"badgolferman" <REMOVETHISbadgolferman@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:xn0gbvdcfhqvtx009@reader.albasani.net...
> XS11E wrote:
>
>>"badgolferman" <REMOVETHISbadgolferman@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> What does "unlocked" actually mean and if you get one can you use
>>> it on the VZ network?
>>
>>Unlocked means a GSM cellphone that is not tied to a specific carrier
>>and can be moved to another carrier by just replacing the SIM card.
>>
>>CDMA cellphones are not locked, they use a PRL file to identify the
>>network rather than a SIM card and may or may not be able to be moved
>>to another carrier, some carriers will allow it, some won't.
>>
>>VZW is a CDMA carrier so the term unlocked is pretty meaningless.
>
> Can cell phones not approved by VZW be used on its network? How can
> one find out these things?

By asking Verizon? Verizon seems to allow any device that's
"compatible" with its network and won't "harm" it. (There was one Motorola
phone sold by a now defunct prepaid service provider called Amp'd, that had
a firmware bug that caused it to tie up a data channel constantly even when
not transmitting or receiving data- Verizon "banned" those- the Amp'd Mobile
Motorola E816, IIRC, from their network. The only such "forbidden" phone
I'm aware of.) Loosely translated, they'll allow non-Verizon phones that
are the same make and model of a "proven" Verizon phone, so, for example, an
Alltel Motorola RAZR can be activated, since Verizon also offered the RAZR.
Alltel phones are generally a safe bet, while most Sprint phones aren't-
while they're "compatible," many Sprint phones have their settings "locked"
to prevent Verizon settings from being easily downloaded to the phone. They
can manually be configured by hooking them to a PC and running software to
force Verizon settings into them, but most people just ignore them and use
Verizon, Alltel or US Cellular models.

Like with most wireless carriers, Verizon will tell you you're on your own
as far as tech support goes if you use a device they didn't sell, however-
Verizon adds custom menus and software to their phones, your your particular
phone might have a wildly different UI than the "identical" Verizon version.