My "New" used cellphone. It's ALIVE!!!!

[fett]

I bought 2 older (2001) Nokia Cellphones with the instruction book for $3 yesterday. For 911. So, I charge the batteries and while reading the book I start playing with the buttons. It seems to be still active. It updated the date automatically. I found the NAM number. It's unlocked. Yikes I would think it would have been prudent to erase all that stuff before giving them to a thriftstore.

[Cleveland Metal]

Yeah, disconnected phones will hit a tower and update. They don't "lock" CDMA phones, just GSM phones. And that is pretty much an overseas thing.

NAMs aren't anything to worry about deleting. Other than the address book, there isn't anything on there that needs to be deleted for any security purpose.

If you try to make a call, it will just go to the providers towers that the phone was set to hit and will give you a generic message.

However, you can probably hit 911 on it.

[fett]

I'm going to get a calling card. Thanks for the info. I don't know squat about these new fangled gadgets.

[Cleveland Metal]

Depending on the company you go to, you might be able it activate it on a prepaid plan. If it's too old, and doesn't have GPS (global positioning) built in it, they may not do it tho (it's an FCC rule now that all new activations have to be on a GPS enabled phone for safety/911 purposes supposedly).

Most prepaids are like 20 bucks a month to have the connection and 10cents a minute or something like that.

You can get a new cheap phone for prepaid purposes though as low as like 20 bucks. And old phone like those you got are probably gonna need new batts and aren't worth that.

[GWARGHOUL]

They don't "lock" CDMA phones, just GSM phones. And that is pretty much an overseas thing.

Actually, overseas phones tend to be Unlocked.
While in the us, they are filled with proprietary versiosn of the OS, and band-locked, etc.




However, you can probably hit 911 on it.[/QUOTE]
Always. If it has a signal.

[GWARGHOUL]

And that phone may not even be CDMA. Could be TDMA.

[fett]

It's has a Verizon chip set in it. I asked a dude about that. Seems like more of a hassle than it is worth. As long as can get 911 that's really all that matters. Knowing my luck, they probably wouldn't show up in time anyway.

[FusionFarmer]

My company gave me an old nokia for a work (construction) phone. what a great no nonsense phone, got great reception, it finally died and I got a brand new motorola flip, camera, all the bells and whistles, hated it, could'nt see the damn screen half the time and it no where near as good a signal as the old Nokia

[fett]

It even has an antenna that you can pull up.:ROTF: But, I don't want to get brain cancer. The ones I got are pretty damn big and easy to read. They are big enough to where I won't lose one in my butt-crack.

[FusionFarmer]

hello chief

[sk8boardbob2]

Lewis Black on cell phones

Let's talk about cellular phones. I don't want to dwell on it, because my heart can't take it. For starters, the rate structures are completely incomprehensible, much like Medicare reform, which is actually written in Latin. No one knows what the rates mean until the first bill arrives. Hell, nobody knows what the rates mean even after the second or third or hundredth bill arrives. What the hell are "country wireless license taxes" and "federal wireless number pooling and portability charges" anyway? Fuck if I know! Only in this day and age can we come up with a device that makes us feel that we are getting convenience when in fact it is nothing but inconvenient. When you desperately need your cell phone, there is no juice left. And those nights when you fear your car will break down on that lonely stretch of road, you thank God you have a cellular phone and can call for help.... But there won't be any service in the middle of Hoohah, USA. There never is. They don't build towers there. Folks are afraid they won't be able to birth any more babies with a big-ass tower pumping them full of God knows what. So you'll just be sitting at the side of the road, waiting for the guy with the hook to come and kill you. And I guarantee you this. After he's knocked you to the ground and he's about to swing that big old meat hook at your head, his fucking phone will ring. Somehow, psychopaths always get service.

[Cleveland Metal]

Ummm... ok...

[sully]

My company gave me an old nokia for a work (construction) phone. what a great no nonsense phone, got great reception, it finally died and I got a brand new motorola flip, camera, all the bells and whistles, hated it, could'nt see the damn screen half the time and it no where near as good a signal as the old Nokia

without sounding all ford/chevy like, it's probably because nokia makes better products than motorola. motorolas may have some visual edges, but as far as stability and reception goes (except for the nokia 6133...my god, do NOT get that phone, it's at least as unreliable as the razr), nokia has the edge.

sully

[Cleveland Metal]

Dunno, I always found the Moto's to have slightly better RF. I prefer the LGs myself (just used to them and like the features), but the motos usually had a bit better signal.

Hmmm...

[sully]

it also depends on the motorola and the carrier (to an extent). i can tell you that the razr doesn't hold signal very well. motorola is known for rushing products out long before they're ready to go, and being riddled with issues. i can't tell you how many motorola products we wind up needing to exchange because they're defective. i can say that the moto RIZR is a pretty good phone once you get past the general cumbersomeness of the software on it.

that's not to say that the other manufacturers are perfect, but between motorola and nokia, i'd take a nokia every time, based on many years of working in the industry.

sully