My contract with Verizon Wireless will be over pretty soon and I really dislike their phones so I want to move to Cingular and buy an unlocked phone. I was looking into Softbank phones and I am trying to decide between the 920SH and the 920SC. Has anyone used a Softbank phone? What are its limitations (concerning 920SC and 920SH specifically) if it is unlocked for use in the U.S.? I've never used a Softbank phone before so I have no clue. I might just end up going with a Sony Ericsson but their design is getting to be a bore.

Anyway thank you in advance for your input

I am using Softbank unlocked phone 911T in Singapore xD

How is it, using an unlocked phone? Do you have any problems? +_+

My brother was using one previously but he didn't really like it.

It seems that I own the two phones you're debating over ^^"

I own 3 unlocked phones from Softbank, one is software unlocked (707SC) & the other two are SIM unlocked (920SH, 920SC).
I'm from Canada--using Fido--and all the unlocked phones from Softbank that I use work perfectly fine, I get perfect reception (when in FULL GSM mode) and all that junk. The only problem (however not for me) is that you can't use internet on them, and as a result you can't send MMS. About 99% of all Softbank phones have their i-net function locked. I don't really care though since I never browse the web on my phones anyway.

Have any further questions let me know ^^ I'll help if I can haha.

^Ah thank you. Your reply has been really helpful. I don't really care about the internet either, I have an iPod touch for that What does it mean to have a sim-unlocked phone? Is it in any way not as good as a software unlocked phone? +_+ And all the Softbank phones have English on them, right? >_<

Thank you again

^ bear in mind you cant send long sms!! So you have to count 160 characters lol!!

^Really? What happens if you send one that's too long? Wouldn't the phone say something like "Message too long" or whatever? +_+

^^ yeahhh I don't really have that problem since I don't type essays for my friends lOL. Plus, the standard length for a sms is 160 char, if it's longer then your message will be split into multiple sms... so same deal. Also the phone does a count for you and once you hit the limit you won't be able to type anymore so yeahhhh hahaha. Also all Japanese phones have no T9...



Yup... aside from Japanese, all Softbank phones has English as one of their language choices. The Samsung ones actually has Korean as well--you can even type in Korean. ^^

SIM unlock is basically when you attach a really thin sim chip to your regular sim card and plug it into the phone. The thin sim chip--which goes on top of your sim card--"tricks" the Japanese phones into believing that your American (Canadian... etc) sim card is actually a Japanese one (because all of the new Japanese cellphones require a 3G USIM card in order for you to access the phone functions, or else when you turn on your phone it'll just tell you you need to insert a USIM). Some argue that a software unlock is more stable than a SIM unlock but honestly I find them both to be very similar except for certain phones in which a SIM unlock cannot unlock all of its functions.

For instance the 920SH from SHARP is not fully unlocked yet (even through SIM unlocked) and as a result the multimedia functions (music player, video player... etc) and the camera function won't work. However the 920SC from Samsung is pretty much fully unlocked using SIM unlock--excluding the i-net function that I've mentioned before.

I love my 920SH to death despite its current unlocking flaws... the screen on that baby is HELLA nice ! Hahaha it has a 3.2" VGA screen (which basically means that (1) it is equivalent to a decent LCD computer monitor nad (2) it is 4x clearer than a regular cellphone with a QVGA screen). The 920SC is pretty nice with a "decent" 5MP camera, but the screen is only 2.4"... still, you can't really compare it to the 920SH. I figure that once the 920SH is fully unlocked then the price will hit the 6XX-7XX price range.

Wow I rambled on for way too long hahaha if you have any further questions regarding the two phones then let me know ^^ There are more factors that differs between them, so it's hard to really choose between the two haha... at least for me it was.

^Wow all your posts are super helpful. Thank you so much! I wanted to get the 920SC because it's fully unlocked. I wanted the 920SH but it's not fully unlocked, I did not know that you could not even use the camera with it though... That totally defeats the purpose for me because I love using the camera on my phones... Is the 904SH fully unlocked? I was looking at that one too... Although I won't be getting a new phone until July or something like that... Anyway thank you for all the help (and more to come I hope ) >_< Oh wow the Sony Ericsson SO905iCS looks so nice... I want that now... haha...;;

You get this "connection failure" sign error... So you have to edit it again.. Thats the only flaw.
Get the 920sc it looks super hot. Also they have recently found a software unlock solution which is an advantage. Its hypersim free!!

