Tag Archives: cell phone

 

Should US based service providers be required to sell SIM unlocked phones?
The question was always valid with AT&T and T-Mobile offering a compatible network, but now with the move to LTE 4th generation wireless networks, most of the new phones sold are now SIM card dependent for operation on both CDMA and GSM networks making the question more relevant than ever.

A little background on why the phones are SIM locked in the first place is in order. In the US, cell phones sold by the service providers are subsidized. The consumer is pays significantly less for the phone than the service provider’s actual cost. The carrier will generally recover its losses on the handset over the length of the 2 year contract signed to get that discount price. As a result of this subsidized price, if the phones were SIM unlocked, it would create an environment where the consumer could purchase a deeply discounted handset and after paying any early termination fees would still spend less than full retail for the phone resulting in large losses for the service provider.

A second factor playing into the SIM lock decision is ‘Exclusivity’. This is a key tool used by service providers as part of their marketing strategy. The service provider can leverage having exclusive rights to sell certain phone models to retain, attract and acquire customers.

The iPhone is a perfect example of both of these scenarios. Thanks to exclusive rights to sell the iPhone at its launch, T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint each lost customers to AT&T. While the iPhone would only have worked on T-Mobile’s network, had the phone been sold carrier unlocked, consumers could have easily purchased the device, paid the earlier termination fee on AT&T (saving more than $200 off the full retail purchase price) and been able to use T-Mobile negating the exclusivity and costing AT&T untold sums in losses on both the phone AND service.

Requiring the service providers to offer their phones free from SIM locks, while offering greater flexibility for the consumer, it does have some drawbacks. First, the carrier’s will ultimately need to change their business model of offering subsidized or exclusive handsets. The most likely shift will be the end of subsidies, or at least in the amount of the subsidy, driving the cost of the phones higher. At present, you can buy an SIM unlocked iPhone 4s directly from Apple starting at $649 for the 16GB model. AT&T is selling the same iPhone SIM locked for $199.99 with an early termination fee (ETF) of $325. If AT&T was required to sell the phone SIM unlocked, the subsidized price would need to rise to $324 just to keep the phone + ETF fee equal to the full retail price charged by Apple now. Without the price jump, it would be cheaper to buy the phone from AT&T, pay the ETF and use it with the service of your choice.

The second drawback – in the case of any current GSM handset used on T-Mobile or AT&T, consumers need to be aware that the phone, even when SIM unlocked, is not capable of 3G or 4G data speeds when used on the other’s network. T-Mobile and AT&T use different frequencies for their data. Using an unlocked phone on a network was not designed for will put limitations in place and create a negative user experience.
Finally, in the case of SIM unlocked LTE handsets, there will still be a compatibility issue on the CDMA networks. Verizon Wireless and Sprint have strict policies on adding handsets to their systems that were originally sold on each other’s network.

While there will be some benefit from carriers being required to sell SIM unlocked cell phones, the negatives may far outweigh the positives. For now, the better approach may be to require the carriers to provide the SIM unlock codes after a set period of time. That will provide some consumer value – especially for those that travel overseas – without some of the major drawbacks.

There is however another option, a few retailers sell unlocked iPhones we do recommend you purchase only from reputed vendors such as Thriftycomputer.com with a 9.2 out of 10 rating and 60 day warranty.

Robert Nissenbaum is the owner of Blue Ridge Wireless and has more than 16 years in the wireless industry.
He can be reached at 520-329-7570 or via Facebook

With the proliferation of smartphones on global GSM markets, it's difficult NOT to wonder if/how they affect the crisis...or at least the pubic reaction to it. Nowadays you can snap a picture of anything going on around you and, assuming you're in an area that supports your network, as most global 3G networks do, send it to your friends, your family, CNN, you name it. Smartphones have the capacity to make all of us instant eyewitnesses, automatic reporters.

But, do they go too far? Should the oppressive regimes ruling over these lands catch protestors, vreporters, photographers, journalists or just your run-of-the-mill tourist taking pictures and sending them, could that mean potential trouble for them...and their families?

Smartphones can virtually replace laptops these days. Whether it's an iPhone, an LG slider, a BlackBerry or one of myriad others, they usually carry the functional means to snap and send photos in the blink of an eye. But could that spell trouble for those using these devices to report from parts of the world from which the public desperately wants information...but at the cost of their loved ones? Methinks not.

I suppose we shall see how it all pans out...in the meantime, check out ThriftyComputer.com for great deals on unlocked GSM, CDMA and networked cellular phones!

We at ThriftyComputer.com strive to bring to you the best deals, at the best time, with the best service around! In our weekly installment of Thrifty Deals we have three wonderful products for your choosing!

Motorola Q9H for an incredible price of $51.99!

