Cellular phones topics - Need recommendation for a travel phone (UK, India)

Author

Need recommendation for a travel phone (UK, India)

Ajanta

2005-11-09, 5:48 am

I need a gsm phone for use in UK and India. (Last time I had a Nokia
6610 which served well but I no longer have it.)

I simply need a phone for voice and text messaging. Camera, web, email
are not required. It will not be used in the US.

Please suggest the "best value" models I can look for used.

I understand that my phone should be "triband" but not quite sure which
three bands are needed. Please point me towards those numbers so I can
scrutinize the ebay ads.

Thanks.

{{{{{Welcome}}}}}

2005-11-09, 5:48 am

Thus spaketh Ajanta:
> I need a gsm phone for use in UK and India. (Last time I had a Nokia
> 6610 which served well but I no longer have it.)
>
> I simply need a phone for voice and text messaging. Camera, web, email
> are not required. It will not be used in the US.
>
> Please suggest the "best value" models I can look for used.
>
> I understand that my phone should be "triband" but not quite sure
> which three bands are needed. Please point me towards those numbers
> so I can scrutinize the ebay ads.
>
> Thanks.

In the UK we use 900 and 1800 band, in India they also use 900 and 1800 band.
You will need to decide which home band would be best for you, though you
could get a quad-band phone and not have to worry.

If you were to pick up a phone in the UK you can buy a dual-band 900/1800
phone with a Pay As You Go SIM from US$26. Tri-band from US$35

Donald Newcomb

2005-11-09, 5:48 pm

"Ajanta" <ajanta@null.void> wrote in message
news:091120050056179
677%ajanta@null.void...
> I need a gsm phone for use in UK and India. (Last time I had a Nokia
> 6610 which served well but I no longer have it.)
>
> I simply need a phone for voice and text messaging. Camera, web, email
> are not required. It will not be used in the US.
>
> Please suggest the "best value" models I can look for used.

Actually, you only *need* a single-band GSM-900 phone but these days you
might as well get a dual-band 900/1800 model, since this will give you a
better choice of prepaid and roaming carriers. The base phone to meet your
requirements might be an old Nokia 6150 or Motorola 8900 bought off ebay.
But look at it this way. If you buy a used phone you'll probably have to
replace the battery, which might cost as much as the phone. Tiger Direct
sells new cheapie unlocked tri-band GSM phones for as little as $70 with
just about zero risk to the buyer.

And OBTW, there is no need for the excessive cross-posting.

--
Donald R. Newcomb
DRNewcomb (at) attglobal (dot) net

Geoffrey S. Mendelson

2005-11-09, 5:48 pm

In article < 091120050056179677%a
janta@null.void>, Ajanta wrote:

> I simply need a phone for voice and text messaging. Camera, web, email
> are not required. It will not be used in the US.

Then any 900/1800 dual band phone will work well. Make sure that it is
UNLOCKED. Normally phones are sold with an SP (service provider) lock
on them so that you can only use a SIM with an account on the service
provider that sold you the phone.

This is because you rarely pay the full price for a phone, some of it
it subsidised by the expectation that you will use it and make money
for the service provider. They lock it so that you can't buy a phone
cheaply from one SP and then use it with another that has better prices,
but lower subsidies.

Motorola phones are almost impossible to unlock without expensive
hardware and software, Nokia ones are very easy, but you have to
know the SP they were locked to.

Be careful buying used tri-band phones, some tri-band models sold in
the U.S. were actually single band phones, with the non-U.S. bands
(900/1800) disabled by the factory. They often show up on eBay.

The main thing depends upon how many calls you plan to make while you
are traveling. If you only want the phone for family to reach you in
an emergency, then you should contact your local service provider and
see what they can do for you. Be carefull, calls to your phone will be
very expensive and a person calling you from next door will have
to call you in the U.S. and then you will pay the cost of forwarding
the call to you.

However if you plan to make or receive many calls, then you should buy an
unlocked phone with a pay-as-you-go SIM (either seperately or together)
and use it with it's local number. Note that INCOMING calls are paid for
by the caller, not you.