Btw, if its over 160 characters the phone converts the sms into mms!! So if MMS is enabled then you can send long messages

^That's cool - but now I'm drooling at the Sony Ericsson lol...

I was wondering, what is the difference between a Hyper Sim and a Next Sim? I heard (on the internet) that with the Next Sim, the Sharp 920SH works well... O_O

^ Different SIM can unlock different phones. Some phones can be unlocked by any while others require a certain SIM to be unlocked ^^



Hahaha you're welcome (:
904SH is fully unlocked via SIM unlock, but to be honest that phone is really old (considering how fast the cellphone trend moves in Japan). I'm not a fan of SE phones for some reason... everyone usually ends up with one. Hahaha but good news for you SO905iCS is unlockable via SIM unlock now ^^ not sure which SIM you have to use to unlock it though.



Really, mine doesn't do that hahaha my SMS just ends and I can't type and further ^^

Hmm. Is it possible to just buy a phone from Japan and then use the HyperSim to unlock it (get that from eBay for $30 or whatever)? I might resort to that if it means I save money in the end... +_+;;; The SO905iCS is currently almost $700 on eBay... Yikes.

Hmmm you CAN if you happen to be in Japan BUT you have to be careful because not ALL of the phones in Japan can be unlocked via SIM unlock. You have to make sure the model you are buying can be unlocked.

You can get a really good deal if you do some hunting... I got my brand new Metal Black 920SH with unlocking SIM for only $400 ^^ I saved like over $100 just because I did some searching hahaha.

eheheh i'm using one in HK!!
but i don't think we can use 911T in US/Canada.. i dont know. might have to try o.o"


Maybe the newer models have T9? because 911T has it.. but sometimes, i find it annoying

negatives about using unlocked phones:
many of the functions can only be used in Japan like what others have said. also, you might get reprovisioning? messages every time you access the menu of the phone (don't know which models.. but 911T for sure -.-)
a lot of stuff here and there you can't really use. and sometimes, things are in japanese even though you set the language to english..

but i still would use an unlocked phone. i mean, ITS NICE. and you feel special with a pretty phone
i just hope that i could use my 911T in Canada. sigh.

^ Thats soo much better!! I prefer that then typing a message and giving me a failure error and then having to re-edit again. Frustrating when I need to send urgently!!




^ It should be. I mean the phone itself is already locked and they use the "hyper sim" to unlock the features. However if you want the phone software unlocked from the beginning then you wouldnt be purchasing from Japan. You would be looking @ ebay lol... But like "t" has mentioned make sure the phone supports the hypersim or next sim...
That SO9051CS (long name) looks hot!!
You've got $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!!!!!!

^ What cellphone do you have ? I swear there's a way for you to make it so that your SMS are forced to stay within 160 char...
Oooh you're the person that started the Ringtone thread... it's fricking awesome ! Hahaha I'm using some of the SMS ringtones XD



Oooh I meant to type Japanese SHARP & Samsung phones ^^

Hmmm I am like 99.9% sure your 911T won't work in Canada -___-" I love the 911T in white (PURE SEX I TELL YOU !! hahaha), if it DID work in Canada I would've bought it instead of the 920SC lOL. Stupid Canadian 3G network...

Hahaha...yep thats me!!
I have the white 707sc! Although MMS/GPRS is enabled the receiver cant see the message...sigh...
The phone is more of a collection though. I rarely take it out. I use my U700!

i think it's always worth the money with its' apperances.

im contemplating on the 707sc. mind giving a mini review on it?
and are the buttons easy to press?
considering it has no t9 the buttons better be nice and easy to press

can't wait for the 920sh to be fully unlocked. it's really gorgeous!
but isn't it a little inconvenient since you can only message/call with it?
the price is still rather cheap since it's locked, but yes i agree the price will definitely soar once it's fully unlocked.

i heard for the mms/gprs part, you could actually bring it down to your local service provider to get it unlocked.
im not sure if its surely feasible, but its definitely worth a try.

Hmm. It seems that most (or all? O_O) of you guys are in Canada. I'm trying to get it to work with Cingular... Does anybody use an unlocked Softbank phone with Cingular? I'm hoping that the SO905iCS will work with Cingular but it's probably not quadband... But I don't know if it'll be better to go to T-Mobile because I heard T-Mobile service sucks here (San Diego). Sigh.

