Need help buying a cellphone for a christmas present

[HeXploiT]

Ok i know absolutely nothing about cellphones and cellphone services. I want to buy my sister-in-law a new cellphone as she's currently using a piece of junk bottem of the barrel nokia. Since she currently has her own cellphone service(cellular one) i can't just pick up any old cellphone and expect it to work with her service can i? Don't certain services only support specific hardware etc...? How do i go about this if i want to buy just the phone as a gift for someone?

 

[s13se]

It seems that Cellular One uses the GSM network but I'm not completely sure. If they are GSM, you can buy any unlocked GSM cellphone with the 850/1900 bands. GSM uses sim cards so all she needs to do is take her sim card out of her phone and put it in a new one. A good website with GSM phones is http://www.gsmarena.com

However, phones bought without and plans or upgrades are very expensive since you aren't entitled to a discount! Be prepared to spend anywhere from $100-$300 for a decent cellphone.

 

[HeXploiT]

Ok... i just found that ebay separates cell phones by service providers. So this means that any phone i pick up under "cellular one" will, atleast theoretically, work with her service correct? No need for an unlocked phone right? Another question...
Does phone and internet service go hand in hand with cellphones? If she's currently using her cellphone for just phone calls and i get her one similar to a blackberry that has a screen and supports internet will she automatically have internet service as well?

 

[s13se]

Actually, it seems that Cellular One also uses the CDMA system. CDMA does not use sim cards so you may want to double check on her current phone.

If you do buy a Blackberry or another PDA phone, she will NOT have internet. She will only get internet if she purchases a monthly plan from Cellular One. But she can still make phone calls fine.

I used to be a cell phone sales rep in CA, so I know a good amount about these types of things.

 

[HeXploiT]

Much appreciated.

Last question...how does one go about programming the new phone?

 

[s13se]

If it's a CDMA phone, you will need to contact Cellular One directly and give them the new "ESN" (Electronic Serial Number) number on the new phone (Usually behind the battery). They will then give you a code to input after that. Then you are done!

With GSM phones you simply take out the old SIM card and put it in the new phone.

Sorry I'm not too sure about Cellular One. They don't have them here in CA.