cell phone newbie with treo600 traveling questions...

gaikokujin_kyofusho@mindless.com (Gaikokujin Kyofusho) wrote in
news:991c4d67.0402171017.26e7fc63@posting.google.c om:

> I am thinking of getting a GSM Treo600 but am
> unfamiliar with cell phone service in general (not to mention in other
> countries). If I bought a treo600 in the US would I be able to use it
> in other countries?

Googling it up I find that it's a quad-band GSM phone. So yes, it's useable
worldwide.

> I was under the impression that I could just buy
> a GSM id card (whatever its called) in whatever country I am in and
> use it

This is one option. You can either buy a prepaid SIM card (which you then
top up once in a while when your credit is used up), or you can subscribe
to a monthly plan, where you also get a SIM, and which is billed like a
regular phone connection (monthly fee & call charges). That's doable with
any GSM carrier worldwide. You will then have a phone number of that
carrier, with the national prefix of its home country. People wanting to
reach you will have to know that number, and every time you move you have
to tell all your contacts your new number.

The other option is to subscribe to a provider in your home country (USA?)
and use their SIM all along ("roaming"). You are then reachable by your
home phone number wherever you are in the world, and don't need to hassle
with buying or renting new SIMs all the time. The connection fees will be
far more expensive than regularly. If you don't expect to use your phone
very much it's the preferred option though.

> but when I look at the handspring site it seems like the phones
> are made to work only with certain carriers... I'm a bit confused.

This is called "locking". When you buy a phone together with a SIM
contract, the phone will often be technically crippled to work only with
the carrier you bought it from. This can be undone ("unlocking"), but not
necessarily easyly or cheaply.

When you buy the same phone separately in a shop without signing up to a
telephone connection, you'll get an unlocked phone which works with any
carrier. If in doubt, use that option. I don't think there are any phone
models which are only ever sold "locked".

In the used market, both locked and unlocked phones are on sale. Check
before you buy.

Regards

--
Gaudete, gaudete, Christus est natus ex Maria virgine, gaudete

http://www.wschwanke.de/ usenet_20031215 (AT) wschwanke (DOT) de

Ok, much clearer, thanks for the help!

-Gaiko

gaikokujin_kyofusho@mindless.com (Gaikokujin Kyofusho) wrote in message news:<991c4d67.0402171017.26e7fc63@posting.google. com>...
> Hi, I presently applying for some positions abroad (probably Asia or
> Africa)blah blah blah... I am thinking of getting a GSM Treo600 but am
> unfamiliar with cell phone service in general (not to mention in other
> countries). If I bought a treo600 in the US would I be able to use it
> in other countries? I was under the impression that I could just buy
> a GSM id card (whatever its called) in whatever country I am in and
> use it but when I look at the handspring site it seems like the phones
> are made to work only with certain carriers... I'm a bit confused.
>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated!
>
> -Gaiko