scratch. Much to my dismay, none of these things have worked.
My question is: Has anyone else ran into this problem with an unlocked iPhone? Or is there anyone who has any other ideas? I'm running out of ideas, and the hive mind is my last-ditch effort before I call T-Mobile and order a blackberry.

Best practices for buying an unlocked HTC Magic

Plutor — Fri, 29 May 2009 06:20:18 -0800

I want an HTC Magic, badly. T-Mobile is sitting on it for probably the rest of the summer in order to prevent cannibalizing G1 sales. But I know they're for sale by Vodafone and Rogers will be shipping them in the next couple of weeks. What are the best practices for buying an unlocked cellphone? How can I keep from paying a boatload?
Are there any well-regarded unlocked phone retailers?
How can I be sure it'll work with my SIM?
Will I miss out on any functionality either before or after T-Mobile officially releases and supports the Magic?
What am I not considering?

Where can I buy a cheap unlocked 900/1800 GSM mobile phone in Manhattan?

enoent — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 08:22:41 -0800

Where can I buy a cheap unlocked GSM 900/1800 mobile phone (one that will work in Europe with prepaid SIM cards) in Manhattan? I'm looking to spend less than $50, if such a thing is possible.