If you are visiting family, friends, or a business associate you can
have them get you a SIM before you arrive so that you can give out your
number before you leave. If you are not particular about the service
provider you use, the same people may have an old phone in a drawer
that will do. It will probably need a new battery.

It's important to note that money paid in advance for pay-as-you-go
phones is forfitted if you don't use it after a certain amount of time.
This depends upon the service provider. Some require you to use it,
some require you to add new check the terms of service before buying.

As for making calls back to the U.S. if you are bringing a laptop
and have a VoIP account, such as Vonage, you can bring your account with
you and as long as you can find a broadband internet connection, you
are connected.

You might also want to look at SkypeOut, but be warned they have also
have a "no use SkypeOut, you loose your money" policy. It used
to be without warning, which cost me almost $9, but after I complained
they started sending out warning emails (but no refund).

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel gsm@mendelson.com N3OWJ/4X1GM
IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667 IL Fax: 972-2-648-1443 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838
You should have boycotted Google while you could, now Google supported
BPL is in action. Time is running out on worldwide radio communication.

Ajanta

2005-11-09, 5:48 pm

Donald Newcomb <DRNewcomb@NOT.attglobal.net> wrote:

: Actually, you only *need* a single-band GSM-900 phone but these
: days you might as well get a dual-band 900/1800 model

Phones I see ads dor (ebay) often have an extra 800 or 850, is one of
those better than the other?

: Tiger Direct sells new cheapie unlocked tri-band GSM phones for as
: little as $70 with just about zero risk to the buyer.

Thanks

: And OBTW, there is no need for the excessive cross-posting.

My apologies, but I am not a regular participant in these groups and
didn't know which one would be best.

Ajanta

2005-11-09, 5:48 pm

Geoffrey S. Mendelson <gsm@mendelson.com> wrote:

: Then any 900/1800 dual band phone will work well.

"World phones" I see on ebay also have an 800 or 850 band; is one of
those preferrable to the other?

: Be careful buying used tri-band phones, some tri-band models sold in
: the U.S. were actually single band phones, with the non-U.S. bands
: (900/1800) disabled by the factory. They often show up on eBay.

Darn, must be among those I have been looking at. Maybe best to get a
phone that is not branded by a provider?

: The main thing depends upon how many calls you plan to make while
: you are traveling...

Basically to keep in touch and emergencies etc. Call would be local,
not to US. I plan to get a sim card---borrow or buy---as soon as I
arrive in a country.

What is thebest choice in the nokia line (voice and text only, no web
or email needed)?

Mike S.

2005-11-09, 5:48 pm

In article <4371e927_2@news1.prserv.net>,
Donald Newcomb <DRNewcomb@NOT.attglobal.net> wrote:
>
>Tiger Direct
>sells new cheapie unlocked tri-band GSM phones for as little as $70 with
>just about zero risk to the buyer.

If you consider an unwanted magazine subscription billed to your credit
card "zero risk", of course.

www.pocket.me.uk

2005-11-09, 5:48 pm

"Ajanta" <ajanta@null.void> wrote in message
news:091120050857421
422%ajanta@null.void...
> Geoffrey S. Mendelson <gsm@mendelson.com> wrote:
>
> : Then any 900/1800 dual band phone will work well.
>
> "World phones" I see on ebay also have an 800 or 850 band; is one of
> those preferrable to the other?
>
> : Be careful buying used tri-band phones, some tri-band models sold in
> : the U.S. were actually single band phones, with the non-U.S. bands
> : (900/1800) disabled by the factory. They often show up on eBay.
>
> Darn, must be among those I have been looking at. Maybe best to get a
> phone that is not branded by a provider?
>
> : The main thing depends upon how many calls you plan to make while
> : you are traveling...
>
> Basically to keep in touch and emergencies etc. Call would be local,
> not to US. I plan to get a sim card---borrow or buy---as soon as I
> arrive in a country.
>
> What is thebest choice in the nokia line (voice and text only, no web
> or email needed)?

