Bad ESN, what does it mean?

No carrier violation or rules of government issues. Just the technical ones I pointed out.

Phones are bought and used in other places all the time. One just needs to make sure the phone carries the proper frequencies and network technology for use around the world. This is the biggie, as a phone won't work if it can't pick up the local cellular network.

 

thanks for answers


but only thing which i can't anderstend is that, in this case peoples can buy "android tablet" for 1$ :loony:

 

Then the devil's in the details. If something says you're getting Android for $1, be wary. The particular device you're looking at starts auction AT .99 cents. By no means will you get it for that amount (well, you could, but I doubt the seller would allow that). You can bet there will be a lot of auctioning going back and forth and the price will rise quickly.

Also, if it's the Captivate you're referring to as a "tablet", that it is not. Tablet PC's are much bigger (size-wise) and have a slightly modified OS. As a Tablet is a cross between a smartphone and a PC, minus the phone part for standard cellular calls.

 

no man there is a lot phones for 0.99 with "buy it now" price .



i know differences with tablets,smartphones,pc's and ect
but i wrote it with quote ( '' '')

 

Not necessarily. While it likely wouldn't be a violation to take the phone out of the USA, some countries do have import restrictions on certain technologies.

For example, when I worked in Ethiopia we were prohibited from bringing GPS receivers with an accuracy level greater than a certain amount as those were considered "military level" technologies that were not permitted for civilians, let alone for foreigners, to use.

 

Interesting.

I was thinking of purchasing a smart phone, but the monthy data fees are more than I want to spend.

However, I would like to access my e-mail, and some websites at home without having to boot-up a laptop or desktop.

I have a 2Wire 802g (or something like that) wireless modem/gateway. (Is that considered "Wifi"?) If so, are you saying I can use a wifi smart phone like an original Droid at home without having it signed up with a cell phone service?

TIA

 

If you have a named wireless network for devices to connect to the Internet, then you have WiFi.

You're not going to be able to buy a Droid without a data plan unless you pay full price or get it through a third-party site. The Droid will be useless once your away from your WiFi network. If you want an older Windows Mobile phone, that can be used quite nicely with just WiFi, but with Android, you lose a ton of functionality and usefulness without a data plan.

If there isn't some constant data (via the cell network or WiFi), many apps won't work. Not saying you can't do it, just that you're wasting your money on a powerful phone like the Droid if you aren't on a data plan, IMO.

 

Used Droid 1's are often available for $75-$100 on ebay. I don't care if it's pretty. Just don't want to have to power up a laptop or desktop to check e-mail or do a quick google search at home. If I need to use it away from home for a few days I can have it activated and then kill it when I'm done.

I am grandfathered on my old Verizon corporate plan from 1996 at $11.99 per month and 38 cents per minute for voice. It's a busy month if I use more than 3 or 4 minutes in a month.

I can't justify adding $30 / month for a data plan just to play with it. I don't need GPS (I don't get lost and I know how to read a map).

BTW: I searched "Droid A855 bad esn" on ebay and looked at completed listings. Many of them finished with higher selling prices than A855's with good esn's. Why would that be?

 

If you can find a way for it to work, go for it. After having the Droid X for 4 months, I couldn't live without constant data. I use too many things requiring a connection. And if you can find one for a good price, scoop it up.

The problem you might have if you activate it for a few days is it could force you off of your plan, can't tell you for sure, though. Check with Verizon. They don't make things easy anymore. If they can force you off of your grandfathered plan, they will.

Can't tell you why eBay prices for bad ESN phones were higher than good ESN phones. I've never understood eBay and rarely use it, and never for auctions. Just not my thing.

 

Yeah, I understand that it's probably cute. My current phone can text, send photos, etc, etc. But I have all that turned off, because I'm not into that stuff.

Here's my scenario....

I'm on the east coast. I see you're on the west coast so I thought maybe you had replied. I'm in bed, and had already put away my laptop. I didn't want to start it again. Luckily I have a desktop running for another hour or two so I figured I would get up and see if you replied. I sure would have been nice to reach my nightstand for a Droid to see your reply rather than boot up my laptop or get out of bed. See what I'm getting at?

Anyway...... help me understand a little more if you have a minute.

Regarding a Droid 1 purchased used without a contract.

