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How to switch from iPhone to the retro cell phone

In recent years, despite the proliferation of smartphones, there has been a surge of interest in “clopotnita”. However, their production is almost zero: not counting specialized phones for grandmothers and children, as well as package very popular in Europe, where even buy them on the tills of supermarkets to 10 euros for a box with a prepaid card and a new phone with buttons.

But if you dive into the story and remember what it was 15-20 years ago? Models with innovative on the moment functions, with a recognizable even today, the design and incommunicable charisma, which in 2016 could boast except that the iPhone (if anyone can find similar to Samsung Galaxy J or LG Gx, please, please).

Including once fashionable Ericsson T28s with a tiny screen and a Moto RAZR V3 with a very inconvenient buttons, “brick” Nokia 3310 and “little butterball” Nokia 6600, “matrixwise” indestructible Nokia 8110 and the Siemens ME45 with the Internet, the first mass “dualsim” company Benefon and living for three weeks on a single charge the Philips Xenium 9@9 (in a metal enclosure, by the way!), the first smartphones Siemens SX1 and the Nokia 9xx0 Communicator (who would have remembered about them today)… I Think they can’t buy? Mistaken can. And be very careful.

Where to buy authentic and fully functional mobile phone age, a certain number of years, do not miscalculate and lose money on it? However, where previously they bought? In the salons of cellular communication: came in and bought it. And even now they made the same faceless smartphones, but here comes the Internet. Detailed instructions on how to purchase retro cell-phone-suggested resource Overclockers.

What you need to know before buying?

We all have become accustomed to the 4G network (at least 3G, how else?), but do not forget that no even 2.5 G handsets in the 15 – dash 20 years ago and there is no trace. At best you get a tri-band GSM handset, and if it is not something “sverdlikovo” for those times, we have to be content with GSM 900/1800.

And don’t forget that many legendary devices (like the Motorola StarTAC or Benefon Delta) are now dead frequency bands, NMT 450 AMPS and that even in Africa you will not find, therefore, the practical application of them to think hard.

And forget about the Internets. WAP today if anyone can find it, you in absolutely wild and unjustified prices. Social network? And what is it? News fifteen years ago not out of Vkontakte, and from each other and from the TV, and used the Internet the most advanced and non-poor.

Well, a mobile phone that worked in the metro is nonsense, this feature is beginning to spread rapidly in the two capitals only at the beginning of the 2000s.

Games? Well, a couple of eight there. Snake, famous Nokia phones, for example. And Tetris – it was actually the most exciting game on the mobile device.

Forget about the upgrade: the classic mobile phones are stitched with the help dances with a tambourine, service menus and special cables (it’s already quite confusing for geeks). And is usually sewn to the maximum (how many years have passed).

Camera? About it, too, can forget. The term “cameraphone” is already fifteen years old, but the first adequate photo and video cameras had been around ten years ago at best; and it is unlikely that the quality will satisfy you at least 1%. However, for nostalgia don’t need the megapixels and white balance.

The language here also need to be careful. Be sure to look in the description whether the phone is purchased abroad, at least English (and Russian, probably can be a bonus). Phones sold around the world, and it is likely to run into some localized Nokia N73 in France, while you French know only “do not Mangin PA system jour” and “the same”.

The same applies to locked devices: you can buy this without problems, but first take care of finding a suitable local “Kulibin” who will be able to unlock it. As a rule, such phones are 15-20% cheaper than usual, but all that money goes to pay for services the “right person with right hands.”

As for Bluetooth, there is, on the contrary, it is not so clear. If you important mobile communication while driving and pairing the phone to the headset (and this is a serious safety issue), it is useful to ask about before buying, and whether your phone’s Bluetooth is compatible with your headset, especially a new one? Or road system? Universal recipe doesn’t exist here, and need to “Google” in each case separately.

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In General, these are common truths, but we are so used to the convenience of smartphones, but I forgot about them. But we need to remember – especially if you want to buy echo of the nineties and stand out like no iPhone is not prividitsya.

The issue price of

The cost of the old phones today varies greatly depending on condition inside and out, killed the battery and the greed of the seller. However, it is quite easy to calculate the arithmetic mean, if you look at the price tag the main sites. And we have now three: eBay, AliExpress and “Avito”.

In addition, note that the most hits and rare instances now cost more than a smartphone. For example, some Siemens ME45 can be found as 2 000 and 25 000 rare Winter Edition (even unused, according to the seller), and it looks as though: at other sites the phone is simply absent.

Although, on the other hand, as can be seen, immediately after this phone comes lot with two Siemens ME45 – and one of them in the same color – just 2 000. Whether this overpayment?

In addition to the average price over a vintage phone, it is sometimes a mark-up or write-down, and it is very conditional. It is naive to think that the phone is lying with the seller for twenty years before he decided to sell it; much adequate variant “phone laid somewhere, and I brought it up.” Why buy old cell phone is associated with a certain degree of risk – as with buying any old equipment.

Of course, there is also a fourth option is to go to an office that sells old appliances, and buy there. But this option is less preferred because traders in such firms love to drive up the price up to totally inappropriate heights. In addition, the so-called “guarantee” them – usually two weeks. And you still need to prove that it’s not you that broke the phone – so the problems in this case will not be gathered.

The Internet can be, gives less satisfaction from purchases in the store – but all the same warranties in which case, if you think about it even more.

eBay

On the one hand, it can be called the most reliable site with PayPal, but on the other hand, the most problematic in terms of the money back; have to prove that you not a camel and not spoil the phone. With a third party rating on eBay is really important and the seller with many of the lots wouldn’t want to ruin it.

In addition, eBay is good for its auction, in which, if you’re lucky, you can really good thing to buy for a penny. Or you can buy a good expensive thing, but it is the same for a pittance for spare parts in case of future problems.

Yes, the phone is rare – as rare a car: driving is a tremendous pleasure, but also problems too much. And here everyone chooses for himself what he wants: a new, faceless and warranty – either the old, “warm tube” and “soulful”.

Auctions on the phones over a dozen every minute, so even if just to sit for an hour and pressing F5, it is possible with high probability to buy something at the heart of almost nothing.

For example, at the time of this writing you could buy on eBay this is a fully working Ericsson T39m (the same that Ericsson T28s + Bluetooth) for just $ 31 (and shipping 6.50) from a Bulgarian seller with a high rating.

And is a good price, because on average, without auction, this model is much more expensive, the price of a separate “sellers” could be twice that and the most blatant – and fourfold (on AliExpress and all under $60). Therefore, pictures should always check either in eBay or at the other two sites.

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You can tick the box to sort not only by brand, but as: on eBay sold a lot of phones for parts, and if you want to get a workable instance, it makes sense to tick the box in the option Condition at all points except the last one.

And Yes, if you are offered “new” era of the twentieth century, the seller is disingenuous, and it absolutely will be a refurbished unit. To such “sellers” should be treated with great caution: as they say in the East, “who is dishonest in small things, dishonest in great.”

Avito

“Avito” living in Russia is good and we need to begin our quest, and in his own town. The likelihood that you will find, is extremely high. But be sure to check prices elsewhere, to correlate them with the greed of the seller and beat out for themselves the most advantageous offer.

Generally the most tradable goods (Nokia 3310, early budgetary Siemens, Panasonic and others) are given at a minimum price of 500-1500 rubles, something more rare will cost more, sometimes significantly. It is clear that the “pipe” at least – the more expensive it will be released as “body” and spare parts, and spare parts still need to look for.

For the shipment to agree, if the amount is small, and you trust (to a degree) to the seller – but better to look in this case, first reviews in Google and Yandex specifically about this person and phone number. If you have the address of his profile in contact or at least name-last name – too.

But ideally better to buy in person, from hand to hand – although in this case the chance of running into bullshit too large; more than eBay and AliExpress.

And if you claim that selling a completely new phone, never used, almost straight from the factory – do not get fooled. Yes, such phones where it may be true – but, as in the case of imported from Germany cheap BMW with twisted odometer (and whose run is issued for the original), they are extremely unlikely to buy a simple ad.

AliExpress

Given the extraordinary love of Russian buyers to this Chinese site with a billion turnover, and also the appearance of many photo descriptions in Russian there, it is logical to assume that this love of vintage Chinese wrapped in a nice package and offer for the best (from your point of view, the price, and only from the point of view of some Jun Fay – and not twice) the price.

And the Chinese actually build mass sale of these retro phones. For example, recently Nokia 3310 was again to be promoted not only top bloggers but also the Chinese “sellers”.

