Yes. Remember that it's the SIM card that stores the account/carrier info, not the phone.

Let's use AT&T as an example. You started with a 2 year contract. Once it's up yo automatically go into a perpetual monthly renewal.

If you want a phone upgrade they will give you one but they want another two year contract.

If you buy an unlocked phone out of pocket you have the flexibility of moving to another carrier at any time without encurring an early termination fee.

I have AT&T, the wife T-mobile. Let's say she drops her phone and breaks it or the battery is dead and needs for some reason to use her T-Mobile account to make a call. We just swap out the cards. If my phone is locked to the AT&T network you can't do that.

Kurt,

You are simply unlocking the phone to work with anyone's chips. You then can use an ATT chip in a T-mobile phone and vice versa. You still need the phone companies chips, just that they no longer have the monopoly on having to use their phones.

The other beni to an unlocked phone is a Dual SIM adaptor.

I carry two phones, one for work and one for personal. But I don't want to carry both.

With an unlocked phone yo can insert a Dual SIM adaptor that will allow one phone to operate on two different numbers from different carriers.

You can't have both numbers active at once yet. (You can buy phones that allow this)

But to get around it you forward one number to the other, if you are active on card 1 and need to return a call on card 2 you software switch the phone.

Here is mine
 

This is the RAZR V3x. I got back in February and is a great phone. 3g speed and amazing service. I don't know if it is sold in the U.S yet, but cingular stil supports it. I had one of the earlier razr's and I must admit that it was pretty flimsy. I was always afraid it would snap in half, but this phone is built better. It weighs more and is slightly larger, but definitley sturdier. The camera is 2 megapixels with a focus feature.

Review:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.mobile-review.com/review/image/motorola/v3x/pic020.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.mobile-review.com/review/motorola-v3x-en.shtml&h=477&w=450&sz=65&hl=en&start=14&um=1&tbn id=Z_BOm1a403mvqM:&tbnh=129&tbnw=122&prev=/images%3Fq%3Drazr%2Bv3%2Bx%26svnum%3D30%26um%3D1%2 6hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26rls%3DDMUS,DMUS:2006-38,DMUS:en%26sa%3DN

Pic
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1190140838.jpg

Sample picture take from one of the phone's two cameras by me:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1190141139.jpg

S-Monkey and Joe, thanks for the education. I am a cheap mofo and I use a t-mobile pay as you go phone I bought at Target. How can I tell if the phone is locked? Actually what I want to do is get one that is bluetooth capable, but right now they don't carry one with that option for the pay as you go folks. What should I be doing?

Kurt,

Find a friend, anyone actually, who has any other phone that uses a SIM chip that is NOT a T-mobile system. Take the chip out of their phone and put it in your phone, then turn it on. If the phone turns on fine and dials a number (try the house or like) successfully then its unlocked.

To tell the truth I doubt that the phone is unlocked. Most sold in the states are locked.

Also, you might have a phone that does not use a SIM chip, just have to pop the battery out to tell. Assume you know what a SIM chip looks like? Be careful handling them.

T-Mobile and AT&T both have pay as you go plans.

AT&T have a RAZR which has BT that works with the pay as you go.

Day one with the SLVR, $80 for an L7 with box, docs, all cables...

1. Sucks that my numbers are still on my old phone. Need to look at how to transfer.

2. The SLVR is WAY better in terms of speed, sound, etc.

3. Wish it were 1-2 ounces lighter.

4. Overall, much better than my 1.8 year old RAZR.

5. Realized I will NEVER buy an iPhone. I make calls. that's it. I can't be bothered to even change the ringtone on it, a tone that I despise, and loved my old one on the RAZR.

Shaun,

If you can get the old one into Bluetooth mode and pair it with your computer you can use iSync to get everything off the sync it to the new one.

Word of warning on the SLVR, if you have a couple of days worth of stuble it can get snagged by the number keys. Also the mic is low up front so stuble also causes a bit of noise.

The one thing I could never get used to is the numbers on the SLVR do not line up on a horizontal, the middle column is offset, so when you dial blind you misdial.

Brilliant! You are a lifesaver man, I owe you one! 10 minutes and my entire old phone is now on my new phone. Can't believe it was so easy via my Mac.

phone PPI? ;)