Hi everybody, yes I'm brand new here.
Background:
I recently decided that I want an iPhone for a whole bunch of stuff that it can do, the actual phone part being least among them. Really I want a high-end ipod (or ipad, but prefer smaller) touch with GPS, so figured I'd pick up a used iphone 3gs off ebay for a couple hundred bucks or so. After some work I learned I'll be lucky to get 1 in good shape for under 300, and during that time I also learned that I'd much rather have a Droid X anyway. As a wrinkle here, my wife and I have been using voice&text phones on a verizon family plan for years, so using a DX also as a phone might be a nice bonus, and of course adding some 3G.
Observations and Questions:
I see many DX selling on ebay (not nearly as many as the sub-4 3gs though ofc) so I'm wondering about buying a used DX.
Are buyers mostly like me, after a vastly superior ipod to use on wifi?
Or more likely buyers who are already on a verizon data plan and just want to upgrade their phone (or replace one they dropped in the pool) without a contract extension?
I'm thinking it'll make sense for me to get a DX that I could activate with verizon if I decide to at some point. Regardless I won't buy one with a disabled ESN since that seems to be supporting theft, and to be honest those auctions don't seem to be going for a lot less so the temptation is trivial.
But verizon disables a phone's ESN if the owner stops paying, right?
So I guess the only way to do it somewhat safely is: win the auction, confirm ESN, pay with paypal, switch phone number to DX and activate it when it arrives (if ESN went bad and this fails, file claim with ebay/paypal, etc.)?
But if the seller doesn't stiff verizon, meaning s/he swapped another phone to the plan or payed verizon the buyout on it, the ESN should remain valid indefinately, right?
Will Verizon allow me to swap my # over to a DX (or any smart phone) on my current plan (no data plan in it)? I'm pretty sure: NO.
I've heard of some people getting a new DX cheap while signing up for verizon's 2 year data service. Right now by the way, they seem to offer 2 basic options: no-limit for $30/mo or 150MB-limit for $15/mo. But the DX itself is still the original $200 from verizon, but since my phone is over 3 years old they take $50 off, but 1 friend got it from costco for about 100 and another from verizon for pretty much free. I checked out wirefly and they will sell it for $80 with a 2yr family plan upgrade, but they don't offer the $15/mo data option and the cheapest base plan is $70 (ours is currently $50 - $7.50 (employer-based discount)).
Is there a way to buy the DX from wirefly or amazon (or whatever) and still get verizon to only tack on the $15/mo for data?
Or is my best bet to just go to to a verizon store (lots around me) and work with them?
Do they sell DXs for cheaper (special limited time offer!) now and then? On line or by verizon itself? Think I've heard some about this. Am I better off just to wait for a deal - maybe even after christmas?
Oh and since my plan is to rely on wifi,
Can you turn on/off 3G easily on the DX? Same for wifi? I'm pretty sure you can but just wanna be damn sure
Also, I noticed some on this forum had issues getting 802.11n to work and there was some doubt if it's supported. Most specs I see state that it is, and I couldn't imagine such a new wifi device not supporting it. On a motorola forum they say you need to make sure the router is not using the band around 5 GHz at all, only 2.4:
https://supportforums.motorola.com/message/186208
Once mentioned it makes sense that a handheld won't support 5 GHz but I'm not sure I'd have thought of that.
So any answers to any of these questions would be appreciated, as well as related thoughts, comments, tips. I did search around for info and I think I do kinda get it, but want to make sure, and I know advice from vets can be really helpful.
Background:
I recently decided that I want an iPhone for a whole bunch of stuff that it can do, the actual phone part being least among them. Really I want a high-end ipod (or ipad, but prefer smaller) touch with GPS, so figured I'd pick up a used iphone 3gs off ebay for a couple hundred bucks or so. After some work I learned I'll be lucky to get 1 in good shape for under 300, and during that time I also learned that I'd much rather have a Droid X anyway. As a wrinkle here, my wife and I have been using voice&text phones on a verizon family plan for years, so using a DX also as a phone might be a nice bonus, and of course adding some 3G.
Observations and Questions:
I see many DX selling on ebay (not nearly as many as the sub-4 3gs though ofc) so I'm wondering about buying a used DX.
Are buyers mostly like me, after a vastly superior ipod to use on wifi?
Or more likely buyers who are already on a verizon data plan and just want to upgrade their phone (or replace one they dropped in the pool) without a contract extension?
I'm thinking it'll make sense for me to get a DX that I could activate with verizon if I decide to at some point. Regardless I won't buy one with a disabled ESN since that seems to be supporting theft, and to be honest those auctions don't seem to be going for a lot less so the temptation is trivial.
But verizon disables a phone's ESN if the owner stops paying, right?
So I guess the only way to do it somewhat safely is: win the auction, confirm ESN, pay with paypal, switch phone number to DX and activate it when it arrives (if ESN went bad and this fails, file claim with ebay/paypal, etc.)?
But if the seller doesn't stiff verizon, meaning s/he swapped another phone to the plan or payed verizon the buyout on it, the ESN should remain valid indefinately, right?
Will Verizon allow me to swap my # over to a DX (or any smart phone) on my current plan (no data plan in it)? I'm pretty sure: NO.
I've heard of some people getting a new DX cheap while signing up for verizon's 2 year data service. Right now by the way, they seem to offer 2 basic options: no-limit for $30/mo or 150MB-limit for $15/mo. But the DX itself is still the original $200 from verizon, but since my phone is over 3 years old they take $50 off, but 1 friend got it from costco for about 100 and another from verizon for pretty much free. I checked out wirefly and they will sell it for $80 with a 2yr family plan upgrade, but they don't offer the $15/mo data option and the cheapest base plan is $70 (ours is currently $50 - $7.50 (employer-based discount)).
Is there a way to buy the DX from wirefly or amazon (or whatever) and still get verizon to only tack on the $15/mo for data?
Or is my best bet to just go to to a verizon store (lots around me) and work with them?
Do they sell DXs for cheaper (special limited time offer!) now and then? On line or by verizon itself? Think I've heard some about this. Am I better off just to wait for a deal - maybe even after christmas?
Oh and since my plan is to rely on wifi,
Can you turn on/off 3G easily on the DX? Same for wifi? I'm pretty sure you can but just wanna be damn sure
Also, I noticed some on this forum had issues getting 802.11n to work and there was some doubt if it's supported. Most specs I see state that it is, and I couldn't imagine such a new wifi device not supporting it. On a motorola forum they say you need to make sure the router is not using the band around 5 GHz at all, only 2.4:
https://supportforums.motorola.com/message/186208
Once mentioned it makes sense that a handheld won't support 5 GHz but I'm not sure I'd have thought of that.
So any answers to any of these questions would be appreciated, as well as related thoughts, comments, tips. I did search around for info and I think I do kinda get it, but want to make sure, and I know advice from vets can be really helpful.
