I am planning a trip to the South of France soon and have a few phone questions. Am deciding whether to upgrade to an Iphone or a Droid (global ready) before my trip. Can either of these phones be used in France and in what capacity - calls, texts, internet, skype? We are traveling without laptop so if internet cafes are not available we would like to be able to rely on our phones. Merci!
1
jpyrek
Are they CDMA or GSM? If CDMA, they won't work. If GSM are they unlocked? If they are unlocked, you can switch the SIMcard and use them as you'd like. Without changing the SIM card you might be able to get on the network, but will be charged an ungodly amount to do anything.
3
phimeow
iPhones are GSM and will work worldwide.
I suspect android based smartphones these days are all GSM also. CDMA is dead technology.
Any phone you choose - as long as it is unlock, supports quad band will work just about everywhere.
#1 advice re: changing SIM card - is spot on. The pro = cheaper than roaming on your home SIM card and the con = you will have a new phone number (is bad if you are moving through lots of country but I see this is not the case with you).
Good luck!
4
jpyrek
#3, that's not totally correct. iPhones on Verizon and SPrint are CDMA and GSM. If you are in good standing for a certain length of time you can REQUEST to have the phone unlocked and then be able to change your SIM card. For those on AT&T, apparently they will not unlock the phone (Their phones are GSM only)...so it all depends on the network.
Androids are a mix. Mine is CDMA only...as are many on Sprint, Verizon, many of the pre-pays, etc. So, it all depends on what network you are on.
End of the day, check with your provider...this is just another reason I HATE US cell phone companies. How would you feel if you bought a Honda and they said "oh, by the way, you're only allowed to purchase Shell gasoline for this car." That's basically how US cell phone companies treat us.
5
phimeow
iPhones on Verizon and SPrint are CDMA and GSM
#4 - well I am surprised at that. Here is a country that is supposed to lead the world in technology and it's still using outdated technology like CDMA.
6
jpyrek
yeah....it's this dumb catch 22... on the one hand the US strives for free market and as such you've got Betamax vs. VHS, BluRay vs. HDDVD and then CDMA vs. GSM. The difference between the latter and former(s) is the literally billions upon billions they've invested in the infrastructure.
According to their websites, they run on CDMA in the US BUT can utilize GSM outside the US, which is why they'll unlock it. (They don't have competing networks per se in those other nations). Because AT&T runs them on GSM, they won't unlock them as that then offers a phone unlocked for use in the US...which US carriers are FIRMLY against. I guess the Verizon/Sprint ones will always look for CDMA first and if they can't find it, will then look to GSM? I'm sure you coudl hack it to change it. I'm not SUPER tech-savy, but this is what I gathered from their sites.
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