>> Interesting. I was told (I mean, this was a while ago) that if you 
>> sign up to an expensive monthly contract, they throw in the handset 
>> for free,
> 
> Yes, usually, and the handsets you can choose from will be determined by 
> the contract.  Obviously if they are only going to get 15 GBP from you 
> for 12 months they are not going to offer you a 400 GBP handset for free.




>> but if you buy the handset on its own, it's hundreds of pounds.
> 
> For certain handsets, yes, but there have always been cheaper ones.

OK. Well it's only what I've heard - that you *must* sign up to a 
contract otherwise the handset you need to access the network is 
impossibly expensive. I don't know if that was ever the case or if the 
person in question just got their facts wrong...

>> Also, what's with all these "locked" phones? What's all that about?
> 
> The phone will only work with a SIM card from a certain network, so you 
> can't take out your vodafone SIM card and put in an O2 one.  Usually 
> allows you to buy the phone cheaper, as the network it is locked to can 
> expect more money from you than if they sold you an unlocked phone.  Of 
> course some phones can be unlocked (although this is getting harder and 
> harder recently) so you might be able to buy a cheap subsidised phone, 
> unlock it, then either use it with another (cheaper) network, or sell 
> the handset on ebay ;-)

The phone I purchased is locked to T-Mobile. You also have to buy a 

work. But after that, you can put any (T-Mobile) SIM card into the phone.

It's just as well I'm already with T-Mobile, eh?

It does seem like a hell of a song and dance just to get the same 
handset at half the price though...

I guess this explains the vast cottage industry of "phone unlocking"...

-- 
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