[shukcb04]

where in the world can you go to get a t-mobile phone (preferably on the internet - and NOT ebay -because the in store selection here in Lynchburg is VERY sparce) without having to sign up for a new plan? i already have a "plan" (actually a calling card), i dont need another one!

[El Scorcho]

<del>http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/Def ... =true</del>

Or are you looking for a GSM phone that T-Mobile doesn't sell themselves?

Edit: Scratch that. I see that their website forces you into a plan. That wasn't the case when I was a T-Mobile customer. Yuck.

[shukcb04]

http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/Def ... owAll=true

Or are you looking for a GSM phone that T-Mobile doesn't sell themselves?

well im looking for a website that doesnt sell them for an arm and a leg like t-mobile does. the one i have i got in wal-mart for 40 bucks, they sell it for 80 on teh website, unless you sign up for some monthly plan, as opposed to prepaid, then you can get it free and many others, but i dont want a monthly plan. i've looked through pages upon pages upon pages of search results and have found nothing but websites where you have to buy plans with the phone, it might just be easier to find the tomb of Jesus than to find a website where you can buy just phones.

i dont even know what gsm means

[El Scorcho]

Ahh. Well, getting any kind of a nice phone on the cheap is the real trick. What features can't you live without? Do you just want a phone? Smartphone? yadda yadda yadda

[El Scorcho]

http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/Def ... owAll=true

Or are you looking for a GSM phone that T-Mobile doesn't sell themselves?

well im looking for a website that doesnt sell them for an arm and a leg like t-mobile does. the one i have i got in wal-mart for 40 bucks, they sell it for 80 on teh website, unless you sign up for some monthly plan, as opposed to prepaid, then you can get it free and many others, but i dont want a monthly plan. i dont even know what gsm means

GSM is the type of cell signal T-Mobile uses on their network. Different carriers (in the US) use different signals. The breakdown is like this:

AT&T/Cingular - GSM
Verizon - CDMA
Alltel - CDMA
Sprint/Nextel - PCS
T-Mobile - GSM

So, you want a GSM phone. Knowing that should help you in your search. Once you find a GSM phone you like, you should be able to pop your SIM card out of your old phone, pop it into your new one and call up T-Mobile Customer Support to register the new phone on the network.

[shukcb04]

Ahh. Well, getting any kind of a nice phone on the cheap is the real trick. What features can't you live without? Do you just want a phone? Smartphone? yadda yadda yadda

well i'd like one that you can acutally connect to the computer (had I known i couldnt with the one I have, I wouldn't have gotten it. i figured that was a standard feature on all phones) so I can download my own wallpaper and ringtones on to it. one with bluetooth, but I could live without that. one that supports faceplates. basically one that supports anything but the basic calling and receiving messages, text messages, and IMs because thats about all mine can do. can't believe i paid 40 bucks for this garbage.

[shukcb04]

http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/Def ... owAll=true

Or are you looking for a GSM phone that T-Mobile doesn't sell themselves?

well im looking for a website that doesnt sell them for an arm and a leg like t-mobile does. the one i have i got in wal-mart for 40 bucks, they sell it for 80 on teh website, unless you sign up for some monthly plan, as opposed to prepaid, then you can get it free and many others, but i dont want a monthly plan. i dont even know what gsm means

GSM is the type of cell signal T-Mobile uses on their network. Different carriers (in the US) use different signals. The breakdown is like this:

AT&T/Cingular - GSM
Verizon - CDMA
Alltel - CDMA
Sprint/Nextel - PCS
T-Mobile - GSM

So, you want a GSM phone. Knowing that should help you in your search. Once you find a GSM phone you like, you should be able to pop your SIM card out of your old phone, pop it into your new one and call up T-Mobile Customer Support to register the new phone on the network.

wait, so I could get any GSM phone, one not originally designed for t-mobile, and use it with t-mobile??

[mrmacphisto]

The phone would need to be unlocked for use with T-Mobile.

[shukcb04]

this is quite riveting news, this makes the search a lot easier. still had a hard time finding somewhat reasonable priced phones though.

[El Scorcho]

The phone would need to be unlocked for use with T-Mobile.

Yup. He's got it. You can use any GSM phone that has been unlocked. According to the new FCC rules, however, I believe that carriers have to unlock the phone for you, if you request it. Or they have to let you use a phone that you've unlocked yourself.

[mrmacphisto]

Yeah, I think the phone's original carrier would need to unlock it. So if it's an AT&T phone, AT&T would need to unlock it for you to use it with T-Mobile. There are also some third parties out there who would unlock it for a price.

[shukcb04]

thanks for the info fellas! i'm new to the world of cell phones and didnt know all this neat info.

[PAmedic]

see? why not Liberty?

[shukcb04]

see? why not Liberty?

what?

[El Scorcho]

thanks for the info fellas! i'm new to the world of cell phones and didnt know all this neat info.

No problem, dude. I don't know why I end up knowing this stuff, but I'm glad it helps somebody.

