vB Easy Archive - Best way to give a phone to someone in Brazil?

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Best way to give a phone to someone in Brazil?
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Posted by: Chris Luongo

Hi everyone. I've been looking around this site for a long time, and I greatly enjoy it, even though I've only made a few posts.

I've used the search feature extensively, and I haven't been able to find what I need.

I want to give a phone to someone in Brazil. She uses Brasil Telecom. She has a working phone with a working SIM card, but the phone's in terrible condition and needs replacement.

1. Does a used, USA Cingular phone have the correct (900/1800mHz, right?) setup to be used in Brazil?

2. Am I reading this thread right? It appears that it would be quite difficult to pick up a used Cingular phone from craigslist, have it unlocked by a local store, and send it to her:

http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=10406

3. It looks like right at Brasil Telecom's website, I could just get her a Motorola W380 for 179 Brazilian Reals........that's less than $100 USD.

http://gsm.brasiltelecom.com.br/gsm...iaHib&referer=1

4. It seems that by the time I find a good used phone locally, pay someone to unlock it, and pay for shipping.............I could just spend the $100 and have her get a brand new one right there, no?

Posted by: Bruno

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Luongo

Hi everyone. I've been looking around this site for a long time, and I greatly enjoy it, even though I've only made a few posts.

I've used the search feature extensively, and I haven't been able to find what I need.

I want to give a phone to someone in Brazil. She uses Brasil Telecom. She has a working phone with a working SIM card, but the phone's in terrible condition and needs replacement.

1. Does a used, USA Cingular phone have the correct (900/1800mHz, right?) setup to be used in Brazil?

Maybe. Cingular uses 850/1900, but some quad-band phones will support 900/1800. Cheaper phones are likely 850/1900, which will be useless, or 850/1800/1900, which won't work well. I don't know the specifics in Brazil, but in many 900/1800 countries, 900 is the main frequency and 1800 is only overflow, so 900 is a must.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Luongo

4. It seems that by the time I find a good used phone locally, pay someone to unlock it, and pay for shipping.............I could just spend the $100 and have her get a brand new one right there, no?

That might be the best option. In addition to compatibility and unlocking, there's also the need to find a suitable power adapter, whereas if you get one that's local to her, none of that should be a concern.

If you do find a good 900/1800-capable phone from here and send it to her, keep in mind that it absolutely MUST go by registered mail, or some form of shipping that can be tracked, or it's probably not going to get there at all. If you send a parcel through regular post there, they consider it a donation to the post office.

Posted by: Mango808

If you want a cheap unlocked AT&T phone for your friend, you might want to consider the Samsung SGH-a437. It's quadband and will work fine down there and can be found on ebay for under $100.

Posted by: Chris Luongo

Mango808,

Thanks, I appreciate that. I took a quick look on eBay and found just what you said.......around or under $100 refurbished, unlocked, and it's a quadband unit.

My girlfriend (the girl in Brazil) has her eye on the Nokia 5200. It's available on Brasil Telecom's website for R$ 269....... about $150 US Dollars.

I don't know if this is a valid link but I'll try:
http://gsm.brasiltelecom.com.br/gsm...00000Nokia_5200

I'm starting to think that by the time I get the Samsung, and spend maybe $15-25 to ship it to her............maybe I should just go ahead and spend the $150 and get her the Nokia 5200?

It would only be a little more money, and she'd have the phone she prefers, and a much less complicated transaction. Hopefully Brasil Telecom would take my MasterCard on their website.

It's not clear if the Nokia is quadband, but when she moves here (in about a year), she could sell the Nokia locally.

Posted by: mrcamp

Brazil telecom uses the 1800 band.

http://www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/cou_br.shtml

Since you are already thinking so, I'd say just get her the 5200 right there in Brazil. It's an eurasian triband.

http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_5200-1717.php

Posted by: Chris Luongo

Hi everyone, I know it's been a long time since I posted here, but would this Sony Ericsson work?

http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/pro...fications/k750i

I found it locally on Craigslist for $125, unlocked, slightly used.

http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/ele/725341335.html

Is there a way I can tell for sure if the phone has been unlocked?

Posted by: jackquick

If you have a GSM phone or someone you know, you could barrow the GSM card out of it and put it in before you buy it to make sure it is unlocked.