(Q) Question on newer devices on $30 SERO Plan

[2 Bunny]

Today I found that the ESN of the Samsung Epic that I'd been using on PagePlus had actually cleared up and could be used on its native Sprint network. I couldn't really afford any of their current plans but I saw that people occasionally sell those ultra rare $30 SERO plans on eBay. I've read some mixed information on various fourms, but I wanted to set the record straight, do they let newer smartphones (like the Epic) onto those plans?

Thanks.

- 2 Bunny

[cornelious2]

They do but it will cost you an extra 20 a month over the 30

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[eric12341]

And for that reason I recommend u try getting it on boost with their shrinkage plan.

[2 Bunny]

Originally Posted by cornelious2

They do but it will cost you an extra 20 a month over the 30

Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk

Really? That sucks. How do they know what device it is to force the higher price?

Is there any low cost carriers anymore with roaming and a decent amount of data.

Originally Posted by eric12341

And for that reason I recommend u try getting it on boost with their shrinkage plan.

I think I'd need to ESN clone to make it happen, and then I'd be better off with the VirginMobile $35 plan, which would bring us back to square zero with the "no roaming" problem (but would be better than nothing.

I left Boost in the first place because of their ridiculous rising prices and roamingless Sprint service.

- 2B

[eric12341]

Well T-mobile is cheap but they're GSM and the epic won't work. Prepay carriers usually don't allow roaming for whatever reason

[cornelious2]

It really boils down to how much you want data and roaming. Gotta pay to play these days.

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[2 Bunny]

Originally Posted by eric12341

Well T-mobile is cheap but they're GSM and the epic won't work. Prepay carriers usually don't allow roaming for whatever reason

I actually saw that yesterday and really thought about it. I could trade in the Epic for the HD2 (possibly the most amazing phone ever sold), but the HD2 lacks the hardware keyoard, which has really grown on me, so much so that I might not want to give it up.

Not to mention their native coverage is worse than Sprint in terms of where I live and go. For now, I'm gonna have to take a deep sigh and say "no" to GSM at the moment unless my situation changes. If only the Epic got to be one of their "combo" phones with a SIMCard slot inside...

Why does Sprint get all the good harware?

Originally Posted by cornelious2

It really boils down to how much you want data and roaming. Gotta pay to play these days.

Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk

The problem is that for me, Sprint's native coverage lacks at where I live and also a lot of places I go. When I switched over to PagePlus, I realized that the general availability of Verizon was better, but there is one very thick building that I discovered it doesn't work in - one of the rare few places I've Seen a Sprint signal and no Verizon. The problem is that I'm there almost every day, so I probably need something with roaming.

Just out of curiosity, if you were to go to activate a "newer" phone, how would Sprint know that it is "newer" to tack on the $20 smartphone/WiMAX tax? If it's by ESN, could I clone the ESN of a less smart Sprint device?

- 2B

[cornelious2]

Yes its by esn, however I must remind you that is highly illegal and we are not to discuss that on these boards.

Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk

[eric12341]

Originally Posted by 2 Bunny

I actually saw that yesterday and really thought about it. I could trade in the Epic for the HD2 (possibly the most amazing phone ever sold), but the HD2 lacks the hardware keyoard, which has really grown on me, so much so that I might not want to give it up.

Not to mention their native coverage is worse than Sprint in terms of where I live and go. For now, I'm gonna have to take a deep sigh and say "no" to GSM at the moment unless my situation changes. If only the Epic got to be one of their "combo" phones with a SIMCard slot inside...

Why does Sprint get all the good harware?



The problem is that for me, Sprint's native coverage lacks at where I live and also a lot of places I go. When I switched over to PagePlus, I realized that the general availability of Verizon was better, but there is one very thick building that I discovered it doesn't work in - one of the rare few places I've Seen a Sprint signal and no Verizon. The problem is that I'm there almost every day, so I probably need something with roaming.

Just out of curiosity, if you were to go to activate a "newer" phone, how would Sprint know that it is "newer" to tack on the $20 smartphone/WiMAX tax? If it's by ESN, could I clone the ESN of a less smart Sprint device?

- 2B

@2 Bunny with the screen of the HD2 you won't even notice the lack of a hardware keyboard. As for the coverage issue,that will be fixed when T-mo rolls out LTE and refarms their existing 3G/4G network to the PCS band thus increasing coverage and making it so one can use any phone they desire. GSM phones get the best hardware while CDMA carriers usually get what's leftover.

[2 Bunny]

Originally Posted by cornelious2

Yes its by esn, however I must remind you that is highly illegal and we are not to discuss that on these boards.

Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk

Not to piss in your cornflakes, but there actually isn't anything illegal about it. It is however in violation of the PPCGeeks rules, so we'd have to talk about it on a superior site such as XDA DEVELOPERS or (not really superior, but less irrationally strict) HowardForums.com.

So, if it is by ESN, I could clone the ESN of a non smartphone and just pay the $30 per month, right?

Sent from my Lenovo Laptop (see how annoying that gets too?).

Originally Posted by eric12341

@2 Bunny with the screen of the HD2 you won't even notice the lack of a hardware keyboard.

It's that good? The Epic helped me to discover that a hardware keyboard is in fact a very desirable feature, and I never thought I'd need one even on the Diamond. "With the screen of the diamond, you won't even notice the lack of a hardware keyboard". I did.

Thanks for the mention too.

Originally Posted by eric12341

GSM phones get the best hardware while CDMA carriers usually get what's leftover.

I thought it was the other way around (with the exception of the HD2): Sprint gets the good hardware, and the other carriers usually get the "leftovers" or a watered down version of the phone.

For now, I'd like to stick with the Epic, but I'd really like to either find an acceptable carrier and plan or just ESN clone and get a SERO $30 plan off of eBay. Do you know of any carriers with a plan under $30 with an acceptable amount of data and 200+ SMS in a month on CDMA?

Thanks.

- 2B