The Nokia 1100 (dual-band GSM 900/1800) which cost you around £19.99 brand
new. Unlocked it so you can use any UK and Indian sim card. The Nokia 1100
can be unlocked for free from http://www.trycktill.com/eng/unlock_swe.asp
Use a O2 sim card with it in the UK thay offer best intl text rate of 10p
text to any where in the world from the UK. Get a O2 Sim from
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...item=5790747835

--

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/experimentalist-co-uk Will post worldwide.
www.simcard.me.uk Local Pre Pay Sim Cards. Mobile Phones - Satellite Phones
www.experimentalist.co.uk/forum/index.php Nokia
6630,6680,7710,N91,N
90,N70,E60,E61,E70 Unlocking, Free Sim Cards INFO.

www.pocket.me.uk

2005-11-09, 5:48 pm

"Ajanta" <ajanta@null.void> wrote in message
news:091120050056179
677%ajanta@null.void...
>I need a gsm phone for use in UK and India. (Last time I had a Nokia
> 6610 which served well but I no longer have it.)
>
> I simply need a phone for voice and text messaging. Camera, web, email
> are not required. It will not be used in the US.
>
> Please suggest the "best value" models I can look for used.
>
> I understand that my phone should be "triband" but not quite sure which
> three bands are needed. Please point me towards those numbers so I can
> scrutinize the ebay ads.
>
> Thanks.

The Nokia 1100 (dual-band GSM 900/1800) which cost you around £19.99 brand
new. Unlocked it so you can use any UK and Indian sim card. The Nokia 1100
can be unlocked for free from http://www.trycktill.com/eng/unlock_swe.asp
Use a O2 sim card with it in the UK thay offer best intl text rate of 10p
text to any where in the world from the UK. Get a O2 Sim from
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...item=5790747835

--

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/experimentalist-co-uk Will post worldwide.
www.simcard.me.uk Local Pre Pay Sim Cards. Mobile Phones - Satellite Phones
www.experimentalist.co.uk/forum/index.php Nokia
6630,6680,7710,N91,N
90,N70,E60,E61,E70 Unlocking, Free Sim Cards INFO.

Joseph

2005-11-09, 5:48 pm

On Wed, 09 Nov 2005 06:56:15 GMT, Ajanta <ajanta@null.void> wrote:

>I need a gsm phone for use in UK and India. (Last time I had a Nokia
>6610 which served well but I no longer have it.)
>
>I simply need a phone for voice and text messaging. Camera, web, email
>are not required. It will not be used in the US.
>
>Please suggest the "best value" models I can look for used.
>
>I understand that my phone should be "triband" but not quite sure which
>three bands are needed. Please point me towards those numbers so I can
>scrutinize the ebay ads.

If it's only going to be used in the UK and in India "triband" is not
needed at all. You only need a phone capable of 900 and 1800. 1900
or 850 are of no use at all since they are for use in North America
only.

Simple 900/1800 phones would be Nokia 3210, Nokia 3310, Nokia 3410 and
Nokia 3510. 3210, 3310 and 3410 are likely not even sold by dealers
any longer, but should be available on eBay.
- -

Joseph

2005-11-09, 5:48 pm

On Wed, 09 Nov 2005 14:51:27 GMT, Ajanta <ajanta@null.void> wrote:

>Phones I see ads dor (ebay) often have an extra 800 or 850, is one of
>those better than the other?

Those are *North American* frequencies and are of no concern to you if
you're just going to India and the UK.
- -

Joseph

2005-11-09, 5:48 pm

On Wed, 09 Nov 2005 14:57:41 GMT, Ajanta <ajanta@null.void> wrote:

>"World phones" I see on ebay also have an 800 or 850 band; is one of
>those preferrable to the other?

800 "850" is useful only in the Americas. Not at all in Europe or
Asia (for GSM.)
- -

Joseph

2005-11-09, 5:48 pm

On Wed, 09 Nov 2005 14:57:41 GMT, Ajanta <ajanta@null.void> wrote:

>What is thebest choice in the nokia line (voice and text only, no web
>or email needed)?

Nokia 3210, 3310, 3410 or 3510.

