Discussion:
What abt DealExtreme.com GSM cell phones?
(too old to reply)
m***@privacy.net
2010-03-06 00:59:50 UTC
Permalink
I'm looking for a GSM based smart phone that has wifi
that could be used with a prepaid acct from T Mobile

What abt these phones on Deal Extreme?

http://www.dealextreme.com/products.dx/category.511

The price is right! But will they work in the USA in
Missouri?
Mike S.
2010-03-06 22:06:36 UTC
Permalink
Post by m***@privacy.net
I'm looking for a GSM based smart phone that has wifi
that could be used with a prepaid acct from T Mobile
What abt these phones on Deal Extreme?
http://www.dealextreme.com/products.dx/category.511
The price is right! But will they work in the USA in
Missouri?
I've bought a couple of dual-SIM phones from them after years of
successfully ordering flashlights and other small electronics. As offshore
dealers go they're among the highest rated and are generally pretty
reliable. The downside to buying a more expensive and complicated piece of
electronics like a cellphone is the lack of support and additional expense
involved in returning it. Take the product descriptions with a grain of
salt too - generally they're based on the manufacturers specs and
historically these tend to be idealized. Check the reviews - if a lot of
people have given positive comments about a particular item, it's probably
safe.

For use in the USA check that it ways "Quad-Band GSM" as the primary focus
of the Chinese cellphone industry is domestic use and that's only the
900/1800 MHZ bands used everywhere besides North America.

Chinese phones tend to have proprietary batteries. It's better to buy one
that comes with a spare (actually this is common practice among most of
the Chinese cellphone houses anyway) or one that uses standard batteries
like Nokia compatible versions.
m***@privacy.net
2010-03-07 01:06:56 UTC
Permalink
Post by Mike S.
I've bought a couple of dual-SIM phones
Which brand/model did you buy?

And the idea of a dual SIM phone is great!! This
allows the use of switching between tow entirely diff
carriers, yes?

Why aren't there any dual SIM phones being sold in the
USA?
Mike S.
2010-03-07 13:11:25 UTC
Permalink
Post by m***@privacy.net
Post by Mike S.
I've bought a couple of dual-SIM phones
Which brand/model did you buy?
The first was a Zoho V90+ - a quad-band touch screen phone with physical
numeric keypad. A little flimsy in construction but it worked just fine on
4 international trips. I typically carried a local prepay SIM or callback
international SIM (like eKit or TravelSIM) in the first slot, and my
expensive but always-reliable Mobal (O2 UK) SIM in the second slot for
emergencies or poor coverage areas.

The second phone is a nameless physical (but not a functional) clone of the
Nokia E72. It is much more solid in construction and but does not perform
nearly as well.
Post by m***@privacy.net
And the idea of a dual SIM phone is great!! This
allows the use of switching between tow entirely diff
carriers, yes?
Not just switching. Most of these phones have two independent GSM engines
that can operate at once (not for simultaneous phone calls, of course, but
standby). In the setup menu you can choose SIM A, SIM B, or both. Having
two GSM engines on standby eats battery life faster of course. They are
typically billed in the Chinese ads as "Dual SIM Standby". CECT got this
arrangement down to a science and it works extremely well.
Post by m***@privacy.net
Why aren't there any dual SIM phones being sold in the USA?
Lack of demand.
Carrier-locked, subsidized phones.
danny burstein
2010-03-08 09:37:50 UTC
Permalink
[snip]
Post by Mike S.
Post by m***@privacy.net
And the idea of a dual SIM phone is great!! This
allows the use of switching between tow entirely diff
carriers, yes?
...and... would let you keep both your peronal and your "work"
phones with you in a single unit...
Post by Mike S.
Post by m***@privacy.net
Why aren't there any dual SIM phones being sold in the USA?
Lack of demand.
Carrier-locked, subsidized phones.
The demand is there if the supply would be in place...
--
_____________________________________________________
Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
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M.L.
2011-04-20 20:55:25 UTC
Permalink
Post by Mike S.
Post by m***@privacy.net
I'm looking for a GSM based smart phone that has wifi
that could be used with a prepaid acct from T Mobile
What abt these phones on Deal Extreme?
http://www.dealextreme.com/products.dx/category.511
The price is right! But will they work in the USA in
Missouri?
I've bought a couple of dual-SIM phones from them after years of
successfully ordering flashlights and other small electronics. As offshore
dealers go they're among the highest rated and are generally pretty
reliable. The downside to buying a more expensive and complicated piece of
electronics like a cellphone is the lack of support and additional expense
involved in returning it. Take the product descriptions with a grain of
salt too - generally they're based on the manufacturers specs and
historically these tend to be idealized. Check the reviews - if a lot of
people have given positive comments about a particular item, it's probably
safe.
For use in the USA check that it ways "Quad-Band GSM" as the primary focus
of the Chinese cellphone industry is domestic use and that's only the
900/1800 MHZ bands used everywhere besides North America.
Chinese phones tend to have proprietary batteries. It's better to buy one
that comes with a spare (actually this is common practice among most of
the Chinese cellphone houses anyway) or one that uses standard batteries
like Nokia compatible versions.
I'm thinking of buying one too, but I'm finding that while the <$100
China phones have features lacking in USA phones, the reverse is also
true:

No GPS receiver
No 3G/4G support
proprietary OS might not support Sip/VOIP apps
low resolution cameras
low SD card capacity
analog TV

I'm ordering a GSM/WiFi model with a 1280x1024 camera and HSDPA
support *if* it supports Sip VOIP software (inquiry sent).

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