1. Lots of "apps" require a service connection, but others don't. One app I would like to have is a magnifier rather than carry reading glasses with me to a store. Maybe there is an app that doesn't require a connection.

2. At home I can google something using my wireless network. Can I also go to other websites using my wireless network? Example: I'm in bed and want to go to Wikipedia and find out what a muffler bearing is.

3. I'm guessing I can access my e-mail accounts using my wireless network. Correct?

4. For those PDA - like apps that don't require a service connection can I download them over a wifi network and install them?


TIA

 

1) As far as the magnifier app, you can research the Android market via your PC. I suggest doing this because I checked it out myself and found the apps they have are lacking. WiFi would be fine for downloading the app. It shouldn't need an online connection to use, but you never know.

Facebook, weather, news bytes, sports scores, and other apps require a constant connection to function properly. Some you can get away with an occasional connection, but with others, you lose the usefulness. It's up to you to decide which apps you want and to understand what type of connection they require.

2) Yes.

3) Yes.

4) Yes.

One more thing, once you get the Droid, you may discover (as I did) how much fun the phone can be. You may then feel data would be more than worth the money. The phone does so much, you'll be amazed. These new phones are NOTHING like older smartphones. They blow them away. Android is amazing. I never texted before, until I got this phone...

If you download the "Angry Birds" game, you'll understand the addiction that will develop.

 

I got a used Droid on eBay. Nice device. As much as a constant connection would be nice, I'm too cheap to spend $30 / month for something I might only use 30 minutes a month away from home.

Its Wifi capabilities are working well for me for my needs.

I downloaded and tried "Angry Birds". It is fun, but I'm not really much of a video game player. The 60 minutes I have tried it is all I see myself playing it. The last game I played for more than an hour was "Pong" on my friend's Apple II back in the late 70's.

However, there are applications (specifically database "apps") that will sync with my Access and SQL Server databases both online and offline. That is something that will come in very handy.

I'm already using it for Wikipedia, Google, e-mail, etc at home when I don't want to bother with booting up a computer.

Anyway....

Thanks for having taken the time to answer my newbie questions. Your answers were fast, and very helpful!

 

Good luck and enjoy! Sounds like you got it to work the way you want and glad I could help.

As I'm sure you've discovered, Android does more than one could imagine (same is true for iOS).

Let us know how things go in the long run. It will be very useful for someone who wants to do exactly what you've done.

 

Hey i got this Iphone 4 i just found out it was reported stolen what can i do with it? unblock it go with another service provider, or
You want to complain that you legitimately own a phone that is compatible with the carrier's system, and that the carrier is discriminating against you or otherwise treating you unjustly in violation of 47 USCS §§ 201 & 202 by refusing to activate your phone on account of some misdeed by the prior owner, such as not paying his bill. You want to claim, among other things: (1) that it is unfair, unjust and unreasonable to hold you responsible for someone else's bill; (2) that the phone company is discriminating against you for buying a phone from a third party and (3) that the phone company is trying to maintain a monopoly in phone sales by limiting the free trade of used phones, etc. If a lot of these complaints were filed with the FCC, they might take more effective regulatory action to stop this practice.
I am not sure it this applies to stolen phones, resell it for parts? try and get another me id ?

 

The carrier still reserves the right to activate, or not activate a phone.
Especially If it was reported lost or stolen then you'll have almost no luck.
If it was involved with an account with a large unpaid balance then your only options may be:

1. Get a different phone with a clean ESN, perhaps new or retail.

2. If getting it used off ebay, or anywhere that is not from the carrier,
make sure it is able to be activated by having the serial number (ESN)
and asking the carrier to check for the ESN in their system prior to purchase.

3. It may be possible to pay the unpaid bill, but the bill most likely may be more than the phone is worth (especially ETF)
This may seem unfair, but they figure you got the phone from someone that owes them money,
and thus you assume that responsibility by possessing that phone.

4. Just use it for parts, it may not be worth the effort / time / money to make it work correctly or activate at all

 

I wonder if I buy an iPhone 4 phone in USA from the ebay seller who noticed in description that the phone had a bad esn "APPLE iPHONE 4 (VERIZON) 16GB BLACK BAD ESN"
when i come back to Serbia where I live, and jailbrake it, will i be able to use it on my network?

Looking for an urgent reply, thank you.