- -

Geoffrey S. Mendelson

2005-11-09, 5:48 pm

In article < 091120050857421422%a
janta@null.void>, Ajanta wrote:

> "World phones" I see on ebay also have an 800 or 850 band; is one of
> those preferrable to the other?

There are 4 commonly used GSM bands:

850 mHz: This is the old 800 mHz cellular band used in many places
for analog, TDMA (DAMPS) digital and about 3 years ago
AT&T wireless services converted their DAMPS network
to GSM, since they had 800 mHz licenses that covered the
entire U.S., they were able to get 800 mHz GSM phones made
just for them. However GSM notation is different, so the
same frequencies are called GSM 850.

900 mHz This is the original European 900mHz GSM band. Almost every
country outside of North America that has GSM has coverage
in 900 mHz. Brazil and one eastern European country does not.

1800 mHz This is the expansion band for GSM 1800. The carriers here
were usually the later ones and cheaper than the 900 mHz,
but not always true. Some 900 mHz carriers operate here
too in crowded areas. Two countries operater GSM 1800 and
not 900.

1900 mHz This is the U.S. PCS (personal communication services)
cellular expansion band. Some operators are GSM, are
DAMPS. GSM coverage in this band is about 85% of the U.S.
population, but far less of the area.

> Darn, must be among those I have been looking at. Maybe best to get a
> phone that is not branded by a provider?

Yes. There are plenty of places that cell them new at reasonable prices.
HOWEVER I would not buy a "world phone" if your native cellular phone is
not GSM. It will just frustrate you and add aditional expense.

> What is thebest choice in the nokia line (voice and text only, no web
> or email needed)?

I'm not up on the current models, but my best choice would be a used
5110. They were sold almost everywhere and new batteries and chargers
are easy to get. They are 900 mHz only, there are also 1800 mHz, 1900 mHz,
DAMPS versions. If you know the service provider they are locked to, you
can unlock them with a web browser.

If you ask around in the UK or India, or anywhere else for that matter,
you will probably find many old ones no longer in use.

Whatever you get make sure to get a 230 volt charger and plug adaptors.

Another nice phone is the Motorola C-380. My wife has one and it works
well, although it does have all sorts of extras. It is tri-band
900/1800/1900. I've seen them advertised new for $110 mail order
in the U.S.

If you get a UK charger, Boots, (the UK equivalent of Rite-Aide) has
a very nice set of nesting adaptor plugs. it looks rather phalic, but does
a good job.

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel gsm@mendelson.com N3OWJ/4X1GM
IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667 IL Fax: 972-2-648-1443 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838
You should have boycotted Google while you could, now Google supported
BPL is in action. Time is running out on worldwide radio communication.

John Navas

2005-11-09, 5:48 pm

[POSTED TO alt.cellular.gsm - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In < 091120050851299001%a
janta@null.void> on Wed, 09 Nov 2005 14:51:27 GMT,
Ajanta <ajanta@null.void> wrote:

>Donald Newcomb <DRNewcomb@NOT.attglobal.net> wrote:

>: Tiger Direct sells new cheapie unlocked tri-band GSM phones for as
>: little as $70 with just about zero risk to the buyer.
>
>Thanks

Suggest instead you buy an inexpensive used or refurbished unlocked "world"
phone on eBay; e.g.,
<http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...item=5828380722>

--
Best regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES:
John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular>

Peter

2005-11-09, 11:48 pm

On Wed, 09 Nov 2005 14:57:41 GMT, Ajanta <ajanta@null.void> wrote:

>Geoffrey S. Mendelson <gsm@mendelson.com> wrote:
>
>: Then any 900/1800 dual band phone will work well.
>
>"World phones" I see on ebay also have an 800 or 850 band; is one of
>those preferrable to the other?
>
>: Be careful buying used tri-band phones, some tri-band models sold in
>: the U.S. were actually single band phones, with the non-U.S. bands
>: (900/1800) disabled by the factory. They often show up on eBay.
>
>Darn, must be among those I have been looking at. Maybe best to get a
>phone that is not branded by a provider?
>
>: The main thing depends upon how many calls you plan to make while
>: you are traveling...
>
>Basically to keep in touch and emergencies etc. Call would be local,
>not to US. I plan to get a sim card---borrow or buy---as soon as I
>arrive in a country.
>
>What is thebest choice in the nokia line (voice and text only, no web
>or email needed)?

