Cellphone - cracked screen!!!

[Little Ming]

So last night after some family members did some tumbling around the general area of my cellphone, I discovered this morning the screen is cracked. Arrgggg...... :rant:

The plan is not up yet, so I just need to get another phone for the time being. Nothing fancy, I don't text, email or internet on my phone. I just need to make and receive calls. Money is tight and I know nothing about cellphones. Can someone recommend a cheap replacement phone? And a good, reputable place to buy it? The stand at the local mall looks suspicious. :tongue

[CircusOfCrows]

We'd need to know your carrier; the predominant types of carriers in the US are GSM, and CDMA. Sprint and Verizon are CDMA, while AT&T and T-Mobile are GSM. Most phones are either CDMA OR GSM.

A good place to look once you've determined your carriers network is craigslist; often times people are willing to haggle on price, and you can find relevant hardware for (typically) less than you would on Ebay (which is another great place to look if Craigslist isn't an option).

[Sarah1981]

Try asking friends and family. Sometimes, people will get free or cheap upgrades, get their hands on new phones, and toss the old ones into a closet or drawer somewhere. They might be willing to let one go for a very-reasonable price.

[Little Ming]

We'd need to know your carrier; the predominant types of carriers in the US are GSM, and CDMA. Sprint and Verizon are CDMA, while AT&T and T-Mobile are GSM. Most phones are either CDMA OR GSM.


See, I told you I knew nothing about cellphones. :tongue I have AT&T.

I found some articles through google about people buying a prepaid phone and just changing out the SIM card. Anyone know if that could work?

[CircusOfCrows]

That should work - the SIM card is your identifier to AT&T - your subscription key. You put that puppy in a phone, and AT&T should just recognize that device as having a valid subscription, and voila. Good luck!

[Bracken]

See, I told you I knew nothing about cellphones. :tongue I have AT&T.

I found some articles through google about people buying a prepaid phone and just changing out the SIM card. Anyone know if that could work?


As another poster said, just ask all your family and friends.
I've got several old phones in a drawer. Most people probably do, because most plans offer a free upgrade every so often, and who's gonna pass up a free upgrade?
Just ask around, somebody will probably give you an old phone for free.