Looking for a smart phone that is perfect for any individual that is always on the move? Look no further then the Motorola Q9H unlocked smart phone. ThriftyComputer.com proudly presents a deal that will not last long! We are now offering the unlocked Q9H at an incredible discount price of $51.99 saving you a whopping 69% off the original sales price.  This phone is an open box like new item and comes with our 90 day warranty which can be upgraded to our 1 year warranty for an additional charge.

The Motorola Q9H comes fully equipped at a size of 4.6 inches high by 2.6 inches wide, and weighs 4.7 ounces.  It features the Windows Mobile 6 OS, a spacious QWERTY keyboard, Bluetooth Support, GPS, and a wonderful 2 megapixel camera. The Motorola Q9H has been called one of the most comfortable messaging devices available in its class.  The Motorola Q9H also received high praises for its productivity capabilities. The Q9H comes with Dataviz”s Documents to Go, a PDF viewer, and a zip manager along with the basics such as a calendar, notepad, task list, and calculator.

The LG KP500 Cookie in black for an incredible price of $62.95!

ThriftyComputer.com proudly presents an affordable top of the line touch screen cell phone that was made with everyone in mind. We are offering an open box like new stylish GSM unlocked LG KP500 Cookie for $62.95, a wonderful 58% off its original sales price.  We also offer a free 90 day warranty with the ability to upgrade to a full year for an additional charge.

The LG KP 500 Cookie cell phone comes in at a size of 4.3 inches high by 2.2 inches wide, and weighs 3.2 ounces. It features a 3.2 MP camera and a Digital Media Player with an FM radio.  Its large 3 inch touch screen is ideal for video playback, picture taking, creation and editing of documents, and browsing the internet. It also features a rotating display that automatically shifts from narrow to wide mode depending on the contents and a user’s position. The cookie also offers a handwriting recognition program that gives a user the ability to create, draw, and modify pictures, sending emails and texts without having to use its virtual keyboard.  The Cookie is also a great gaming device with its embedded motion sensor technology. The LG KP500 Cookie also supports an MicroSD expansion of up to 8GB. The LG KP500 Cookie has been known as one of iPhone’s most promising competitors.

A Jabra BT2010 Bluetooth Headset for an incredible price of $4.95!

ThriftyComputer.com is proud to present to its consumers a wonderful entry level refurbished Bluetooth headset from Jabra.  The BT2010 offers a sleek comfortable fitting design that matches its superior sound quality. It also offers various functions that can be easily controlled by its multifunction button. It has an integrated volume control for ease of use. The Jabra BT2010 is compatible with all Bluetooth enabled devices. Whether you are a busy executive, a road warrior or gamer, the Jabra BT2010 will surely impress you.

Remember to check daily for special deals that only ThriftyComputer.com can offer! At ThriftyComputer.com we care what you think, do not hesitate to contact us using any of our social accounts!

The BlackBerry Curve 8320, part of BlackBerry’s 8300 series, is one of the smallest, sleekest and most functional smartphones on the market. Want to send a text, photo or email? BlackBerry’s built-in messaging services and full web browser allow you to send, receive and access anywhere you go. Feel like making a phone call? Simply speak the name of the person you want to call and BlackBerry’s voice-dialing function gets that ball rolling. Speaking of which, its updated Trackball features enhanced sensitivity and simplified scrolling over older BlackBerry models.

As an unlocked GSM phone, which basically means you can use it on any GSM network, like AT&T or T-Mobile, your phone’s performance will end up being tied to the performance of the service provider you choose.

The upside? You get to choose the provider, the contract, the plan, instead of the other way around. Purchasing an unlocked GSM phone is the only way to do this simply and effectively, and the Curve 8320 is a perfect model to demonstrate this powerful option. Surf the web effortlessly on its built-in browser, seamlessly snap photos to send to friends and fam, even expand its memory with a microSD card (up to 8GB) to make sure none of those precious moments are lost due to lack of storage capacity.

Thanks to its GSM feature, BlackBerry allows for seamless connectivity in and outside of its built-in EDGE network: the phone shifts from EDGE to GSM and back without you ever even knowing it. Access your favorite social networking sites or check web-based email on its powerful browser, pre-set to Google for easy search functionality. The 8320 Curve gives you access virtually anytime, anywhere.

Like the BlackBerry Bold 9000, The new Star Trek movie is all the rage. For those of you who don't speak Klingon and whose social calendar doesn't revolve around ComicCon, "Where no man has gone before" is a phrase used in the title sequence of most episodes of the original Star Trek tv series. From the intro of the original Star Trek series:

"Space... the Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to Boldly go where no man has gone before."

Different theories have been proposed regarding the origin of this phrase. Perhaps the phrase was taken from a White House booklet published in 1958, entitled "The Introduction to Outer Space."

But I'm not a history professor, I'm a sci fi geek. Wouldn't it be fun to consider the possibility that Star Trek really did have the potential to foresee into the future? If this were true, would it not also be reasonable to consider that when they said "Boldly go where no man has gone before" that this was really a prophetic reference to the Blackberry Bold 9000?

