Smartphone for Russia?

[Steve S 2]

One of my fiancée's friends is looking for a cool Internet-browsing phone like the iPhone. She says they cost $1000 and up in Russia. She was inquiring if it would be possible to get one without a contract in the US, that would work over there and cost less this way. I said I had my doubts (I don't even know if it is legal to export certain such technology) but would check with this forum. Has anyone researched this? Thanks.

[AKguy 1]

Anna had told me some many months ago of people using unlocked iPhones over there, the older non 3g type. I don't know any other details right now, but maybe looking around online would help? I'll ask Anna about it later.

[baron555 934]

One of my fiancée's friends is looking for a cool Internet-browsing phone like the iPhone. She says they cost $1000 and up in Russia. She was inquiring if it would be possible to get one without a contract in the US, that would work over there and cost less this way. I said I had my doubts (I don't even know if it is legal to export certain such technology) but would check with this forum. Has anyone researched this? Thanks.

I did actually check on this for Alla's friend a few months ago.

Unlocked iPhones can not be obtained legally here in the US; Apple has that all locked up (no pum) with AT&T.

You can buy them from China via eBay but the cost is very high and there is no guarantee they will work in Russia.

To summarize, there is no cheap way to do this. Sri.

[AKguy 1]

You can always get a tech savvy person to unlock them as well. There are guides all over the net on how to do it if you're brave enough.

[baron555 934]

You can always get a tech savvy person to unlock them as well. There are guides all over the net on how to do it if you're brave enough.

Yes this is true. If you're good at unsoldering and cutting circuit board paths and resoldering on surface mount components.

All that can happen is you screw it up and it never works again.

[AKguy 1]

It's all software based actually.

[mox 298]

It's all software based actually.

Some of these phones you actually have to cut or solder a jumper though. Not for the faint of heart.

[Jeff and Tatiana 0]

There are several options for this, the big important thing to keep in mind is that you want a Quad Band phone. This will ensure that no matter what frequency that the network is using your phone will be able to connect.

For instance a Nokia N97 is a Quad Band GSM phone that is available at Fry's Electonics UNLOCKED for around $529. The Nokia 5800 Xpress is a Quad Band Touch Screen phone that has a screen that works using a capacitive touch screen and pressure touch screen. For instance a iphone is a capacitive only screen, so it will not work if you have gloves on, it needs your body's electrical charge to work, where as this screen on the 5800 will work with both. Now, I am not just trying to get you to consider a Nokia, there are numerous phones that are Quad Band. Sony Ericson, Motorolla and others but it is important to keep in mind the Quad Band part.

If you have a Tri Band, then it may not work in the city you are living. The frequency bands that are out there are 1800 Mhz, 1900 Mhz, 900 Mhz, 850 Mhz. The frequencies that are for USA are 1900 Mhz and 850 Mhz. Where as International are 1800 Mhz and 900 Mhz. So the Tri Band phone chooses 3 of those bands. Often they will drop the 850 Mhz, but you can be sure that is the one they drop. In the USA this can mess you up bad. But, there is often no way to tell which is dropped unless you look at the MFG specification. Just because a Tri Band works in your city currently does not mean that when you go to a different city, the frequency that is missing could be the one you need for it to work. That is why it is often just safer to get the Quad Band, so you can do all 4 of the fequency ranges.

If you have specific questions FIRE AWAY! I hope this was helpful. If anyone is intrested I can offer up some places to buy some phones if you are looking. Being in Dallas, TX (Telecom corridor) I have lots of friends who work for these companies.

[kylejb 0]

I have sold a couple of Iphone 2G and Iphone 3G in Russia. Get a good price for them as well. All I did was use the Russian software (same as the US software, but obviously in Russian) and unlock them. They work without any issues.

[BluesTraveler 0]

You can always get a tech savvy person to unlock them as well. There are guides all over the net on how to do it if you're brave enough.

Yes this is true. If you're good at unsoldering and cutting circuit board paths and resoldering on surface mount components.

All that can happen is you screw it up and it never works again.

Not true, actually you can unlock any iPhone with software. Google iPhone and jailbreak.

Articles on the situation of iPhones in Russia.

http://profy.com/2009/07/30/russian-mobile...unsold-iphones/

In Russian

http://www.cnews.ru/news/top/index.shtml?2009/07/30/355885

No point in having an iPhone in Russia. The data plans are just too expensive for normal usage.

[clueless_in_usa 8]

I have sold a couple of Iphone 2G and Iphone 3G in Russia. Get a good price for them as well. All I did was use the Russian software (same as the US software, but obviously in Russian) and unlock them. They work without any issues.

It is funny for me to read that people in Russia want to buy phones in America. Except for the iPhone and very few others, phones in Europe are a lot better than the crappy phones that phone companies have available in USA.

I have bought my last three phones in Russia and/or Ukraine. And the last two were very helpful because they both have an English-Russian-English dictionary. That was an added bonus.

Besides, because they are sold in Europe, they usually come with interfaces in multiple languages that the American ones do not have. However, the last one has many cool languages, but it does not have my favorite language. But I can live with that because it has English and Russian.