WTB: 3G World-Phone Keitei (New or Used)

[aquamarine]

Well I'm officially back in Canada untill I either marry my Japanese girlfriend or get a full degree (which I'm aiming for at this point). I've just gone on a contract with a company called Rogers & they offer world phones that are usable in Japan. One thing about this company specifically is that Vodafone has a contract with them, allowing the use of the Vodafone World-Phones to be used on the Rogers Towers.

I've been back & forth to & from Yokohama a couple times in the past few months now packing up stuff and moving back to Canada, but every time I see a new keitei, I just start drooling & cursing that I don't have my gaijin card anymore (it was taken away from me by immigration), which there-by prohibits me from getting --ANY-- cook Japanese keitei's!

Can someone/anyone out there lend a fucked gaijin a hand? I'd love to get my hands on some interesting keitei that isn't available in Canada (or North America). For reference sake, I currently use a Motorola V635. Woop doo flippin doo.

Thanks & hope all is well for y'all out there!

-Chris

[FG Lurker]

I don't think you will have too much luck with this... As far as I know Vodafone Japan locks all of their phones -- meaning that you will not be able to activate them on a network besides Vodafone Japan.

So unless you want to pay massive roaming charges to use a Japan-registered phone in Canada there isn't really a way.

[aquamarine]

Yea, I figure they would have locked their phones, however there are a few companies around North America that unlock them, and I'm thankfull enough to live in the same city as one (phew!).

Now I just need the phone... (grumble)

Anyone have an extra? GomiGirl.. I'm looking your direction as I recall hearing you mention you had (what was it) 9 phones at work? (It was mentioned when we were visiting Taro in the hospital)

-Chris

[FG Lurker]

I'm certainly not a cell phone expert... If it wasn't for my consulting work I'd happily get rid of the damn thing!

That said, I have heard of people having problems getting the Japanese versions of phones unlocked, even when the European version of the same phone can be done easily. The methods and algorithms are not always the same.

Just my two cents' worth.

[aquamarine]

Thanks for the information FG. If you could keep your eyes open for me, I'd appreciate it.

Same goes to anyone else, if you run across something along the lines of a 3-G world-phone, then please let me know.

Your favorite deported gaijin..

-Aqua

[emperor]

if you run across something along the lines of a 3-G world-phone, then please let me know.

Sharp 903 on eBay

Unlocked Hong Kong and Uk versions are going for silly prices - the Japanese ones are available for maybe half the price but arent unlockable - yet. theyre saying itll be at least another 2 or 3 weeks - maybe even 6-8<mod edit>.

[aquamarine]

I'm still looking for some...

Anyone have a 3G that they are just getting rid of that they wouldn't mind selling?

[IkemenTommy]

I'm still looking for some...

Anyone have a 3G that they are just getting rid of that they wouldn't mind selling?

The 902i is about to come out, and they have some new features now.. *yawn*
Even when you get the so called 3G phone, I bet you a million bucks that it won't work overseas so just get the dummy phone for like 2 dollars at Akihabara.

[aquamarine]

Well with the 3G phones from Vodafone, they work in Canada at the very least & run off of the Rogers network - my girlfriend brought her keitei over (it's the red one from Vodafone with a 3.2mp camera, mp3 player, etc) and it worked just dandy for everything including surfing the net AND sending pictures to my Canadian keitei.

Since I moved back to Canada from Yokohama, I've been absolutly disgusted with the phones that are available to the general public. I work retail at the moment and part of my job is to try and sell cellular phones... on occasion I'll bring some of the dummy models and even my old Sanyo V401SA (from Vodafone) to work just to show people how absolutly shitty our technology is over here.

Makes me want to vomit, but there's not alot I can do other than try and find a good phone that's from Japan and is a "World-Phone/3G capable".

Thanks for your lovely input though, it's really helped me out quite a bit.

[IkemenTommy]

Since I moved back to Canada from Yokohama, I've been absolutly disgusted with the phones that are available to the general public. I work retail at the moment and part of my job is to try and sell cellular phones... on occasion I'll bring some of the dummy models and even my old Sanyo V401SA (from Vodafone) to work just to show people how absolutly shitty our technology is over here.

Here, as in Canada right?
That's because you only have shitty manufacturers like Motorola and Nokia that make big fat fuckin phones with all the useless built-in garbage. I was not impressed to see features like mp3 players and finally caught on with the cameras, though they are still sub-megapixel and the quality sucks donkey balls. The most annoying feature of all is that signature Nokia ringtone. I swear people have never heard of the Manner mode in other countries. I seriously feel like shoving their phones down their throat sideways every time I hear it.