vB Easy Archive - Any reason to buy Cingular branded phone over unlocked/unbranded phone?

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Any reason to buy Cingular branded phone over unlocked/unbranded phone?
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Posted by: MetaOrbit

I'm looking at buying a SE z520, off contract, and have found that the pricing that I can get on a Cingular branded phone is basically the same as I can get for an unbranded phone. Personally, I'd like to go the unbranded route, but I was wondering if there are any disadvantages to doing this that I haven't thought of quite yet. The only thing that comes to mind right now is that I wouldn't be abl to access Media Net? What else?

Thanks!

Posted by: macizcool

Yeah, it won't be buggy.

Posted by: kuj

Unbranded is the z520i, right? You won't get support from Cingular. If the phone goes bad (defective), you can't exchange it through Cingular. You have to go to Sony directly.

Posted by: bobolito

With an unbranded phone you can't download some of the Cingular stuff like the IM and Email java programs.

Posted by: eimajuno

IMO unbranded phones work better than branded versions. I really would only buy a branded device if I wanted to save money on the cost. There really is not any other reason to do that. I never use a phone for more than a year anyway.

Posted by: MetaOrbit

Thanks guys, looks like I'll be going unbranded then.

I guess my last question is - will I still be able to access Media Net?

Thanks!

Posted by: xbox360gamer

most people will agree that unbranded is most definitely the way to go. however, if there are any advantages to having a branded phone it is for the simple fact that you do get Cingular's one year replacement policy is pretty nice in itself.

yes, I do know that phone makers also have their warranty period(s) as well, but that usually involves you sending in the defective phone before you get a replacement. Cingular will usually send out a phone first and then you send in the defective phone which obviously means zero percent downtime.

Posted by: sexybeast202

Quote:

Originally Posted by MetaOrbit

I'm looking at buying a SE z520, off contract, and have found that the pricing that I can get on a Cingular branded phone is basically the same as I can get for an unbranded phone. Personally, I'd like to go the unbranded route, but I was wondering if there are any disadvantages to doing this that I haven't thought of quite yet. The only thing that comes to mind right now is that I wouldn't be abl to access Media Net? What else?

Thanks!

Cingular is good for voting.

Posted by: Slowpoke SS

I believe that you will be fine with an unbranded SE. Sony Ericsson USA will honour warranty of ALL SE phones from all markets, whereas Motorola USA requires you to send your unbranded import phone back to the service centre of the origin.

Posted by: RYOBI

Never could figure this out. If you're with cingular and you buy an unbranded phone, what's the point? I mean you're gonna use it with cingular anyway, so why not extend your contract and let cingular subsidize the cost of the phone.

I know you can fetch more money for an unbranded phone when you sell, but is it worth it?

Posted by: eimajuno

Quote:

Originally Posted by RYOBI

Never could figure this out. If you're with cingular and you buy an unbranded phone, what's the point? I mean you're gonna use it with cingular anyway, so why not extend your contract and let cingular subsidize the cost of the phone.

I know you can fetch more money for an unbranded phone when you sell, but is it worth it?

IMO yes. I do not want to be in contract again. I just got a one year just to establish the service and get the sim. Now I let the unbranded phones flow.

Posted by: RYOBI

Quote:

Originally Posted by eimajuno

IMO yes. I do not want to be in contract again. I just got a one year just to establish the service and get the sim. Now I let the unbranded phones flow.

I agree to a point, because I absolutely hate contracts and mine is over with, and I've been going back and forth on this for months. If I was to not sign up for a new 2 year and buy an unbranded Razr for $229 (cheapest I could find), where else would I use it? I could get one for $69 if I sign up for 2 more years, and use the contract to help pay for it.

But, if I don't sign up, and pay the cost of the phone, I have no where else to use the phone. I'm out the $229, unless of course I sell it.

Posted by: MetaOrbit

I agree with what was posted a little above. I just got out of contract and really don't want to be in one again.

If I had a better alternative, I'd leave Cingular in a heartbeat; unfortunately, I don't have that option right now. However, in or around May of next year, I'll probably be moving, and have better odds of switching to another carrier. As such, I don't want to be stuck in a contract.

Now, that said, does anybody still know whether you can access Media Net with an unbranded phone?

Posted by: VTECaddict

you can if the phone's browser is setup with the correct MEdia Net settings. i made my AT&T branded V600 work with MEdia Net, and also my mom's AT&T branded x426 work with MEdia Net.

Posted by: RYOBI

Quote:

Originally Posted by MetaOrbit

I agree with what was posted a little above. I just got out of contract and really don't want to be in one again.