You can buy a brand new PAYG Nokia 1100 for between 20 - 30 quid. Easy
enough to unlock, cheap enough to not worry about when you lose it.
AIUI, it is dual band and also has a torch - possibly handy in the
less salubrious parts of the UK and India.

Donald Newcomb

2005-11-09, 11:48 pm

"John Navas" < spamfilter0@navasgro
up.com> wrote in message
news:zitcf.38833$qk4.36548@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
>
> Suggest instead you buy an inexpensive used or refurbished unlocked
"world"
> phone on eBay; e.g.,
> <http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...item=5828380722>

That works too, but only deal with a very high rated seller with a long
history. I've bought phones on eBay and most of the time it works out fine.
OTHO, I've been stiffed for about $120, once and had another seller "found
the phone damaged" after the auction I won at a low price.

--
Donald R. Newcomb
DRNewcomb (at) attglobal (dot) net

Ajanta

2005-11-10, 2:48 am

Joseph <JoeOfSeattle@yahoo.com> wrote:

: >What is thebest choice in the nokia line (voice and text only, no web
: >or email needed)?
:
: Nokia 3210, 3310, 3410 or 3510.

None seem available at ebay. :(

www.pocket.me.uk

2005-11-10, 5:48 pm

"Ajanta" <ajanta@null.void> wrote in message
news:091120052330201
267%ajanta@null.void...
> Joseph <JoeOfSeattle@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> : >What is thebest choice in the nokia line (voice and text only, no web
> : >or email needed)?
> :
> : Nokia 3210, 3310, 3410 or 3510.
>
> None seem available at ebay. :(

Nokia 3220 unlocked triband will work in the UK and India Also the USA.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...item=6431688982

Or i can sell you a UK triband motorola locked to UK T-mobile for £29.99
free airmail postage to the USA. As this phone is locked it will only work
on the UK T-mobile network unless u can get it unlocked then work in India
and USA.

--

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/experimentalist-co-uk Will post worldwide.
www.simcard.me.uk Local Pre Pay Sim Cards. Mobile Phones - Satellite Phones
www.experimentalist.co.uk/forum/index.php Nokia
6630,6680,7710,N91,N
90,N70,E60,E61,E70 Unlocking, Free Sim Cards INFO.

Joseph

2005-11-10, 5:48 pm

On Thu, 10 Nov 2005 05:30:19 GMT, Ajanta <ajanta@null.void> wrote:

>Joseph <JoeOfSeattle@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>: >What is thebest choice in the nokia line (voice and text only, no web
>: >or email needed)?
>:
>: Nokia 3210, 3310, 3410 or 3510.
>
>None seem available at ebay. :(

You must have a faulty browser. I tried each of the above using the
search "unlocked Nokia XXXX" and found some for each on eBay.

- -

Ajanta

2005-11-10, 5:48 pm

Joseph <JoeOfSeattle@yahoo.com> wrote:

: >: Nokia 3210, 3310, 3410 or 3510.
: >
: >None seem available at ebay. :(
:
: You must have a faulty browser. I tried each of the above using the
: search "unlocked Nokia XXXX" and found some for each on eBay.

I finally managed understand what the problem is. I was searching for
US postings, where I am. Most of these models are listed from UK.

SMS

2005-11-10, 11:48 pm

Donald Newcomb wrote:
> "Ajanta" <ajanta@null.void> wrote in message
> news:091120050056179
677%ajanta@null.void...
>
>
>
> Actually, you only *need* a single-band GSM-900 phone but these days you
> might as well get a dual-band 900/1800 model, since this will give you a
> better choice of prepaid and roaming carriers. The base phone to meet your
> requirements might be an old Nokia 6150 or Motorola 8900 bought off ebay.
> But look at it this way. If you buy a used phone you'll probably have to
> replace the battery, which might cost as much as the phone. Tiger Direct
> sells new cheapie unlocked tri-band GSM phones for as little as $70 with
> just about zero risk to the buyer.

