SIM card needed?

Okay - since Verizon doesn't seem to want to sell a WP7 device with a slideout keyboard, and I seriously need a phone, I'm thinking of picking up a used Touch Pro 2. The thing is, it has a SIM card slot and no thinking person would dare sell the phone with their SIM card.

So... If I do purchase a Touch Pro 2, do I need a SIM card if I'm going to use the phone ONLY in the USA? If I need one, where can I get one? Is there another option?

Thanks in Advance!

Accepted answers

unknown

Thank you to the members and all the contributions. We are all on the same page.

Let me say officially, any 3G VZW device does NOT need a SIM card is you are only using the device in the U.S. It will operate just like normal without the SIM. The phone won't know any difference.

If you do travel outside the U.S. to a country that uses GSM, then yes you will want a SIM card. We can always assist with that by going here. See more about countries using GSM, click here.

Thank you again!!

All comments

Jax_Omen

Sim cards in Verizon Wireless 3G phones do nothing while you're in the USA.

chudster94

I just want to reiterate something that many people on this forum have mentioned about keyboards. The Trophy's virtual keyboard is absolutely one of the best on the market. The buttons are a great size (especially in landscape mode), the keys "zoom" when you tap them and they have haptic feedback. All that plus the predictive text is extremely accurate, almost all mistakes that you make when you are typing are auto-corrected.

You really should try out the phone at your local VZW store if you haven't already. You just might find that you really don't need the hardware keyboard!

DriveSlow

when i had the touchpro 2 one of the things i noticed was the weight. it weighs like 6.35 oz (180 g). i dont know if i should be talking about the specs., since you probably already read through it all. well the weight of the phone annoyed me at times though. but it does have a nice keyboard on it, with sliding and tilting screen. that resistive touch screen , well i didnt like that part that much.

hopmedic

chudster94 wrote:
I just want to reiterate something that many people on this forum have mentioned about keyboards. The Trophy's virtual keyboard is absolutely one of the best on the market. The buttons are a great size (especially in landscape mode), the keys "zoom" when you tap them and they have haptic feedback. All that plus the predictive text is extremely accurate, almost all mistakes that you make when you are typing are auto-corrected.

You really should try out the phone at your local VZW store if you haven't already. You just might find that you really don't need the hardware keyboard!

Absolutely! I came from using 6700 (was that the one before Mogul?) Sprint Mogul, Touch Pro, TP2, so I've been using a slide-out for a long time. I thought I was going to HATE the virtual keyboard, but a friend who sells phones gave me his thoughts, and I tried it. I've only been using it for what, 3 weeks now? And I can type on it faster than I could with the slide-out. The key is to type, keep typing, let the keyboard software auto-correct, and if you see a word that auto-corrected wrong, tap it, and choose an alternative from the list (and the list scrolls sideways, for those who don't know). I think if they offered a slide-out, I'd probably buy it, since it became such a dependency for me when I had it, but I would not mind anymore when using the programs that don't support landscape mode.

Also, if anyone is developing for WP7... Do your users a favor. When you create a text box, add one property to the textboxes that you place:

InputScope="Text"

InputSceope="Text" causes the auto-correct to be available. Otherwise, it's a dumb keyboard. There are other InputScopes as well, which will give you a keyboard tailored to the situation, but this one gives you auto-correct.

SickFreak

chudster94 wrote:
I just want to reiterate something that many people on this forum have mentioned about keyboards. The Trophy's virtual keyboard is absolutely one of the best on the market. The buttons are a great size (especially in landscape mode), the keys "zoom" when you tap them and they have haptic feedback. All that plus the predictive text is extremely accurate, almost all mistakes that you make when you are typing are auto-corrected.

You really should try out the phone at your local VZW store if you haven't already. You just might find that you really don't need the hardware keyboard!

Been there, done that. I prefer the slideout keyboards. But then again, I've got huge hands compared to the average person.

SickFreak

Jax_Omen wrote:
Sim cards in Verizon Wireless 3G phones do nothing while you're in the USA.

But has anyone actually tried using this phone (including activation and web, etc.) without the SIM card?

Jax_Omen

I'm sure they have. It literally has nothing to do with the entire process.

The SIM card is *only* used on a VzW 3g phone when you're roaming on a GSM network. CDMA/GSM do not intermingle, the two radios have no relation to each other and no impact on each other's function.

DriveSlow

SickFreak wrote:
Jax_Omen wrote:
Sim cards in Verizon Wireless 3G phones do nothing while you're in the USA.

But has anyone actually tried using this phone (including activation and web, etc.) without the SIM card?

as a former touch pro 2 owner i haven't tried it.

SickFreak

Jax_Omen wrote:
I'm sure they have. It literally has nothing to do with the entire process.

The SIM card is *only* used on a VzW 3g phone when you're roaming on a GSM network. CDMA/GSM do not intermingle, the two radios have no relation to each other and no impact on each other's function.

True, but that doesn't mean that the phone isn't hardcoded to not work with the SIM missing.

DbG2514

The SIM card slot you are thinking of isn't like the SIM cards that T-Mobile and AT&T use that store your contacts and your mobile number. The SIM in this phone is to turn the phone into a GSM capable phone for when you travel outside of the US. If the person removed the SIM card to make it GSM capable for global use, the phone will still work on the CDMA network as long as it is a Verizon Wireless branded phone. Just dial *228 from the phone to activate, press one and enter your mobile number.

But I am not sure why the person would remove the SIM card that makes the phone GSM capable because those are built in and needed for when traveling globally.

Hope this anwers your question.

Jax_Omen

Pretty much the only reason to remove the SIM is if you get the phone unlocked so you can use a (non-US) GSM carrier's sim in the phone for when you're roaming.

Also if you don't have a VzW SIM card and want one, just ask customer service, or go into a store for one. They don't charge for them.

unknown

Thank you to the members and all the contributions. We are all on the same page.

Let me say officially, any 3G VZW device does NOT need a SIM card is you are only using the device in the U.S. It will operate just like normal without the SIM. The phone won't know any difference.

If you do travel outside the U.S. to a country that uses GSM, then yes you will want a SIM card. We can always assist with that by going here. See more about countries using GSM, click here.

Thank you again!!