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Help please, mobiles cdma vs gsm in Shai ??

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liam

Lurker

Joined: Apr 09, 2004
Posts: 22

Status: Offline

Posted: July 03, 2004 - 10:56 PM
Post subject: Help please, mobiles cdma vs gsm in Shai ??

Hi

I'm thinking of getting a new mobile and I'm liking a Toshiba. The catch is it's only cdma. Knowing nothing before of the differences between cdma & gsm technology, I'm now unsure as to what's best, so can anyone please advise based on the following:

I don't travel outside China
I don't need international roaming or sms
I want a strong signal, especially anywhere in the city (Shai, B'jing) including the metro, elevator etc.

My other problem is if I choose the Toshiba (t618x), the manual it comes with is only in Chinese. I've searched the Toshiba sites and because it is cdma, only China makes this phone, making it difficult for them to appreciate a manual in English should be included (I know the phone menu is in English, but that doesn't help me know how to make it work etc). Does anyone know how I could get an English manual?

Thanks in advance.

Liam Very Happy

smurfette
PopStar
PopStar

Joined: Nov 07, 2003
Posts: 1287
Location: smurf village

Posted: July 06, 2004 - 10:24 PM

For your connection-based request, I would suggest GSM phonesets and net.

Many handsets other than Toshiba are equipped with English menu, my Nokia is, for instance. Very Happy

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Andreas
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Joined: Feb 27, 2004
Posts: 6446
Location: 31 N 121 E

Posted: July 06, 2004 - 11:15 PM

GSM has in general the better coverage in China

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jane_ca

Rocker

Joined: Aug 26, 2003
Posts: 748

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Posted: July 07, 2004 - 12:49 PM

I need int'l roaming and i travel outside China and expect to use the same phone for short stay overseas.
I suppose i should buy cdma? Which brand cell phone is recommended? (too many to choose from). I used to have a Nokia but was stolen a while ago.

Andreas
Board Royalty

Joined: Feb 27, 2004
Posts: 6446
Location: 31 N 121 E

Posted: July 07, 2004 - 12:59 PM

jane_ca,
If you travel abroad it depends where you go. Some places have very different standards, for example Japan and the USA. International roaming does not help you then, ut you need to buy a local SIM card in those places. If you travel mainly in Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, GSM offers you more flexibility.

Regarding brands of cellphones, well everybody has it's favorite of course. Personally I found the Nokia phones the most reliable and userfriendly. Make sure if you buy a GSM phone, that you buy a Tri-band (Supports 3 main frequencies).

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AlexK

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Joined: May 31, 2004
Posts: 16
Location: Pudong
Status: Offline

Posted: July 07, 2004 - 01:10 PM

Gotta agree with Andreas, GSM is definitely the more flexible standard internationally. If you get a GSM phone, make sure it's a tri-band (on the 900, 1800 and 1900 Mhz Bands), then you can use it just about anywhere, on Earth, even in the USA (which is on the 1900 Mhz Band).

CDMA offers you some more fancy technological tricks, but its coverage nationwide is not as good. It is also possible to use a CDMA phone for Roaming, the standard is being used in North and South America as well. It won't do you much good anywhere else though.

So in short:

CDMA - if you will stay only in the big cities

GSM - if you travel to rural areas or internationally

Other than that it's a question of which phone you like. I'd hesitate to buy a Toshiba phone, btw, they're not really known for mobiles. Samsung makes some pretty slick stuff right now.