Cheapest way to get Droid?

[darknightx]

I really want to get the Motorola Droid, but the price of it is not really feasible; it's about $2900 total at the cheapest, and about $3800 with unlimited, with the 2 year required contract. I was wondering if you can just buy it unlocked and use it with another carrier? I was thinking of just buying it unlocked (about $600) and just, for example, using a T-Mobile plan with it (unlimited everything - $70 a month, no contract). T-Mobile plan is by far cheaper than Verizon's plan. Does anybody know if this will work?

 

[ldimick]

Why not ask T-Mobile? In theory it should.

 

[garrett]

wont work..... the droid is CDMA while tmo/att are both GSM networks.


besides the droid wouldnt be as good of a phone on a craptacular network like tmobile or att. What helps make the droid such an awesome phone is the network its on.

 

[darknightx]

wont work..... the droid is CDMA while tmo/att are both GSM networks.


besides the droid wouldnt be as good of a phone on a craptacular network like tmobile or att. What helps make the droid such an awesome phone is the network its on.

could you maybe explain a bit more about CDMA? so is there really a point to getting a droid unlocked when you can't use it on anything but verizon's network?

 

[alm0614]

CDMA and GSM are not compatible, hence why the iPhone is next to impossible to get on VZ

 

[acedzero]

Wirefly has it for $49.99 with a new account...

 

[garrett]

wont work..... the droid is CDMA while tmo/att are both GSM networks.


besides the droid wouldnt be as good of a phone on a craptacular network like tmobile or att. What helps make the droid such an awesome phone is the network its on.

could you maybe explain a bit more about CDMA? so is there really a point to getting a droid unlocked when you can't use it on anything but verizon's network?

there is no possible way to unlock a CDMA phone, besides the fact there is no sim card slot in the droid so even if it was able to be unlocked you wouldnt have a place to insert a sim card.

verizon, sprint, alltell, MEtro PCS = CDMA
att, t-mobile = GSM

 

[jsh1120]

wont work..... the droid is CDMA while tmo/att are both GSM networks.


besides the droid wouldnt be as good of a phone on a craptacular network like tmobile or att. What helps make the droid such an awesome phone is the network its on.

could you maybe explain a bit more about CDMA? so is there really a point to getting a droid unlocked when you can't use it on anything but verizon's network?

No point in the US other than the fact that if you decide to get another phone you won't have to pay an additional equipment recycling charge. (You've already purchased your phone.)

 

[takeshi]

there is no possible way to unlock a CDMA phone, besides the fact there is no sim card slot in the droid so even if it was able to be unlocked you wouldnt have a place to insert a sim card.

The whole point of a subsidy lock is to prevent you from using another carrier's SIM card (that's all the lock does). Unlocking isn't germane to CDMA devices unless they're hybrid CDMA/GSM devices.

Does anybody know if this will work?

Nope but you can certainly use the Nexus One with TMO. $529 no contract. Otherwise you're stuck with the "Even More individual 500" plan and a contract if you take the subsidy.

 

[Abe21599]

isnt the milestone the GSM version of the droid?? that should work..

Motorola Milestone is GSM Droid | Android Atlas - CNET Blogs

 

[sc4fpse]

isnt the milestone the GSM version of the droid?? that should work..

Motorola Milestone is GSM Droid | Android Atlas - CNET Blogs

Except Milestones have European GSM frequencies that differ from American ones. While you could use it on AT&T, you'd only be able to get EDGE.

There is the Canadian Milestone through Telus, though. However, you'd have to buy it unlocked, and bring it back over the border. Not to mention, it'll be really, really expensive. But you could use it on American GSM 3G networks then.

 

[New2u]

Depending upon how you need the phone, t-mob plans can be just as expensive as verizon plans. T-mob just uses deceptive advertising to say that their unlimited plans are so cheap. While they are cheaper then the verizon counterpart, sometimes it's really not by much. If you really really want a droid then you will pretty much almost have to stick with verizon, while there may be some way of doing it, it would be pointless because it wouldn't have the full functionality of it on the verizon networks.