The Tiger Direct phone for $70 is the Nokia 6010, which is 800/1800/1900
Mhz. This isn't suitable as a travel phone for Europe and Asia. You
really want to have 900/1800 Mhz for use in India, as with only 1800 Mhz
your coverage will suck. It's very strange that Nokia made a tri-band
phone with those three bands. It's fine for the U.S., but it really
limits the use outside North America to not have 900 Mhz.

There are probably thousands of Motorola tri-band phones around that are
900/1800/1900, from when the U.S. had no 800 Mhz GSM. These are of
limited use in the U.S. (except with T-Mobile) but very useful in Europe
and Asia.

I.e. see: http://sentimentalgift.com/mott2gsm90mh.html, but there were
some earlier versions of this phone that will work equally well.

SMS

2005-11-10, 11:48 pm

Ajanta wrote:
> I need a gsm phone for use in UK and India. (Last time I had a Nokia
> 6610 which served well but I no longer have it.)
>
> I simply need a phone for voice and text messaging. Camera, web, email
> are not required. It will not be used in the US.
>
> Please suggest the "best value" models I can look for used.
>
> I understand that my phone should be "triband" but not quite sure which
> three bands are needed. Please point me towards those numbers so I can
> scrutinize the ebay ads.
>
> Thanks.

See "http://sentimentalgift.com/mott2gsm90mh.html"

You are probably better off with a new unlocked phone. Just replacing
the battery in a used phone will be an expense, and you won't be sure
that the phone is really unlocked.

John Navas

2005-11-10, 11:48 pm

[POSTED TO alt.cellular.gsm - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In < 4373efd5$0$75777$742
ec2ed@news.sonic.net> on Thu, 10 Nov 2005 17:12:03
-0800, SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

>The Tiger Direct phone for $70 is the Nokia 6010, which is 800/1800/1900
>Mhz. This isn't suitable as a travel phone for Europe and Asia. You
>really want to have 900/1800 Mhz for use in India, as with only 1800 Mhz
>your coverage will suck. It's very strange that Nokia made a tri-band
>phone with those three bands. ...

Not strange at all (as I've told you before): Tri-band phones are cheaper to
make than quad-band, and the easy switch is between 900/1800/1900 (non-US) and
850/1800/1900 (US).

--
Best regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES:
John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular>

Donald Newcomb

2005-11-11, 2:48 am

"SMS" <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote in message
news:4373efd5$0$7577
7$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net...
> The Tiger Direct phone for $70 is the Nokia 6010, which is 800/1800/1900
> Mhz. This isn't suitable as a travel phone for Europe and Asia.

The models they offer change from hour to hour. They have sold a number of
900/1800/1900 tri-bands for less than $70. Right at this moment they have a
couple of "Hop On" tri-bands for $69.99. And no, they are not the only place
you can get a good deal on an unlocked GSM phone.

--
Donald R. Newcomb
DRNewcomb (at) attglobal (dot) net

SMS

2005-11-11, 5:48 pm

Donald Newcomb wrote:
> "SMS" <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote in message
> news:4373efd5$0$7577
7$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net...
>
>
>
> The models they offer change from hour to hour. They have sold a number of
> 900/1800/1900 tri-bands for less than $70. Right at this moment they have a
> couple of "Hop On" tri-bands for $69.99. And no, they are not the only place
> you can get a good deal on an unlocked GSM phone.
>

Yes the Hop-On would be fine for India. I don't know why the Tiger
Direct site keeps referring to their phones as "SIM-Free."

The Nokia 6010 is a very misleading product, as there is no reason to
include 1800 Mhz and not 900 Mhz. It'd be much more useful for the phone
to be 800/900/1900 since in most countries, including the U.S., the
higher frequency is the "expansion" frequency, with poorer coverage.

SMS

2005-11-11, 5:48 pm

John Navas

2005-11-11, 5:48 pm

[POSTED TO alt.cellular.gsm - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In < 4374bacd$0$75759$742
ec2ed@news.sonic.net> on Fri, 11 Nov 2005 07:38:04
-0800, SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

>Yes the Hop-On would be fine for India. I don't know why the Tiger
>Direct site keeps referring to their phones as "SIM-Free."

