[kisol007]

OK, sorry for the really ignorant question; but can anyone recommend a cell phone that I could use here in the states and then overseas for a couple months a year?

I guess I need to get a phone that I can switch out the SIM card in?

Any suggestions would be great!

Seth.

[smitty825]

A Cell Phone that works both here and overseas...overseas depends on where you are going...

If you are going to Europe or most of Asia (excluding Japan/South Korea), Brazil and the US/Canada, then you would be best off with a GSM phone. The "ideal" phone would work on the 850, 900, 1800 and 1900MHz bands. However, very few phones support 850MHz, so that is the least important. (If you spend 90% of your time in the US, and travel to Europe occasionally, then you may be better off with a 850, 1800, 1900MHz phone). Also, make sure that the phone is not "sim locked" so you can

If you head to South Korea, South America, Japan or US/Canda, then you may be best off with a CDMA phone. Coverage in these areas tends to be better with CDMA. A few CDMA phones have a "R-UIM" slot, which is the same as a "Sim" card on the GSM side. Roaming agreements between US Providers Verizon & Sprint and the rest of the world aren't great, though.

Since this is a Mac Forum, I'm assuming you want to be able to sync your phone with iSync. Check the Devices list. I've had no problem syncing a Nokia 3650 and a SE T68i.

[kisol007]

Thanks Dan, so what I am understanding here is that I want a phone that can use several MHz bands and is not "SIM locked".

Now, do I need to worry myself about this GSM, CDMA and TDMA business?

I know, I really don't know a thing about this...

[Mastrap]

Get yourself a triband phone. This will support you in the US, Canada and Europe. I use the Sony Ericsson T610 with no problems whatsoever.

[Diggory Laycock]

Originally posted by kisol007:
Thanks Dan, so what I am understanding here is that I want a phone that can use several MHz bands and is not "SIM locked".

Now, do I need to worry myself about this GSM, CDMA and TDMA business?

I know, I really don't know a thing about this...

Yes - GSM is the only one you can use around the world - GSM = Global Standard for Mobile Phones

[Powaqqatsi]

Originally posted by Diggory Laycock:
Yes - GSM is the only one you can use around the world - GSM = Global Standard for Mobile Phones

[smartass]"Global System for Mobile communitactions" and originally it was "Groupe Spécial Mobile" which was a research group appointed by the Conference of European Posts and Telegraphs (CEPT) in the eighties IIRC.[/smartass]

[Freeflyer]

I use a GSM tri band siemens s40 worldwide. I bought it unlocked, so that I could use local pay-as-you-go sim cards. Much cheaper than global roaming, but roaming is handy if you're somewhere just for a day or two.

Some companies won't let you unlock your phone, they want you to use their roaming feature. However, they can often be coerced into unlocking your phone if you explain that you're going to a country that they don't roam to (eg voicestream/t-mobile doesn't have a roaming partner for Oman or Nigeria).

There are also many places online that offer to provide you with unlock codes. I can't commennt on them, but perhaps someone else can.

Cheers,

J.

[maxintosh]

T-Mobile will give you the unlock code as long as you have had their service for 30 days (I think). There's an e-mail address you can send your IMEI to and you'll get the unlock code back.

[chabig]

Just because you call your product "Global Standard for ..." doesn't make it so. Or does it? Perhaps Apple should rename Mac OS X as "Global Standard for Personal Computer Operating Systems".

[darren h]

Sony Ericsson T610 is tri-band and quite a nice phone, if you have a powerbook they kind of match up quite nicely, also you have bluetooth and ir options for connectivity to devices i.e. powerbook and palm/pda

[tooki]

The fact is, most of the U.S. does not have GSM coverage, and where we do, it's at 1900MHz, not 900/1800MHz like all of Europe, Australia, Africa, etc., thus necessitating a tri-band phone.

But the fact remains that even with such a handset, most of the U.S. will not be covered. The west coast has great GSM coverage, and the east coast has improving (but not great) GSM coverage, but the central U.S. has awful (that is, largely nonexistent) GSM coverage.

You may find it worthwhile to just get a prepaid CDMA phone (like Verizon wireless, or Sprint's partner for prepaid service: Virgin Mobile) for using in the U.S. Make sure it also has analog roaming, since some rural parts of the country haven't even made it to digital!

tooki

[kisol007]

Thanks everyone.

This has been quit helpful.

maca salâma