Best T Mobile prepiad phone to buy?

Any advice on which prepaid phone kit to buy?

Which one is best phone for general purpose use?

me@privacy.net wrote:
> Any advice on which prepaid phone kit to buy?
>
> Which one is best phone for general purpose use?

I bought the Motorola V195 because it's quad band. I had it unlocked so
I could use it with a prepaid SIM card in Asia. The RAZR V3 is also quad
band.

SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

>me@privacy.net wrote:
>> Any advice on which prepaid phone kit to buy?
>>
>> Which one is best phone for general purpose use?
>
>I bought the Motorola V195 because it's quad band. I had it unlocked so
>I could use it with a prepaid SIM card in Asia. The RAZR V3 is also quad
>band.

Ok thanks

But why is having quad band important?

I'm dumb abt this so please bear with me. <G>

In news:m65sh49er5vi3e2dbmh7sb64rqmh3dghng@4ax.com me@privacy.net wrote:

> SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:
>
>>me@privacy.net wrote:
>>> Any advice on which prepaid phone kit to buy?
>>>
>>> Which one is best phone for general purpose use?
>>
>>I bought the Motorola V195 because it's quad band. I had it unlocked
>>so I could use it with a prepaid SIM card in Asia. The RAZR V3 is also
>>quad band.
>
> Ok thanks
>
> But why is having quad band important?

It's useful if you're traveling outside the US; the rest of the world
uses different frequencies for GSM service than are used in the US. In
the US, it's 850MHz and 1900MHz; elsewhere it's 800MHz and 1800MHz. The
V195/V197 is quad-band, and I think all the various V3 models are too.

Having the phone unlocked is a good idea too; otherwise, even though the
phone will be compatible with the foreign services, you'll still be
paying T-Mobile's international roaming rates. With an unlocked phone,
you can pick up a pre-paid SIM at your destination for a lot less money.

--
Bert Hyman St. Paul, MN bert@iphouse.com

Bert Hyman <bert@iphouse.com> wrote:

>Having the phone unlocked is a good idea too; otherwise, even though the
>phone will be compatible with the foreign services, you'll still be
>paying T-Mobile's international roaming rates. With an unlocked phone,
>you can pick up a pre-paid SIM at your destination for a lot less money.

Thanks Bert!

How do I get the phone unlocked?

I would have assumed that ALL prepaid phones from
T-mobile kits are unlocked already. No?

At 15 Nov 2008 09:32:40 -0600 me@privacy.net wrote:

> How do I get the phone unlocked?


After you've had T-Mo service at least 90 days, they'll give you a code to
type in the handset to unlock it.


> I would have assumed that ALL prepaid phones from
> T-mobile kits are unlocked already. No?


No, "locked" just means the phone will only work with the SIM card of the
provider that sells it. T-Mo doesn't want you buying a $19 cellphone at
Walmart (that probably cost T-Mo $40-50) so you can use it on AT&T (or vice
versa,) so the phones are programmed to reject other company's SIMs.

If you're going to use the phone with T-Mo service only, it doesn't need
unlocking- it will work fine. Bert was talking about taking the phone
overseas and trying to use it with a prepaid card of an overseas provider.
To do that would require unlocking (as well as tri-band or quad-band phone.)
If you have no plans to travel internationally, none of this matters.

me@privacy.net wrote:
> Bert Hyman <bert@iphouse.com> wrote:
>
>> Having the phone unlocked is a good idea too; otherwise, even though the
>> phone will be compatible with the foreign services, you'll still be
>> paying T-Mobile's international roaming rates. With an unlocked phone,
>> you can pick up a pre-paid SIM at your destination for a lot less money.
>
> Thanks Bert!
>
> How do I get the phone unlocked?

Apparently T-Mobile will unlock it free after 90 days of service, if you
ask.

I needed it unlocked right away, and I paid $15 to an unlocking service
that advertised on craigslist.

> I would have assumed that ALL prepaid phones from
> T-mobile kits are unlocked already. No?

You assume wrong. They are all locked to T-Mobile. they really don't
want to sell you a phone for $30 that they probably paid $30 to Motorola
for, and then have you not buy minutes.

"Bert Hyman" <bert@iphouse.com> wrote in message
news:Xns9B575D5A47C8AVeebleFetzer@216.250.184.7...
> In news:m65sh49er5vi3e2dbmh7sb64rqmh3dghng@4ax.com me@privacy.net wrote:
>
>> SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>me@privacy.net wrote:
>>>> Any advice on which prepaid phone kit to buy?
>>>>
>>>> Which one is best phone for general purpose use?
>>>
>>>I bought the Motorola V195 because it's quad band. I had it unlocked
>>>so I could use it with a prepaid SIM card in Asia. The RAZR V3 is also
>>>quad band.
>>
>> Ok thanks
>>
>> But why is having quad band important?
>
> It's useful if you're traveling outside the US; the rest of the world
> uses different frequencies for GSM service than are used in the US. In
> the US, it's 850MHz and 1900MHz; elsewhere it's 800MHz and 1800MHz. The
> V195/V197 is quad-band, and I think all the various V3 models are too.
>
> Having the phone unlocked is a good idea too; otherwise, even though the
> phone will be compatible with the foreign services, you'll still be
> paying T-Mobile's international roaming rates. With an unlocked phone,
> you can pick up a pre-paid SIM at your destination for a lot less money.
>
> --
> Bert Hyman St. Paul, MN bert@iphouse.com

The only problem I have with the V195 is the occasional hang when first
closing the lid (the T-Mobile logo is upside down and the phone is hung and
you have to unplug the battery to get it working again). Sent one of our
phones back for the problem and they adjusted the lid switch but it still
happens. This is very seldom though and I think the phone is great for the
price.