This is a response to the guide, "Buying Unlocked Cell Phones DON'T DO IT". Link here.

In this "guide", the buyer is saying that ALL unlocked cell phones are bad. THEY ARE NOT. An unlocked cell phone is just a cell phone that is NOT locked to a specific carrier. What this means is that you can take the same phone with you from one carrier to another. THIS ONLY APPLIES TO GSM CARRIERS such as Cingular or T-Mobile. (No Verizon, Sprint, etc.)

These are mostly phones from other countries, or phones that come directly from the manufacturer. ALSO, LOCKED PHONES CAN BE UNLOCKED. (ex. Motorola Razr from Cingular can be unlocked to work on T-Mobile, etc.)

The problems the person in this guide stated are problems WITH THE PHONES THEMSELVES. It has NOTHING to do with unlocked phones in general. He also complains about SHIPPING, which has NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PHONE.

It is true that you have to configure PICTURE MESSAGING and MOBILE INTERNET ACCESS (wap) for your specific carrier, but that is because the phone requires the server information so that it knows WHERE TO SEND THE DATA.

So DO NOT allow this one person's OPINION to deter you from buying unlocked phones. Just be careful FROM WHERE YOU BUY and WHAT YOU BUY. Check the BACKGROUND OF THE ITEM YOU ARE BUYING.

This goes for ALL ITEMS ON EBAY.