^ Hmmm do you have any friends that uses an unlock phone with T-Mobile or Cingular? Because the Softbank unlocked phones are like any unlocked phone ^^" Wow you're really into the SO905iCS eh? Hahaha good luck the price is redonkeylous >___<"



Hahaha wow you're like me then, I have a white 707SC for fashion purposes hahaha. I rarely use it due to the keypad. -___- Such a nice phone, but texting on that thing is such a hassle.

I've only owned it for like 3 months and I already replaced it with my 920SH & 920SC -__-
I might sell either my 707SC or my SE S500i to my friend lOL.



I don't like wasting money on nonsense like mms/gprs since it cost extra for that stuff with my service provider lOL so I'm pretty satisfied with my 920SH & other Softbank phones (:

707SC's keypad is really nice BUT rather difficult to use. Since the keypad is flat you can't feel your way around it and when you're texting you have to look down at the keypad to see if you're pressing on the right key. It's a nice phone overall--definitely a fashion phone--but in terms of practicality, it's fails miserably lOL. Oh and the external speaker is actually the ear piece of the phone. Basically when the phone rings you can hardly hear it since it's a clam shell phone, but once you open it up to answer the call the volume becomes extremely loud.

^
difficult because it's hard to press..
or difficult because it's a hassle?
the LG chocolate gave me such a bad experience with texting that i official am against LG...

i think i can endure anything...
except the fact that it does not have t9 and if that the buttons are so tough it's hard to message.
but the external makes me drooooool so badly....
maybe i'll get 707sc, use it for a year before getting the 920sh since it isn't fully unlocked yet.

I had cingular until january this year... and yeah T-Mobile is SOOOOOO much better... and this comming from a cingular girl for l ike 3 + years

go to howardforums.com , you'll find lots of infos on unlocked Softbanks

it's fine for calls & sms (: cute phone


yah cant use the internet, my 911T cant watch TV :x




yes not longer than 160 characters, quite troublesome, if not it will cut >.<

May I ask what area you are at? Because in San Diego, I heard T-Mobile sucks butt compared to Cingular (but then Softbank phones are triband, so I'm lost) +_+

' t., I was wondering where did you managed to such softbank cellphone with such good deal? cos I am thinking of getting softbank cellphone as well.

any1 know where to buy softbank phones online from a reputable site that doesn't jack up the price as well? i live in australia, so the 3g networks and GSM version will work

920sh! i wish to have one too T^T

as far as i know, you could only use the call & send text function
the camera is remain locked - havent check the latest new, so dont count for it

and i heard that a chinese phone company had brought the ____ (i dont know what is it call-_- copyright? selling right?)
and preparing to release it some time in the summer (may-july?)
anyway, if you are Chinese, it wouldn't be harmful to wait a little longer

I am in like central SD like literly 10/15 minutes from anywhere.

im planning on buying the 920SC and ge the 920SH when it will be fully unlocked both are hotttt but for now like everyone else said since the 920sc is fully unlocked you should go with it... i mean if you get the 920SH it's probably for the screen or design but if you cant use most of the feature why would you get it not when its so expensive get it later on when the price has drop and fully unlocked =D

hey im wondering where you got your 707SC in Canada?? Im planning to get one but I am not sure how well it will work in Canada with fido. so how is it??
whats the difference btn SIM unlocked and software unlock??
if i get an unlocked 707SC can i juz put my fido sim card and use it like any other GSM phones???

I have a similar question.. I plan to bring back my 810T Softbank phone to USA, and I was wondering how do I unlock it so I can use it with T-mobile or Cingular? I've read about the Hypersim iNex stuff and I don't see any on Ebay for my phone, but I do see my phone for sale unlocked on ebay. Anyone know of another way to unlock it?

If your wondering.. yes I'm living in Japan atm.

And sorry to hijack your thread

I didn't know it was possible to unlock and use Softbank phones in Canada T_T My 810T didn't work here.. I went to so many shops and no one could do anything about it, so I gave it to my aunt in Hong Kong.

plemix.com

free shipping to Australia till 31st March

^i googled plemix, apparently a lot of ppl have encountered problems with them. i guess trusted ebay sellers like lol.dqn is the way to go, but he/she has no white 707sc in stock

I have a question, will T-mobile/Cingular work with the 920SC (software unlocked) ?

Hi-Mobile 707SC for you 707SC lovers.

id add the link for the stores here in Vancouver that sell 707SC's but they are priced at $400, not the typical $249 pricepoint found in Plemix or Hi-Mobile.