Unblocking my phone to stay with Vodafone???

Peadar85

ok guys. I'm new to this unblocking phones game so i really haven't a clue. Basically i'm a Vodafone ready to go customer looking for a new phone. I don't really like any of Vodafone's new range(or some of their prices). Was in the carphone warehouse and like the look of some of the sony ericssons among others. I need to stay with Vodafone as they are the only provider that I can get coverage with when i'm at home.

So if i was to buy a pay-as-you go phone from a different provider, what would be my best move regards getting it unlocked? Any tips at all would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

thomasjad

it depends wat type of fone do u think ul get?eg nokia,sony ericsson,motorola etc

Sam Vimes

when was the last time you tried another network? you might want to borrow a mates phone who's on a different network and try it out in your house. they're always putting up new masts. o2 and meteor are both cheaper than vodafone

take a look at this page:
http://www.askcomreg.ie/mobile/site_viewer.asp

to see if any operator has put up a mast near you.

other than that, nokias are the easiest to unlock (but not the new big ones like the 6680, n70, n80, 6280 etc). sony ericssons can be unlocked with special hardware that skearon might be able to help you out with. check him out on the unlocking thread at the top of the forum.

if you decide you want a nokia and aren't sure if its unlockable, post back here and we'll be more than happy to tell you

paulshir

You are able to buy phoes unlocked. Some good sites.

www.onedaymobile.ie
www.pixmania.com
www.expansys.ie/

Peadar85

Thanks for the posts people. Yea I know Vodafone don't offer you the best deal but my hands are tied. My girlfriend never has any decent coverage over in my place so I'm staying with them I'm afraid. Wouldn't have a hope with Meteor either! Basically I just popped into the Carphone Warehouse last week and much preferred what O2/Meteor had on offer compared to Vodafone. I liked some of the Sony Ericssons though how hard would these to be unblocked??

I'll pop up again today and post up some of the phones that interest me the most and you might inform me of how I would unblock them?! Cheers

BreadBoard

First of all I'm sure you mean "unlocked". If you post up what phone(s) you like ppl will tell you if it is possible to unlock that particular phone yet.

Peadar85

yea unlock. As i said i'm new to this game, i aint sure of the lingo. Yep i'm gona go look at the phones i'm interested in then post them up here so people can advise me how they may be unlocked(if they can at all)

BreadBoard

Peadar85 wrote:

yea unlock. As i said i'm new to this game, i aint sure of the lingo. Yep i'm gona go look at the phones i'm interested in then post them up here so people can advise me how they may be unlocked(if they can at all)

Np's...

What's your budget anyway?, we may be able to help you decide what to go for.

Peadar85

On a pay as you go, €150-€200 but I’d rather keep it closer to the 150 figure. Have a Sagem this 2 yrs and I'd like a change!!

any advice appreciated!

Peadar85

Here are some of the phones i'd be interested in unlocking:

Sony Ericsson K610i from 3Pay
Sony Ericsson Z520i from O2 or Meteor
Sony Ericsson K750i from Meteor.


any tips?

BreadBoard

I wouldn't go for the z520i (very buggy = cra.p software)

The best of those I'd say is the K610i, but I don't think it can be unlocked atm. I know the SE K608i can be unlocked which is a similar phone.

The other two can be unlocked.

Peadar85

Was just scanning through the Expansy and Onedaymobile websites as suggested by another poster. Are these reliable sites to use would anybody know? For around my budget there’s a Sony Ericssons K700i and K510i. Also Nokias 6310i, 7360, 6070, 6103 and Motorolas ROKR E, or L6. Any reviews on these models?

Would buying one of these sim free be a better idea than trying to codes to unlock a phone?

skearon

Peadar85 wrote:

Here are some of the phones i'd be interested in unlocking:

Sony Ericsson K610i from 3Pay
Sony Ericsson Z520i from O2 or Meteor
Sony Ericsson K750i from Meteor.


any tips?

K610i is new DB2020 platform like K800i so cannot be unlocked
K520i can be unlocked
K750i can be unlocked

Headshot

skearon wrote:

K610i is new DB2020 platform like K800i so cannot be unlocked

i learned the above the hard way [bought a locked k800i]


Peadar85 i would advice you to go for the SE 750i
had the phone before really nice little phone quite good camera

what features would you use mostly with yor phone

and can you use ebay

and stay well clear of motorola phones there ****e in my view

its either sony ericsson or nokia

if you have around 350 go for the sony ericsson k800i best phone out at the minute
i bought a sim free one after my hiccup with the locked one

vodafone still have the deal on the sharp 3G phone
http://www.vodafone.ie/phonestariffs/ourphones/phonedetails.jsp;jsessionid=902B2A2F30BB3D81166A6D237F1EF5AD?mysterons=550SH&type=all

if you have a ebay account i really see a good deal on a k750i

Peadar85

Thanks for the info lads. Yea my mate told me to stay away from Motorola so I will. No I’m not an Ebay user at all. Gona get into it soon though! My budget is towards the €200 mark so the K800i is out I’m afraid. Yea I saw the Sharp, it looks ok but I’m more drawn to the Sonys or Nokias. Features I’d be looking for would be a decent camera, Vodafone Live, Bluetooth and 3G.

The SE K750i is €230 with Expanys. Presume that’s Sim free so if it was highly regarded I’d probably opt for it. They have the K700i for €190 and the K510i for €195. Would you know the differences between these phones? I’d imagine the K750i is the best.

Are these sites trustworthy? Any guarantees on the phones?

BreadBoard

You can also buy phones on this website - http://www.adverts.ie/showcat.php?cat=14 - you might find a good deal there.

Peadar85

Another thought I was having is that if I get one of these sim free phones will I be compromising on Vodafone Live. My phone at the moment has a Vodafone Menu in the screen. Presumably a sim free wouldn’t have such a menu but would there be a facility to browse the web?

BreadBoard

You should be able to browse the web yes. Also if you bought a phone that doesn't have the Vodafone Live settings/menus you could get them put on to it by having it flashed with Vodafone firmware.

Peadar85

Just had a look at the Nokia 6680 on Vodafone over the weekend. Something like €240. Would be handier to buy direct from Vodafone so does anybody recommend this Nokia? Have seen some mixed reviews over the web but I guess most phones do...