Unlocked Sidekick

I bought this unlocked Sidekick 3 on eBay for our eldest 11 year old girl after she burnt through her original Motorola Razr. I was very apprehensive about getting her a second cell phone after she texted the life out of her original phone before the expiration of her contract, but the fact is that our entire family burns through phones because of their lack of quality.

As cheap as I am (and this goes for my wife as well, which is unusual for her since she spends the most on other family items), we always end up getting the free phone when it is time to renew our contract. We’ve been T-Mobile customers for about ten years, but every time we get one of the free phones, which is always, on average they die out on us about one year before the renewal period of our customary two year contract.

So many times I’ve salivated over the attractiveness of the fancy new cell phones on the market, and I always promise myself that I’ll stop in to T-Mobile, look through all the new technology, and walk away with a moderately priced upgraded gadget. Most often what happens is that I go in, the salesperson spins my head trying to sell me lavish 37G Network capabilities with infinite texting along with time travel and metallic skeletal morphing for just $50 after a $379 mail in rebate. In the end, I insist on the free phone and run to the car as fast as I can!

But last year I made an exception for our eldest girl turning 10 and got her a neon pink Razr, spending the extra money and for the first time subscribing to text messaging services. She loved it as a birthday gift and used it so much with her friends that ultimately the screen burnt, quickly followed by integral phone functionalities. I thought a phone would last longer if it was an upgraded version from the free ones, but I was definitely wrong.

The main problem is that we grew accustomed to the advantages of her having a cell phone, and missed them when the phone died. So for a time we all had dysfunctional cell phones and an inability to communicate with each other. Ultimately, my wife gave me a used cell phone from one of her coworkers and she managed to fix her phone, which now sports a bare battery on the back.

So the unlocked Sidekick was a way to purchase a cell phone for her as one of her Christmas gifts before her contract renewal in the late Spring. Unlocked cell phones are perfectly legal in the United States, and even some parts of Europe ban the sale of locked cell phones. The main obstacle here is that most carriers are running on CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) technology, an increasingly obsolete technology, as opposed to cellular networks based on GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) such as T-Mobile and AT&T.

There are hundreds of listings on eBay for unlocked cell phones, and I had to figure out how much I wanted to spend on a phone that I might be replacing once it was time to renew the contract. I also wanted to make it attractive for her without the promise of the 3G or now new 4G systems. She can be pretty humble, and I appreciate that greatly. But I also want her to be happy, and I moved the cost up and up until I found one for $52 with $8 shipping, for an even $60.

The end result was an unlocked Sidekick 3, a GSM 1900 2G network phone with a swivel flip cover revealing a QWERTY keyboard that also highlights the number/letter keys. It has a 13 Megapixel camera, texting and web browsing capabilities (at extra costs) as well as the old school telephonic communications apparatus (you know, a phone)!

The unlocked Sidekick3, though listed as “New” appears to be a floor model that was never sold, meaning that not everything was perfectly scratch free. Although it was $299 with a two year contract when first released, these phones are now considered obsolete even if perfectly functional. If my kid was 15, maybe that would have mattered more. But you can buy more modern and current unlocked cell phones, just be prepared to pay its original premium retail price.

Just because it is an unlocked cell phone in no way means it is less expensive. Sure, you can find deals like I did for the much older phones, but newer ones can cost you almost double what you would pay for the same phone if you signed up for a contract. That’s because cell phone companies subsidize the costs to entice renewal contracts or even first time contracts.

But for now, the unlocked Sidekick should work out fine. Even if she’s not thrilled about it, her birthday is around the corner and it gives me the opportunity to spin my head again at another retail T-Mobile store. If she loves the Sidekick3 and it lasts, then something else with more meaning will take its place as a birthday gift.

After considering an unlocked Sidekick, click here to visit 2010 Christmas List page.

Or visit our home page for more fun with kids toys!

like, subscribe, follow!