Cell phone in India

Murali · Post by **Murali** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 2:51 am

Cell phone for India - Which is better - buying a triband unlocked phone from US or buying the cell phone in India itself?
Is there any website where I can checkout the phones availabe in India?

Thanks

realentity · Post by **realentity** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 2:56 am

You can take your locked cellphone to a cellphone repair shop in India. They can easily unlock it for Rs 300.

Desi_by_Nature · Post by **Desi_by_Nature** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 3:01 am

I think number of choices wise India offers much a better range. Go to an electronics market and you will find pretty much every cellphone model made in the world. in the US you are limited only to what the cellphone providers offer.

Also in India you can buy stuff at "grey market prices".

So i think buying from India is better - unless you can pull off a free cellhpone deal here with a new plan and then somehow get out of the contract and get to keep the cellphone (haven't put my brain to work on that yet).

Desi_by_Nature · Post by **Desi_by_Nature** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 3:03 am

realentity;10703You can take your locked cellphone to a cellphone repair shop in India. They can easily unlock it for Rs 300.[/quote]

why pay Rs 300? just call your cellphone provider's customer service in the US and tell them that you want to unlock your cellphone. They are legally supposed to oblige to such requests free of charge.

DoctorJ · Post by **DoctorJ** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 8:30 am

In my humble opinion, I'd say it all depends on the individual's priorities, preference and taste (read it as likes/dislikes).

That said, if you are a simpleton like me who doesn't care much for posh and hi-fi stuff that exudes prestige or status symbol you'd just take your current cell phone (preferably a tri-band or a quad-band GSM instrument at the very minimum) after getting the instrument unlocked from the service provider (usually easier with T-Mobile. Cingular is notorious) . Remember, the old or cheap dual-band do not work in India 'cause of the frequency mis-match.

If you are one of those (in the majority) that really care for latest and greatest technology can offer in terms of features, the options are many. You could get one of the newer instruments here (specially if you can break the service without penalty) or can always shop in India. I've seen real awesome ones in the major cities - although a little expensive since the concept of getting instruments for free or discounted prices does not seem to exist.

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There are options aplenty. Pick the one that suits you best. -DJ :cool:

DoctorJ · Post by **DoctorJ** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 8:41 am

realentity;10703
You can take your locked cellphone to a cellphone repair shop in India. They can easily unlock it for Rs 300.[/quote]

Really??? Maan, that's dirt cheap - probably depends on the instrument and model. We paid Rs.1,800 for unlocking a Blackberry in Bangalore (did we get ripped?) after Cingular made me run around the bush after I decided to (continue) use my old insturment and gift the new one to my dear ones back home.

I've heard some people charge $25 - $30 here in the US. So, can you share the information where it is done for Rs.300???

Thanks in advance...

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More one is informed, lesser the chance of getting ripped. -DJ :cool:

bantu · Post by **bantu** » Fri Mar 09, 2007 5:38 am

Blackberry 8700g sells on Ebay for ~ $300 (new). The same model sells for $30,000 (~$600) in India. In this case isn't it better to buy the quad band Blackberry from here and then subscribe to a service in India.

Thanks.

DoctorJ · Post by **DoctorJ** » Sat Mar 10, 2007 1:17 pm

bantu;11416
Blackberry 8700g sells on Ebay for ~ $300 (new). The same model sells for $30,000 (~$600) in India. In this case isn't it better to buy the quad band Blackberry from here and then subscribe to a service in India.

Thanks.
[/quote]

Isn't it a no-brainer???

Although there are some unethical ways by which one could get these instruments for lesser price here in the US - I'll prefer not to divulge.

That said, I've not be able to comprehend the importance given by a lot of people back home to the presence of camera (or lack of) in a cell phone and other such features - while here I am who hardly know the ones available in my cell phone.

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Craze is something that is hard to comprehend. -DJ :cool: