[peznut]

Upgraded from 7290 to an 8700 and was thinking of "unloading" the former BB on eBay. Obviously, I could bill it as a totally functional PDA, but it would be nice (and boost the selling price) if a buyer could use the cellular aspect, too...

I know there's some business about "unlocking" the BB from the carrier (Cingular, in this case) but do I really need to deal with that drama? Or can whoever buys it get the cell-aspect functioning with the carrier of their choice, using their SIM card?

I admit I'm in the dark on this...

[barjohn]

You can sell it stating that it is locked to Cingular or have it unlocked and sell it as an unlocked device. You will probably get a little more for an unlocked device or have an easier time selling it but the 7290 should sell easily as it is still a good unit. If you are selling it locked to Cingular and have changed the handset on your account to the 8700 (IMEI and PIN) then a new user should be able to activate it without any problem.

[peznut]

John: Thanks for the insight, but please excuse this (perhaps ignorant) follow-up... I did indeed change my IMEI/PIN to the new BB on my existing Cingular account. Thus, as I interpret your comments, I can fairly bill the 7290 on eBay as "Cingular-ready" if sold locked? Moreover, because I changed the IMEI/PIN, a buyer should have minimal difficulty activating the 7290 on whatever carrier they prefer?

Trust me: I'm not trying to "obligate" you to something; I just take my eBay sales seriously and don't want to surprise buyers. If I need to sell it essentially saying "You'll have to figure out how to activate the cellular aspect yourself," so be it. I like to be upfront with buyers about what they're getting, however, and if reactivating the 7290's cellular aspect isn't a big deal, I'd (obviously) like to communicate that...

By the way, I visited your site and read your review of the 8700. VERY well done. I never noticed the frowny/smiley thing between keyboards before, but that cracks me up

[barjohn]

Your statement is correct. They should have no problem activating it on Cingular. If for some reason they do (not likely but always possible), a call from you to Cingular should allow the unit to be connected.

[peznut]

Thanks, John! Do you (or anyone else reading this) know of any other option(s) to unload an old BB?

P.S. I'll post my eBay link here once I get my 7290 uploaded for sale

[barjohn]

I've always sold my stuff right here and on Howard's Forum. Seems to work just fine.

[phillyslickster]

By the way, depending on when you bought that 7290 from Cingular, it may already be unlocked.

I purchased my 7290 when it was first released at Cingular and it was unlocked. Back before the merger with AT&T Wireless all of Cingular's quad band phones were sold unlocked. You can check this by having someone from another carrier insert their SIM card in your 7290 and if it doesn't ask for the unlock code, then it is already unlocked.

Just some information for you in case your 7290 may already be unlocked.

[9balla4life]

If you sell a used BB to another user they can still have it activated but they would have to call Cingular BB support to have the PIN/IMEI released from any current account. Unfortunately removing you're old device and activating a new BB renders the old device useless unless you call Cingular BB support so that they can remove it. You may want to call 18772552377 before selling it to release the PIN/IMEI or provide that number on your auction to increase the value of your BB device that you're listing for sale. I have done this before so I know this will work from experience. Good luck.

[singlemanriot]

I called Cingular after I bought my 8700 asking to unlock my 7100g. They were very nice and the guy told me as long as I paid full price for the 7100 (i did) they could have it unlocked. I had to fax the receipt over to prove I paid what I said. I got a call after the fax went through saying I would get a call in the next week or so with the unlock code. No code yet but I am cutting em slack with the holiday.

I dont know the exact terms but they seem very willing to help with this issue and for the first time in years I didn't hang up the phone with Cingular thinking I might as well called a random person from the phone book and ask the same questions.

[peznut]

Phillyslickster & 9Balla4life: Thanks for the GREAT info. I did indeed buy my 7290 before the merger, and recall reading something awhile ago leading me to believe my BB was not locked; moreover, since I upgraded my BB to the 8700 on my existing account, and had to change the IMEI/PIN attached to that account, I feel confident that I now have a "clean" 7290 that I can sell!

Better do that quick before carriers start massively discounting the 7290 as "yesterday's" technology...