I know it's been written up here in detail, but I'm confused on the issue as to whether to buy a cell phone here in the states or when I get to Munich. I went to a cingular dealer today and for $129.00 I can get a blue tooth compatable Motorola V551 quad phone that can be unlocked here to use there. Is this a worthwhile deal  Also, should I purchase a SIM card there or just go with Cingular's international rates. Many thanks for your replies.  |
| Reply » Need a quick tip(s) on what kind of cell phone to bring to Germany, again... |
Quote: I know it's been written up here in detail, but I'm confused on the issue as to whether to buy a cell phone here in the states or when I get to Munich. I went to a cingular dealer today and for $129.00 I can get a blue tooth compatable Motorola V551 quad phone that can be unlocked here to use there.
Is this a worthwhile deal
Also, should I purchase a SIM card there or just go with Cingular's international rates.
Many thanks for your replies. | A V551 wil work. It worked in Paris for me last march until I lost it!
129 for it is a ripoff. They are usually free.
Make sure you can get it unlocked.
I'm taking my Treo and just pay cingular's rates. Pre-paid sim cards in Germany is not cheap plus you have to understand German to make sense of the various messages you will encounter trying to use it.
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| Reply » Need a quick tip(s) on what kind of cell phone to bring to Germany, again... |
Quote: A V551 wil work. It worked in Paris for me last march until I lost it!
129 for it is a ripoff. They are usually free.
Make sure you can get it unlocked.
I'm taking my Treo and just pay cingular's rates. Pre-paid sim cards in Germany is not cheap plus you have to understand German to make sense of the various messages you will encounter trying to use it. | Buying a carrier subsidized phone here will probably be significantly less expensive than buying a phone in Europe. That said, 129 does sound like a ripoff, that phone has been around for a while....
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| Reply » Need a quick tip(s) on what kind of cell phone to bring to Germany, again... |
I had cingular as well and my Nokia (2band) phone worked fine. It all depends on how much you plan on using your phone. Cingular charges $1.29/min roaming. I chose to go this route as I did not make many phone calls and weighed that vs. the price of a prepaid sim card. Do the math and select which works out best! Good luck.
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| Reply » Need a quick tip(s) on what kind of cell phone to bring to Germany, again... |
Quote: I know it's been written up here in detail, but I'm confused on the issue as to whether to buy a cell phone here in the states or when I get to Munich. I went to a cingular dealer today and for $129.00 I can get a blue tooth compatable Motorola V551 quad phone that can be unlocked here to use there.
Is this a worthwhile deal
Also, should I purchase a SIM card there or just go with Cingular's international rates.
Many thanks for your replies. | You can get an Ericsson T28 on eBay for $40 ("new"). I'm not sure whether these are unlocked or not but unlocking them is not a difficult matter. $129 for the V551 is a lot.
Also, if you are buying a plan, I recommend staying AWAY from dealers as they add all sorts of things (such as early cancellation fees) into their contracts, which are in addition to any penalty Cingular might have.
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| Reply » Need a quick tip(s) on what kind of cell phone to bring to Germany, again... |
Quote: I know it's been written up here in detail, but I'm confused on the issue as to whether to buy a cell phone here in the states or when I get to Munich. I went to a cingular dealer today and for $129.00 I can get a blue tooth compatable Motorola V551 quad phone that can be unlocked here to use there.
Is this a worthwhile deal
Also, should I purchase a SIM card there or just go with Cingular's international rates.
Many thanks for your replies. | It depends on how you are going to use the phone in Europe. If you already have, or planning on getting a service through a US based GSM carrier (T-Mo, Cingular), just take that phone with you, and make sure worldwide service is enabled and the phone is unlocked. T-Mobile rate for international calls is around $1 per minute. On the other hand, if you are planning on making lots of local calls, get a country specific SIM card; just keep in mind that calls to US using those cards are at least as expensive as using USA issued SIM, and there is usually a setup fee.
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Need a quick tip(s) on what kind of cell phone to bring to Germany, again...