» Will any of these phones work with my provider?
» What does unlocked mean? What are these different bands?
» What if I have Verizon or Sprint?
» What do I need to do to setup service?
» Will mobile internet service work on these phones?
» What about video calling?
» Do these phones come with a warranty?
» What about technical support?

 

» Q: Will any of these phones work with my provider?

A: All of the phones we carry are unlocked GSM phones compatible with both Cingular and T-Mobile in the US. Almost every other country (except Korea and Japan) also has GSM coverage, but we still encourage you to check with your local provider to confirm. All of our phones are at least tri-band and will operate on 900/1800/1900 mhz. Many of our phones also incorporate the 850 mhz band as well.

» Q: What does unlocked mean? What are these different bands?

A: An unlocked phone is one that is not tied to any specific carrier and will work with every GSM carrier worldwide. (This is sometimes referred to as SIM-free.) In the US, T-Mobile operates on the 1900 mhz band and Cingular operates on both the 850 and 1900 mhz bands. The 850 mhz band is not used outside of the US and some of the phones we carry do not support this band. As a result, you may experience reception issues in rural areas when using Cingular with only a tri-band phone. (You will have no issues with a quad-band phone.) In major cities this should not be an issue

» Q: What if I have Verizon or Sprint?

A: Unfortunately, these providers use CDMA technology which is not compatible with GSM. Therefore it is not possible to use any of the phones on our site with these providers and you would need to setup service with a GSM provider (for example T-Mobile or Cingular.)

» Q: What do I need to do to setup service?

A: If you already have service with Cingular or T-Mobile you can simply transfer the SIM card to your new phone; once you power it on, it is ready to call. (If you save your contacts to the SIM card, your address book will also transfer to the new phone. "Save address book to SIM" is an option on most phones.) If you need to setup new service you can visit a Cingular or T-Mobile store, purchase a SIM card, and sign up for their prepaid or monthly plan.

» Q: Will mobile internet service work on these phones?

A: Absolutely, all of our phones are compatible with Cingular and T-Mobile's mobile internet services. Most phones support EDGE data and some support even faster data such as HSDPA on Cingular.

» Q: What about video calling?