Because they aren't carrier subsidized.

>The Nokia 6010 is a very misleading product, as there is no reason to
>include 1800 Mhz and not 900 Mhz. It'd be much more useful for the phone
>to be 800/900/1900 since in most countries, including the U.S., the
>higher frequency is the "expansion" frequency, with poorer coverage.

The reason are cost and the availability of chipsets (as I've tried to explain
to you a number of times) -- cheap tri-band chipsets started with
900/1800/1900 (non-US market with original US PCS added), followed by
850/1800/1900 (current US market, cheaply derived from 900/1800/1900). The
next step up is more expensive quad-band (850/900/1800/1900). There's no real
market for new tri-band 800/900/1900, since it's no better than 850/1800/1900
for the US market, and isn't as good as 900/1800/1900 for the non-US market.
Got it now?

--
Best regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES:
John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular>

Joseph

2005-11-11, 5:48 pm

On Thu, 10 Nov 2005 17:12:03 -0800, SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com>
wrote:

>The Tiger Direct phone for $70 is the Nokia 6010, which is 800/1800/1900
>Mhz. This isn't suitable as a travel phone for Europe and Asia. You
>really want to have 900/1800 Mhz for use in India, as with only 1800 Mhz
>your coverage will suck. It's very strange that Nokia made a tri-band
>phone with those three bands. It's fine for the U.S., but it really
>limits the use outside North America to not have 900 Mhz.

Sorry, The Nokia 6010 is a *North America* only handset. It
supports GSM 850 and GSM 1900. It does not support GSM 1800. It is
the low end intro phone and is usually the model that gets included
free on most any account.

There are countries in the Americas that have 1800 but do not have 850
or 1900. The only countries I know in the Americas with 900 are Cuba
and Venezuela. Handsets with 850/1900 are decidedly meant for the
Americas. Thusfar Nokia has only one quad band (850/900/1800/1900)
handset.
- -

SMS

2005-11-11, 5:48 pm

Joseph wrote:
> On Thu, 10 Nov 2005 17:12:03 -0800, SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com>
> wrote:
>
>
>
>
> Sorry, The Nokia 6010 is a *North America* only handset. It
> supports GSM 850 and GSM 1900. It does not support GSM 1800.

Yes, sorry. I think the Nokia at Tiger was the Nokia 3100 (it's no
longer on their site).

The problem with a lot of tri-band phones is that the manufacturer took
a 900/1800/1900 Mhz model, that was fine for the U.S. prior to the
conversion of TDMA 800 to GSM 800, and simply changed the 900 Mhz to 800
Mhz. This is fine for a U.S. phone, but it sucks for a "World Phone"
since you really want 900/1800 for a world phone, and India is no exception.

The older tri-band phones, the ones with 900/1800/1900 are perfect for
outside the U.S., and are pretty cheap nowadays since no on in the U.S.
wants anything without 800 Mhz GSM.

John Navas

2005-11-11, 5:48 pm

[POSTED TO alt.cellular.gsm - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In < 4374d133$0$75846$742
ec2ed@news.sonic.net> on Fri, 11 Nov 2005 09:13:38
-0800, SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:

>Joseph wrote:

>
>[SNIP]

>The older tri-band phones, the ones with 900/1800/1900 are perfect for
>outside the U.S., and are pretty cheap nowadays since no on in the U.S.
>wants anything without 800 Mhz GSM.

Wrong again. T-Mobile is 1900 only in the USA, and even sells an
"international" dual-band 900/1900 handset (Samsung x475
<http://www.t-mobile.com/products/ov...625&class=phone> ).

--
Best regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES:
John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular>

disinterestedbystander@mail.com

2005-11-13, 11:48 pm

I'm listing three Europe phones on eBay 13NOV 19:30PST.

The auction numbers will be

5829875620 Siemens A57
5829862567 Nokia 5110
5829885598 Siemens S46

All auctions start at $9.99

Tom

LinkBot