Think about it. With its gorgeous display, and innovative new features, isn't it the BlackBerry Bold, even more than the Starship Enterrprise, that Boldly goes where no man has gone before?

This is our First Encounter (or "First Contact" if you will) with a smartphone with such a gorgeous display. Until now, have we seen such a phone with such sharp viewing contrast? It's only with the BlackBerry Bold that you are afforded the luxury of reading your work files as you sip margaritas on your beach, perfecting your golden tan, while your office sends you Excel docs as though the summer heat were not intoxicating! Since these Excel files are so dull, it's a good thing that you can look forward to the end of work-time, when you will be watching The Wrath of Khan with all the sharpness and high quality audio of the Bold 9000.

Even more impressive is the improvement of battery life which allows power users to do their thing all day long and not have to worry about charging up until way after the sun goes down. Whether on a Raktajino-fueled caffeine high getting through Monday morning, or taking pictures at the club while drinking Romulan Ale and Klingon Bloodwine, you won't have to stop the action because your phone can't handle it. Because the BlackBerry Bold can handle your Monday morning, your Saturday night, and whatever else you plan to throw at your Bold. (Just don't throw the phone, that makes Starfleet Engineers Montgomery Scott, Geordi LaForge, Miles O'Brien,
and B'Ellanna Torres all cry.) Even the StarShip Enterprise had to refuel more frequently than this Bold Beauty.

Even better is the price. Just try purchasing a StarShip for this rate. The BlackBerry Bold is available at Thrifty Computer for only $519.00 plus shipping.

Skype has 450 million users worldwide and a devoted following of fans who routinely use the service to place free or low-cost global calls from their PCs and laptops. The thing was that unless you were at home and had your PC or laptop switched on you were unlikely to be able to take advantage of Skype’s ability to talk to other Skype users for free.

In a landmark deal Skype will, from May, make available Skype software for Blackberry users enabling those who feel they cannot be far from their laptops or PCs to use their Blackberry Bold or BlackBerry 8800 or a Blackberry 8900 or indeed any of the Blackberry smartphone range to make calls using Skype.

The service is currently available from Shape Services where the software can be downloaded on a free 7-day trial and then unlocked for just $19.99  It is called IM+ Skype and readily downloadable from Shape Services. You can see the Skype download for your Blackberry here.

In May Skype will obviously make this available free. The Skype-Blackberry link up is a major step by the Canadian company RIM (who market the Blackberrys) to widen the appeal of what used to be business-orientated products squarely aimed at road warriors. The new Blackberry range is not just funky in terms of looks but it is also great in terms of functionality and it is in this respect that Blackberry wins hands down on just about every phone out there. Sure the iPhone may have the name when it comes to fun but take it out of the night club and it is a phone made for playing more than work.

A Blackberry does both delivering style, quality and sophistication with an under-the-bonnet power which comes with the serious Blackberry processors that power the latest smartphones. This way when you pull out your Blackberry to listen to music, answer a call or send an email you are the one who impresses hands down.

To learn more about how you can assign customized ringtones to your Blackberry see our hot new feature about it.

Find low-cost, unlocked Blackberry cell phones here on our Blackberry pages.

RIM have always been the darling of power users and high-flying executives but when it came to playing as hard as you worked you usually had to go for something else or risk lugging around with you a PDA-sized phone that looked wrong in tight-fitting party clothes and was not all that cool to whip out in front of the fun crowd.

No longer! RIM have listened to the fact that those who love push-email, GPS functionality, crisp-clear audio and the high-contrast resolution that is available on their cell phone screens also want to enjoy the experience outside the boardroom or the regular business setting. Their new generation Blackberry cell phones do not hold anything back.

The combination of sleek packaging, smart looks, and the legendary Blackberry functionality have created a hybrid generation of cell phones which can be used with equal ease and assurance in the boardroom and the party floor without risking looking out of place in either setting.

This is such a tall order that the very fact that RIM have managed to pull it off speaks volumes about their commitment to providing just about the most empowered, sleek, crisp connectivity experience you can have with a cell phone. From the really cost-effective, budget-busting Blackberry Pearl 8120 to the Blackberry Curve 8320 which has set new standards in smartphone screen crispness the aim is to wow those who use them as well as everyone who sees them.

The Blackberry 8800 for instance comes with a built-in GPS device which allows you to navigate to wherever you want from where you are.

The Blackberry Javelin and the Blackberry Bold have set new standards in a highly-contested field anyway successfully taking on both Nokia’s  E71 smartphone and Apple’s iPhone.

The days when you had to choose a Blackberry for business and another cell phone for your fun time are now firmly behind us. With Thrifty Computer’s budget-busting prices and quality service you now have the opportunity to get unlocked Blackberry phones are prices which would seem unbelievable.

Check out our full unlocked cell phone range and do not hesitate to contact us if you need to check anything.