Hi guys
So, I got a friend that is going to Japan next month and I thought that she can buy me a new cell phone (galaxy s4 or xperia ZR) there.
I've been reading on the net that it is really difficult to buy a cell phone or even a sim card if you are no resident. It depends on the store that you are buying.
My question is: Is this cell phone going to work in my country, this case Brazil.
I asked this because in the past Japanese cell phones didn't use sim cards and networks where different, and I don't know how is it now.
Also, it can be network locked so it would't work with my carrier here.
any of you have some experience buying a cell phone in japan?
Thank you very much in advanced
crisosma said:
Hi guys
So, I got a friend that is going to Japan next month and I thought that she can buy me a new cell phone (galaxy s4 or xperia ZR) there.
I've been reading on the net that it is really difficult to buy a cell phone or even a sim card if you are no resident. It depends on the store that you are buying.
My question is: Is this cell phone going to work in my country, this case Brazil.
I asked this because in the past Japanese cell phones didn't use sim cards and networks where different, and I don't know how is it now.
Also, it can be network locked so it would't work with my carrier here.
any of you have some experience buying a cell phone in japan?
Thank you very much in advanced
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Click to collapse
I would advise buying against phones from Japan because most of them are tailored to their weird networks (general statement). I'd check what frequencies are used by your carrier and what frequencies the phone you're friend is going to buy supports. Japanese phones in general are usually made to operate in Japan with minimal support for extended use in other countries (e.g. you may get EDGE but that's it).
Thank you very much.
Looking on the web, I saw that there is a Sony store that sells international versions of their products. (And also a tax reduction )
Maybe I can find something there, looking at the webpage didn't find any cell phones.
Related
hey there i have a situation my girlfriend is going to japan and she uses a htc vox (s720 i think), and i want to know if it is possible for her to use the phone in japan since her phone uses a simcard and she tells me that most phones there dont use sim cards. can any1 help with this? if so wich is a preferred service provider and all that thank you
Due to different technologies used, mobile phones from your home country, including GSM phones, are likely not to work in Japan. Instead, short time visitors to Japan can rent mobile phones or purchase prepaid phones through various companies, some of which have a counter at the airports.
Ok guys and gals here's the deal. I've been an android guy for years now (I have an Iphone 4 that I use as my iPod so I have some experience with iOS). But with all the recent phone releases I'm torn and heres why:
I travel overseas for big chunks of time so I am looking to get a phone that I can use with local sim cards wherever I am. I know the Iphone 4S is a global phone with the capability to just that. However I would like to find an Android phone that has the same capabilities, but the only global android phones I know of are on Verizon...with no sim slot for local sims.
Does anybody have any suggestions/experience with this? I need a phone that I can use local sims ONLY, no international roaming with us plans
thanks guys!
All AT&T phones are global, T-Mobile phones will give you EDGE data in Europe, and Sprint has the Motorola Photon that is a world phone.
I think Sprint is actually hte easiest since their phones are SIM unlocked so you can use foreign SIMS in them without having to mess around. Not sure about ATT and Verizon. Do ask sprint before you travel though just to be sure. If it isn't unlocked out of the box, they will unlock it for you.
I bought the 4S though...
greensnow said:
Ok guys and gals here's the deal. I've been an android guy for years now (I have an Iphone 4 that I use as my iPod so I have some experience with iOS). But with all the recent phone releases I'm torn and heres why:
I travel overseas for big chunks of time so I am looking to get a phone that I can use with local sim cards wherever I am. I know the Iphone 4S is a global phone with the capability to just that. However I would like to find an Android phone that has the same capabilities, but the only global android phones I know of are on Verizon...with no sim slot for local sims.
Does anybody have any suggestions/experience with this? I need a phone that I can use local sims ONLY, no international roaming with us plans
thanks guys!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android for Any and All Use... Lol!
