For that price range I don't think you will get any quad-band phone unless it is used. Most tri-bands work fine. I have 2 unlocked tri-band phones, Motorola v66 and SE T610 and they work fine.
You may get the best prices on eBay but be careful. Shop well. Do not assume the prices on eBay are always cheaper, compare. I have seen people bidding up the price of a used phone higher than a brand new one from a store.
Check Amazon.com and search for unlocked cell phones. Also do a google search for stores selling unlocked cell phones. Now that you have an idea what they will cost new from reputable dealers, search eBay but do not get into a bidding war, there are thousands of phones out there.
Who is your carrier in USA? Do you want to continue with them when you return? If it is Cingular, your phone has to have the 850 band also. Most tri-bands for international use are 900/1800/1900 even though I have used 850/1800/1900 bands and they worked just fine.
A local SIM card in Europe should cost you about 15-25 US Dollars with some starter minutes. That is the way to go while abroad. Do not pay US carriers' high roaming prices. Also in Europe all incoming calls are free, so you only pay for outgoing calls.
As far as the phone is concerned, I cannot suggest anything as it is personal preferences, but usually the basic ones work best, less chance of things going wrong.
This is kind of long- but any help is appreciated. Thanks ![]()
I will be moving to Europe in a few months for a short (six month)internship. I won't have a landline telephone, so a cellphone will be essential.
I currently have a really old nokia phone that i was given under an AT&T family plan (since converted to cingular) - it operates on the 1900 network. I thought about upgrading the phone, but the service conversion, the fact that the phone is one out of several under the plan, and that the contract is in my parents' name makes that complicated. The other problem is the international rates and roaming fees are absolutely insane.
I know that the phone will need to be GSM (900/1800). I would prefer to get a tri- or quad-band phone so that I can use it when I return.
I know that the phone should be "unlocked" so that I can get a SIM card with the best rates for the country I will be in. And I can use it as a "pay-as-you-go" phone.
The features that matter most are: unlocked, tri- or quadband gsm, strong signal, good call quality, and good battery life. A camera would be nice but is not essential.
As a student, I don't have a lot of money, I'm hoping to find something under $120. I know a SIM will cost another $50-80. I've been looking around at ebay, but I don't know alot about the different brands, and was hoping for some advice and/or suggestions on which phones to consider, and places to look for a good price.
Thanks.

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