If I had a better alternative, I'd leave Cingular in a heartbeat;

Quick question. If you were to leave Cingular, where would/could you go without signing a new contract and get good service? And please, don't say TM.

Posted by: I have a phone

buying unbranded just gives you the opportunity to go online and whine about why features don't work. Being branded gives you the opportunity to whine to your operator when features don't work.

fuzzy math I tell ya, fuzzy math

Posted by: xbox360gamer

Quote:

Originally Posted by RYOBI

Quick question. If you were to leave Cingular, where would/could you go without signing a new contract and get good service? And please, don't say TM.

well.... lets see here. you dont like Cingular and you dont want to use Tmobile.

well my friend, that basically puts you SOL because those are the only GSM carriers in America. at least the main carriers anyway.

Posted by: macizcool

I don't understand people who purchase phones at full retail because they don't want to be on contract. You may as well get a nice discount on the phone of your dreams, and if for some reason you decide you hate Cingular one day, pay $150. That is a very low ETF, and is probably the same amount you would spend extra on a phone purchased via a third-party. At least if you stay (which most likely will happen), you saved yourself some change.

Posted by: MetaOrbit

Quote:

Originally Posted by RYOBI

Quick question. If you were to leave Cingular, where would/could you go without signing a new contract and get good service? And please, don't say TM.

The point is that I want to be free to make the jump when I move in approximately 6 months. Not be locked in a contract for another 6 months after I move when it might make sense to switch to another carrier.

[not directed at you:]
Really, I don't see why this is so difficult to understand. I'm the one paying the extra $ for the phone, I'm the one paying my phone bill...why should I have to go through the Cingular fanboy gauntlet to bond myself to Cingular for another 1-2 years? That was never the issue here. I want a phone, no more strings attached, that keeps me flexible. Until I'm in a more definite place in my life, that's where I want to be.

VTECaddict - Thanks, that's what I needed to know.

Posted by: RYOBI

Quote:

Originally Posted by MetaOrbit

MetaOrbit, that's my whole point though. Flexible to go where? Where I live to use a gsm phone it's either Cingular or T-mobile. So for me it makes no sense to spend more money on a phone then is needed.

Posted by: RYOBI

Quote:

Originally Posted by xbox360gamer

Well aware of that, thanks! Was just trying to make a point.

Posted by: MetaOrbit

Quote:

Originally Posted by RYOBI

Who said I'm going to stay with GSM?

I can always eBay the phone if I go elsewhere.

Simple, done.

Posted by: kuj

you're free to jump at any point. just pay the $150 ETF.

Posted by: Rcadden

I have said it before, and I will say it again. Unbranded is ALWAYS better than branded, hands down, no question. The reason?

Think about computers. You buy a new computer, say a Toshiba. (I have a toshiba laptop). It's got Windows XP SP2 on there. However, it's also got all this Toshiba software that's not supposed to be there. Slows the computer down, takes up space I could be using for stuff I actually want.

Also, look at the examples:

1. Nokia 6230 - possibly the greatest-featured non-smartphone of all time, and yet, completely ruined by Cingular's branding. Caused bluetooth instability, phone power-offs, etc. The unbranded versions of the same phone were perfect. I know cause I had one.

2. e398/ROKR E1 - same phone, just different color, branded firmware. Loss of an entire band of GSM, artificial limit on number of songs

3. Verizon/Motorola v710 - unbranded has full bluetooth, branded has barely bluetooth. Enough of a debacle for a lawsuit.

I suggest playing the game with them. Get whatever phone you can either a) for a backup phone or b) for the cheapest out of pocket, but with the highest ebay going price. Then buy your primary phone on ebay or elsewhere unbranded. That's the beauty of GSM.

Posted by: MetaOrbit

Quote:

Originally Posted by kuj

just pay the $150 ETF.

No thanks!

Posted by: vitin

in my nokia 6230 rid cingular branding for unbranded firmware worked best w unbranded fw in bt and etc

Posted by: Slowpoke SS

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rcadden

2. e398/ROKR E1 - same phone, just different color, branded firmware. Loss of an entire band of GSM, artificial limit on number of songs

E398 and the ROKR are not the same phone though. The 100-song limit is there in ALL versions of ROKR, whether they are Cingular branded or Asian imports. E398 wasn't even sold in the States, so it's not like Cingular had a say to disable GSM 850.

However sometimes I think "tasteful" and non-evasive branding is fine, like a branded faceplate and Cingular wallpaper are all right. In cases like those, I don't mind getting a Cingular branded one because of warranty.

Posted by: quillhill

Quote:

Originally Posted by VTECaddict

you can if the phone's browser is setup with the correct MEdia Net settings. i made my AT&T branded V600 work with MEdia Net, and also my mom's AT&T branded x426 work with MEdia Net.

Let me piggy back on this statement, although it may be a wee bit redundant.

But, Sony Ericsson provides the aforementioned settings on their Web site. I had an AT&T branded T616 and was able to get the settings for MediaNet sent by text message to my phone from SE's site. It appears that you can do the same with the z520.

http://www.sonyericsson.com/spg.jsp...m=ps1&pid=10299

I plan to do the same thing when my w600 gets here in an eternity (okay, two weeks) from now, as I ordered it directly from SE.

There are a couple reasons I decided to make this purchase through the manufacturer even though I'm eligible for an upgrade.
1)My aversion to two-year contracts. So, a one-year would get me the phone for either $349 from Cingular or $299 from letstalk.com before rebate, but add on the $18 upgrade fee and it's $367 or $317. Tack on taxes, about 9 percent here in Washington state. Add another $10 or so for shipping (since I had to order it immediately upon rumored availability). So, before rebate cost would have been between $340 and $375. In two months, I'd get $100 back in rebate cards that I'd just use to buy another phone.
2)Because I could.

This is an option I've not yet exercised. Since it didn't seem really all that cost efficient to upgrade (money saved AR would actually be less than the ETF meh) I thought why not just buck up this time.

I think like cell phones themselves, it's all about preference. What I like and want may not be what works for everyone else. As long as you're comfortable with the route you take to purchase a phone, that's what matters. But, I'm looking forward to having an unlocked, unbranded phone this time direct from the manufacturer. Should be a learning experience.

Posted by: macizcool

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rcadden

I have said it before, and I will say it again. Unbranded is ALWAYS better than branded, hands down, no question. The reason? . . .

Also, look at the examples:
<snip>

I completely agree with everything you said.

My last 3 phones have been Samsungs. I didn't buy them because of their features or anything like that, but because I like their form factors. I have always been a big fan of style over function.... However, my Samsungs have always been crappy in the firmware sense. I don't think I will be getting another Samsung. But I have been contemplating lately, with recent talks about Cingular's branding and "quality control" testing.... I am wondering if all of my problems are related to their crappy firmware and their pseudo-quality-control testing..... Just some food for thought.

Posted by: xbox360gamer

Quote:

Originally Posted by macizcool

I am wondering if all of my problems are related to their crappy firmware and their pseudo-quality-control testing.....

I've got $5 that says you're probably right. only Cingular can take forever to roll out a phone like the 6682 only to pull it off their shelves in under two weeks time due to software/firmware issues.

thank the Lord that my W600 doesnt fall into that category. its been rock solid since day one.

Posted by: dasupaman23

Unbranded / Unlocked phones have a better resale value for me when I put them back on ebay

Posted by: macizcool

Quote:

Originally Posted by xbox360gamer

The thing that really, really, really gets me is that a lot of these phones with major (or even, ANY) firmware problems can be spotted by an average joe in the first hour of use. Hell, I am willing to bet money that my Grandmother could see that a phone has firmware problems in the first hour of use. So why can't experts see that a phone has problems after 400 (or whatever) hours of "testing"? It boggles my mind.....

Posted by: xbox360gamer

Quote:

Originally Posted by macizcool

So why can't experts see that a phone has problems after 400 (or whatever) hours of "testing"?

yup, I agree 100%. and just think about how much money those experts must be making for their incredible knowledge and wisdom.

only in America, only in America.

Posted by: DeerTick

Well, isn't issuing phones with firmware problems akin to MicroSoft releasing new operating systems with a "statistically tolerable" amount of bugs...some of which novice users find right away?

A line from Clerks comes to mind, "Nobody's got standards anymore".

Posted by: xbox360gamer

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeerTick

Well, isn't issuing phones with firmware problems akin to MicroSoft releasing new operating systems with a "statistically tolerable" amount of bugs...some of which novice users find right away?

right, but unlike Cingular, Microsoft cannot release a new operating system and then two weeks later say "oooops! we goofed. we're going to pull the product from the shelves until further notice."

my God, could you imagine the nightmare that would cause to the millions of computers were already using that same operating system?

Cingular on the other hand doesnt mind doing that crap one bit. they release and sell a new phone like the 6682 and then two weeks later pull back and stop selling the phone due to software issues. now, pay no mind the God only knows how many people that just shelled out $200, $300, even $400 for the same phone only to realize there will be no telling when it'll be replaced from Cingular with another unit that isnt screwed up by their software.

this isnt anything new nor is it something that wont happen again with Cingular. after all, isnt their main logo "raising the bar"?