PMGRANDS said:
Android for Any and All Use... Lol!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agree what you say
*Mods, please move if there is a better place. I normally hang out on the development forums so I'm not exactly sure where to post*
I have a phone that I bought from Verizon and I have kept the unlimited data. I know all about my phone but next to nothing about my service.
My question is specifically about phablets (for example, this) which is basically a big ass phone, or a tablet with cell service, however you want to word it. I'd use it exclusively with bluetooth instead of holding the thing up to my head, don't worry.
I travel internationally and see them A LOT in other countries (they cannot help me though since I need one to use in the US). I am under the impression that VZ will not activate anything I did not buy from them. I don't know how solid this is but every VZ employee I have asked has confirmed this so far. I know in the past that it used to be as simple as switching out the SIM card but doubt this is still the case.
I'm sure there are some hardware specs that I need to look at that would determine the LTE/3G whatever compatibility, but I don't know the terminology. Can you help me out?
Also, I am hesitant to leave VZ because of the unlimited data and the service coverage. I live in mildly populated CT, USA and would welcome a prepaid plan if it was comparable but don't even know where to begin looking.
Thank you in advance - I really don't have anyone else to ask about this stuff.
You will want to look for international versions of the devices you are looking for. These versions carry multiple antennas that allows them to be used in different countries. As far as I know, these phones use SIM cards, which allows you to purchase an international SIM or a SIM in the country you are in, and it should work when you plug it into your device.
Is there a way to check for the antennas in the specifications instead of relying on the seller to accurately sell me the int'l version? How would you go about buying a SIM card?
Has anyone managed to get their Republic Wireless Moto-X on to Sprint or any of its MVNOs? It looks like ROMs are available, but I don't want to end up with a $300+ paperweight . Has anyone had successully moved their Moto-X to another service (registered MEID and actually gotten service)?
I have been on Republic for a couple of years, and have had to get another carrier because of the breaks in coverage (in Silicon Valley!). With the quality of the web-site and customer service, I'd like to at least salvage a good phone.
Thanks a lot for the help!
aiyengar said:
Has anyone managed to get their Republic Wireless Moto-X on to Sprint or any of its MVNOs? It looks like ROMs are available, but I don't want to end up with a $300+ paperweight . Has anyone had successully moved their Moto-X to another service (registered MEID and actually gotten service)?
I have been on Republic for a couple of years, and have had to get another carrier because of the breaks in coverage (in Silicon Valley!). With the quality of the web-site and customer service, I'd like to at least salvage a good phone.
Thanks a lot for the help!
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Click to collapse
I doubt it.
http://liliputing.com/2013/09/cant-use-299-republic-wireless-moto-x-sprint.html
Granted, the article is about the 2013 Moto X, and you're looking at the 2014 Moto X, but I expect the practice of carrier-locking the phone remains. I guess it's technically not carrier locking (which would be illegal), but since it appears that it uses a piece of band spectrum specifically allocated by Sprint for Republic, even if you did unlock the phone, hardware-wise, it's not compatible with any other network.
Makes sense, I guess. It wouldn't do them any good to undercut Sprint/Boost/Virgin/etc phone prices simply so people could buy them and unlock them to use with other providers, even if they do all use the same network.
This thread might help... there's a guy running CM on his phone. Might enable you to put another sim in it and just sprint? I don't know how it works w/ the different radio bands.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/moto-x/general/republic-wireless-app-custom-roms-t3066852/
Hello,
A friend of mine broke her phone while in Japan and she needs to buy a new one. She uses Sprint's network, so the phone must be compatible with Sprint once she returns. I noticed several old threads that claim that Sprint will only activate their own phones, but the threads are very old so I hope that has changed. (Side note: she will be abroad for over a month longer, so waiting until she returns is not really an option.)
Can anyone confirm if it is possible to just buy a CDMA phone that matches the bands listed on wikipedia under "cellular frequencies". (Sorry, not allowed to post a link yet.)
And then simply have sprint activate it?