[shukcb04]

so my cell phone sucks horribly, but i like how i can access espn.com (all text based, which is all I really need so i can check up on scores for games in class and what not) OTA - over the air. is OTA access to websites common place on all GSM phones? specifically, do all t-mobile phones have access to espn.com OTA?

i'm going to be getting a PDA with wi-fi access, but I want a cell phone with OTA access to espn.com when my PDA cant get wifi access. i've done some searching myself but cant coce up with anything.

[Fumblerooskies]

Check with your cell phone provider...their OTA network may not have access to ESPN. You may need to look at FOX or one of the other sports sites.

[shukcb04]

Check with your cell phone provider...their OTA network may not have access to ESPN. You may need to look at FOX or one of the other sports sites.

yeah did that. t-mobile's website is atrocious.

[El Scorcho]

Why not just get a phone with a real web browser so you can go to any site you'd like OTA?

[shukcb04]

Why not just get a phone with a real web browser so you can go to any site you'd like OTA?

because that would cost money and now I dont have to pay for going to espn.com OTA - i'm doing prepaid so I won't have to have any sort of contract (plus it's cheaper considering how very little i talk on the phone). also, i'm going to be getting an archos 605 wifi mp3 player (which makes the iPod touch look like a joke) so i can go to any website i want on there, i just want my phone to let me get live sports scores, so I don't want to pay money for internet stuff on my cell phone if I dont have to

[mrmacphisto]

i'm going to be getting an archos 605 wifi mp3 player (which makes the iPod touch look like a joke) so i can go to any website i want on there

Have fun paying extra for basic functionality.

[shukcb04]

i'm going to be getting an archos 605 wifi mp3 player (which makes the iPod touch look like a joke) so i can go to any website i want on there

Have fun paying extra for basic functionality.

what do you mean? other than the 30 extra bucks you have to pay for a web browser for that device, the 80 gig version still comes out cheaper than the 16 gig ipod touch. besides, i'm tired of iTunes deleting music off my iPod so i want a new mp3 player to begin with.

[mrmacphisto]

what do you mean?

Just to name a few...
Browser: $30.00
Widgets: $20.00 to enable
Real Video plugin: $20.00
Internet Radio Plugin: $20.00
HD Video Output Plugin: $20.00

besides, i'm tired of iTunes deleting music off my iPod so i want a new mp3 player to begin with.

Yeah, it's really difficult to change the iPod settings in iTunes. I don't blame you for switching.

[shukcb04]

what do you mean?

Just to name a few...
Browser: $30.00
Widgets: $20.00 to enable
Real Video plugin: $20.00
Internet Radio Plugin: $20.00
HD Video Output Plugin: $20.00

besides, i'm tired of iTunes deleting music off my iPod so i want a new mp3 player to begin with.

Yeah, it's really difficult to change the iPod settings in iTunes. I don't blame you for switching.

only thing i need and want is the browser - i don't even use widgets on my laptop, so i sure as heck are going to use them on that device, real video i never use even on my laptop, internet radio isnt necessary when i can put all 30 gigs of my music on it, and HD video won't be necessary since I don't have anything in HD (plus I most likely won't be watching movie/videos on it to begin with). So it's still only going to cost $359 (329 for the player, 30 for the browser) dollars for the 80 gig version on amazon.com, which is cheaper AND a dramatically better deal than the iPod touch, which has a crappy internet browser that doesnt support flash or java and has ridiculously small storage space for a device that is marketed as a multimedia device, which has basically rendered the iPod touch useless for me.

I also just found out after posting that message that winamp supports iPods, bo byebye iTunes!

[El Scorcho]

So it's still only going to cost $359 (329 for the player, 30 for the browser) dollars for the 80 gig version on amazon.com, which is cheaper AND a dramatically better deal than the iPod touch, which has a crappy internet browser that doesnt support flash or java and has ridiculously small storage space for a device that is marketed as a multimedia device, which has basically rendered the iPod touch useless for me.

Some parts of your statement are kind of misleading, and some are debatable. First, Safari on the iPhone /iPod touch doesn't support Java, but it does support JavaScript, which is much more important to Internet browsing. Full on Java-applications in a web browser just aren't where it's at anymore.

Second, while there are only 16GB of storage on the iPod touch, it's in flash memory and not a hard drive. That means it's faster, far more reliable and best of all, a lot smaller than any hard disk-based device. Smaller = Better for most people when it comes to portable devices. For example, your Archos 605 weighs 1.1 lbs and is 5"x 3"x1". (That's HxWxD.) By comparison, the iPod touch only weighs 0.2625 lbs and is only 4.3"x2.4"x0.31". I know which one I'd be more comfortable carrying. The Archos is literally as thick as my laptop and almost a full pound heavier.

I'm a big proponent of the "use whatever works best for you" philosophy, but if you're going to make comparisons, bring it unbiased. It's not like the iPod touch has no advantages.