[gsusser]

First post, howdy.

I need to buy an unlocked phone for a friend in the Caribbean... it needs to be unlocked because she does not qualify for a plan. Internet and voice is available prepaid. I know nothing about blackberries except that it is the phone of choice in the Caribbean, hence my desire to buy her a blackberry. I'm looking for a recommendation and place to buy it.

My friend will be using it mostly for chatting, messages and the phone of course. And the internet.

I'm looking for something used and want to spend under $200. I was planning on buying something on eBay but thought I'd check here first. I understand that I'll probably end up with something cracked. Does it matter? I bought a cracked iPhone for someone there and it works fine. These are the specs it needs for the carriers there:

Unlocked QUAD Band GSM.
CLARO Frequency: GSM 850/1900
Orange Frequency: GSM 900/1800/1900

Thanks.

[raino]

Welcome to Crackberry.

What do you mean by "cracked?" A broken screen?

Check out Craigslist, eBay, and Crackberry's own Marketplace. For the price you have listed, you should be able to find an OS6, maybe even OS7 phone. However...to use the internet (BBM, push email, etc.) on these, your friend will need a BIS plan on OS6/7 phones.

For the network frequencies you've listed, make sure the phone you get is from any one of these carriers: AT&T/Rogers/Bell/Telus. Good luck.

[gsusser]

I'm sorry, this is really not my forte. I thought cracked meant that it was unlocked. I need unlocked.

The carriers there are Claro, Orange and Viva. There are no AT&T or any of the other companies. I was thinking of something like a Bold. But then again, I am unfamiliar with the blackberry.

[Acidwire]

plenty of cheap android phones with grood specs for $200 and under like new, youd get a blackberry in new condition for that amount too (os 5 to os7) but i doubt youd get a z10 or a q10 for that price. if tyou want to get her a used z or q wait until the z30 releases and all the z10s and some qs end up on ebay from people getting the phablet

[raino]

Those frequencies you've listed are just GSM (2G.) Do you know the UMTS (3G) frequencies for Claro and Orange?

It isn't very likely that you'll find an unlocked Claro or Orange phone, if you're searching in the US or Canada. That's why I listed some carriers' phones you are likely to come across.

[gsusser]

The answer I got was quad band, does that help?

My friend wants a Blackberry. Apparently, it is a status symbol there. What can I say?

Why not get a Bold, like a 9900 or something like that? there's plenty on eBay.

[raino]

Quad band usually refers to 2G, which is fine for phone calls, text messages, even BBM and email (text emails/BBM back and forth.) But if her internet usage is going to be more than just text based communication, it would be a good idea to find out what the carriers' 3G frequencies are. What country is she in? Maybe I could look up the 3G bands for you.

The Bold 9900 is a good phone, if you're getting it for $200. Others to look at that should be in the same price range are the Torch 9810 (if she's ok with vertically sliding phones,) the 9790, and the 9360 (which should be cheaper than the first three listed.)

[gsusser]

Thanks. She's in the Dominican Republic. I can't seem to find the 3g bands. Any more help is appreciated. I know iPhones and that's it.

[raino]

According to Wikipedia, Claro's 3G band is 850 MHz, while Orange's band is 900 MHz. So look for these in the 3G/UMTS listings for the phones you buy.

And I will stress this point: to use internet, she will need a BIS plan as an internet plan.

[gsusser]

I think I am going to talk her into a used iPhone. I got an old unlocked 3gs off ebay for about $125. It worked fine. I know all iPhone functions including internet works fine with prepaid since I use my iPhone there. This is too complicated for me, haha. The reason I want to buy here instead of the DR is that prices are significantly lower in the US. Thanks for your help.