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ZTE Open Firefox OS phone is available on eBay

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Re: ZTE Open Firefox OS phone is available on eBay

#81

Post by drbawb »

sp332 wrote: post #79
aroch wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would peg it at "Highly unlikely" since most of the world uses GSM and CDMA carriers are a pain in the ass to support iirc.

Sprint, Verizon, and US Cellular refuse to unlock their phones, and even if you convince someone to do it, they won't activate a phone that wasn't originally bought on their network. So I doubt that's going to happen.

This right here is why I loathe Sprint.

I actually get a pretty decent price from them for running an iPhone 4S [my employer offers a discount for sprint services], but I'd like to move it to T-Mobile as they would offer a much faster network. Sprint's 3G is terrible here in SE Wisconsin.

Of course: Sprint won't unlock my iPhone, even though it's the exact same hardware that Apple/T-Mobile would sell me. Selling my 4S, of course, means losing my ability to jailbreak.

(I don't plan to move to a newer iPhone, as I hate the form-factor of the iPhone 5... but I also don't want to spend another $600+ on an Android or Windows flagship phone.)

Re: ZTE Open Firefox OS phone is available on eBay

#82

Post by Zigurd »

aroch wrote: post #49
Zigurd wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Straight Talk plans on AT&T's network have a hidden 100MB/day limit, after which your data gets effectively shut off (you still get miniscule bandwidth, but it's unusable) and their policy for how long you get shut off is completely opaque. Customer "service" switches you to a recording if you ask about it. VERY not recommended. T-mo doesn't have daily limits as far as I know.

I really wouldn't call this a huge dealbreaker, given they're a budget MVNO. Now Tmo on the other hand has off-network roaming limits that are ridiculously small (like 35mb small) for the entire billing period...and given the scope of their network (read: nonexistent outside of big cities) you're pretty much boned if you live outside a big city.

It wouldn't be if the policy were clear. I was in bandwidth jail through the end of the billing period and could not get an answer about when it would be lifted. At that point, it became impossible to continue with that "service."

Re: ZTE Open Firefox OS phone is available on eBay

#84

Post by sp332 »

drbawb wrote: post #81
sp332 wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sprint, Verizon, and US Cellular refuse to unlock their phones, and even if you convince someone to do it, they won't activate a phone that wasn't originally bought on their network. So I doubt that's going to happen.

This right here is why I loathe Sprint. I actually get a pretty decent price from them for running an iPhone 4S [my employer offers a discount for sprint services], but I'd like to move it to T-Mobile as they would offer a much faster network. Sprint's 3G is terrible here in SE Wisconsin. Of course: Sprint won't unlock my iPhone, even though it's the exact same hardware that Apple/T-Mobile would sell me. Selling my 4…

Verizon will unlock the GSM part of your phone if you tell them you're travailing internationally. Would Sprint do that too?

Re: ZTE Open Firefox OS phone is available on eBay

#86

Post by kamjam »

drbawb wrote: post #80
peterwwillis wrote: post #75

Am I the only person left on the planet who pines for tactile buttons in a small device I can use with one hand?

I still look for tactile buttons, but not when it comes to a handset. For instance: I don't plan to own a car that incorporates an in-dash entertainment/nav system w/ a touch-only interface. (My only notable exception would probably be a Tesla vehicle.) When picking out an aftermarket head unit: I look for tactile controls that I can operate, _without looking_, using one hand. I've passed up some superior equipment (…

Funny, years ago a friend of mine refused to go touchscreen phone, because he was able to send a text message without looking at the phone as it had actual buttons.

I'm more like you, but I like to have a physical button on my phone for the camera. I don't find the on-screen camera button user friendly, esp for half-press focus/exposure. It severely limits my choice of phone though...

Re: ZTE Open Firefox OS phone is available on eBay

#87

Post by drbawb »

sp332 wrote: post #84
drbawb wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This right here is why I loathe Sprint. I actually get a pretty decent price from them for running an iPhone 4S [my employer offers a discount for sprint services], but I'd like to move it to T-Mobile as they would offer a much faster network. Sprint's 3G is terrible here in SE Wisconsin. Of course: Sprint won't unlock my iPhone, even though it's the exact same hardware that Apple/T-Mobile would sell me. Selling my 4…

Verizon will unlock the GSM part of your phone if you tell them you're travailing internationally. Would Sprint do that too?

They do have an "international unlock team" that handles this exact scenario. However, everything I've read indicates that the phone still won't accept SIMs from domestic GSM carriers.

Re: ZTE Open Firefox OS phone is available on eBay

#88

Post by aroch »

drbawb wrote: post #87
sp332 wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Verizon will unlock the GSM part of your phone if you tell them you're travailing internationally. Would Sprint do that too?

They do have an "international unlock team" that handles this exact scenario. However, everything I've read indicates that the phone still won't accept SIMs from domestic GSM carriers.

If you're jailbroken, why not baseband unlock too?
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