Nokia 3310 was really the immortal “brick”. One day he fell from the platform of the fifth floor of the Stalin house with high ceilings, was up the stairs and the stairs up to the fourth – and was not only virtually undamaged but completely with the whole “brains”. Only one mounting the rear cover came off.

Yes, it was an indestructible phone. In later years, by the way, there were varieties like 3330 and 3350 with WAP and new toys for some countries and for others, GSM and AMPS. This legendary model released in the end, absolutely crazy with a circulation of 125 million copies, the Chinese offer on its platform along with other.

The year before, flew an April fool’s joke, which was that Nokia is planning to revive it to life in a modern guise with PureView camera (possibly 41 megapixels), but even externally it is not up to the progenitor, while the familiar features are guessed. The funny thing is that later the joke was taken seriously major network publications, perepechaev her.

Back to AliExpress: sometimes the phones and sell bundles.

The Chinese have well and easy to find batteries, even for such archaic devices as in the screenshot above. Because being the owner of a vintage very nice, but the batteries, even lithium-ion (not to mention the Nickel-metal hydride is the same as 3310), have a limited lifetime.

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In fact, AliExpress is the preferred area to buy vintage phones, as is clearly proven system money back in case of receiving defective goods allows the buyer to hedge against an unscrupulous “seller”. Therefore, if you receive a broken phone, simply open the dispute without placing feedback and easily make their money back; but to be safe, better remove the decompression process on the video and attach it to the complaint in case of problems. Practice shows that video on tech support AliExpress acts as Catnip on a cat: they all ready.

Unfortunately, you can find many models of yore on AliExpress is impossible simply because they are not there – there is only the most popular. There are wires, batteries, even some spare parts – but not the phones themselves. Therefore, check the Chinese were the first, and further as the God will submit.

Other sites

Of course, in addition to these major grounds, there are other ways to get a vintage cell phone. Certainly, many of your friends, relatives or neighbors “something lying around” in the attic and timidly waits for his case to re-prove himself. Another option is to search in groups “Vkontakte”; like a lot of groups, just in different ways to formulate the query (old phones, vintage phones, etc.).

You can also find and spare parts, and batteries – although the chance to find them much lower than any eBay. Of course, one could still recommend all sorts of “forums hometown”, but because they are populated by little more than no, such places will not advise.

Warm lamp phone

On the other hand, all of this is fun for enthusiasts, like vinyl records with turntables for the audiophile or buy old cars for the connoisseur of American or European classics.

No one will buy, say, a Cadillac Eldorado 1972, to ride it every day in food (our people, as we know, to the bakery on the taxi ride), not investing in a lot more than it is worth. Just like nobody will buy today old phone, not understanding that you have to seek wherever possible, new battery, keyboards, speakers, microphones – in General, what will be refused (and refuse it) or has already failed.

Of course, the phone now faulty parts you can buy for a pittance – but their search could take weeks and months, although will not lead to such high costs, as in the above case of the vintage car.

For example, I have almost ten years of living Sony Ericsson S500i – used a little less than five years after purchase, and then was put back in the drawer and forgotten with the appearance of smartphone. And when I recently decided to use it, it turned out that does not work half the buttons of the keyboard.

And the “known disease” S500i (and each mobile phone has its own “Achilles heel”!) – erosion paint keys early batches a couple of years after purchase – there is not a reason. Native keyboard already fell apart and was replaced by original, bought in Moscow on wholesale base of spare parts for mobile phones (Yes, was this – maybe there is now).

Unfortunately, in such cases, the only thing that may help – search on the Internet various service manuals (and the keyboard I’ve replaced independently by disassembling the phone was found after a long search instructions) search this problem on larger forums, both Russian and foreign; finally, the application of direct hands or trying to find “Kulibin” in the repair office, which will undertake the repair.

But there is a second phone of that time – bought in the same Moscow NEC e540, which for ten years never had a problem, still runs like a clock and pleasing to the eye.

The hemorrhoids? Of course. But if you want to be the owner of your old phone and you are ready to take the risk – buy the cell phone of your dreams and enjoy.

Believe me, the pleasure of this phone you get much more than newfangled iPhone 6s Plus, the “wow-effect” which disappears after a few days after purchase (Yes, we were snickering).

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