I live in the Philippines, and I am returning to America this October. I would like to buy a Nokia cell phone that is also compatible with the Philippines (GSM900) while I am in Atlanta. I am assuming I need to look for a tri-band or quad band phone that uses a sim card. Nokia is the most popular brand in the Philippines, and so I would prefer to buy Nokia since I can have it easily repaired in the Philippines if need be.
Most electronics are about half the price in America as they are in the Philippines, so I would prefer to buy it while in America to save money. A phone that uses SIM cards would be what I need so I can switch the SIM cards and use it in both America and the Philippines. Labor and parts are ridiculously cheap in the Philippines, so I am not worried about the warranty.
I can have it switched into an open-line phone for only $2, so I am not worried about that either. Hope this all makes sense
Where can I buy a Nokia phone in Atlanta ?
I’m guessing pretty much any cell phone store should stock tri-band Nokias. I got the cheapest cell phone available at T-Mobile, and it was a Samsung tri-band. They also offered Nokias at around the same price. You shouldn’t have much of a problem finding them.
Cingular sells SIM Card based phones. Just know that they are locked phones - if you ever put a non-Cingular SIM card it, it won’t work unless you enter the subsidy code. I thinnk there are ways around that, but I don’t know them.
Thanks for the info about Cingular, I tried searching retailers like Wal-mart and could not find anything. I did not know that Cingular uses Sim card phones.
Is it possible to buy a phone from Cingular, or will they require me to sign up for a plan ?
It is possible to buy a phone directly from them, but they are very expensive if you’re not signing up for a plan. But because they do the prepaid deal (which is actually a rather good deal, better than a lot of prepaid plans out there) it is possible to buy pretty much any phone they have outright. Just be prepared for the price.
Oh, I’m an idiot. I didn’t realize not all carriers use SIM cards. Anyhow, T-Mobile phones use SIM cards. I’ve taken my phone to Europe, gotten it unlocked, and used it with other carriers SIM cards.
