Going to Botswana and need a phone

[rodney0905]

I'm going to Botswana soon and plan to buy a 930, maybe a 1020 or 1520. Can someone instruct me on which model I need to buy to ensure it will work in Botswana. I'm pretty sure the mobile carrier we'll be using is Orange but I'm not sure what that means for picking out the right unlocked phone.

 

[xandros9]

RumoredNow has created an excellent guide on this

http://forums.windowscentral.com/ca...atching-radios-carriers-how-run-unlocked.html

 

[RumoredNow]

Thanks for the recommend, xandros9.

Looks easy peasy. Take any American phone. Just get it unlocked if it is not.

What do you have now?

Or are you listing the ones you have because you want to upgrade the camera you take?

Carrier choice is limited. Your data will most likely be limited to GPRSor EDGE most places when traveling between cities and 3G or H+ in resort areas and major accommodations. I wouldn't even worry about the emerging LTE there.

On the 2G any carrier there is on 900/1800 which is standard for radios here and everywhere really.

On the 3G they want 2100 (which really means 1900 uplink/2100 downlink. Also standard for any radio in the Americas.

Oh... Found a cool new reference page, BTW. http://www.worldtimezone.com/gsm.html

 

[rodney0905]

Thanks for the response and the guide.


I use an iPhone 5S on T-Mobile. I won't be taking this phone with me as I'm gifting it to a family member.

I listed those two phones because they have good cameras and seem like two of the best windows phones.

I'm not too worried about data coverage. We'll be in a village without access to the Internet. I'm buying primarily for the camera and will most likely only access the Internet on weekends, so not a huge deal.

 

[RumoredNow]

1520.

Reason... Powerful camera and you can save .dng files, takes an SD card up to 128GB so you can just click away to your heart's content and doubles as a (small) tablet.

 

[rodney0905]

1520.

Reason... Powerful camera and you can save .dng files, takes an SD card up to 128GB so you can just click away to your heart's content and doubles as a (small) tablet.

This sounds like a great option. I thought I might be put off by the size. I plan on buying one within the next month or so. I'll post my thoughts here. Thanks for your help.

 

[RumoredNow]

My pleasure.

I got my 1520 before going on vacation and it was such a useful, powerful thing. Very apt for extended travel.

I wish I would have been clued in on dng files and Rawer. I saved a lot of high res jpg of course, but dng would have been better. Check into that aspect and I'm sure you'll be impressed with the power of Digital NeGatives and the post shot editing right on the phone via Rawer.

 

[xandros9]

Well if you need a car though, do I have some Top suggestions for you!



(the joke: I'm making a reference to the Top Gear Botswana special)

 

[rodney0905]

My pleasure.

I got my 1520 before going on vacation and it was such a useful, powerful thing. Very apt for extended travel.

I wish I would have been clued in on dng files and Rawer. I saved a lot of high res jpg of course, but dng would have been better. Check into that aspect and I'm sure you'll be impressed with the power of Digital NeGatives and the post shot editing right on the phone via Rawer.

Haha you lost me. I'll be sure to read about these things.

 

[rodney0905]

Well if you need a car though, do I have some Top suggestions for you!

View attachment 102807

(the joke: I'm making a reference to the Top Gear Botswana special)

Didn't see that. I continually joke with my nephews that I'm training a lion for travel. But a car works too. I'll be sure to check this episode out.