I was recently referred by ReviewMe.com to an online seller of unlocked phones. Although I always give my personal views on everything I review, this post is a Sponsored Post.

Finding stores that have unlocked mobile phones in the US is not an easy task. Unfortunately, the market for these “gray-market” phones is blocked by the mobile network providers who want to be the only way consumers can buy a phone. Fortunately for those of us on a GSM network like Cingular or T-Mobile, using our standard SIM card in an unlocked phone can work just as well as a mobile phone bought with under a contract.

Like I wrote above, I was referred to Cellular-Blowout via a site called ReviewMe—a site that aims to put in-touch bloggers and those with products they’d like to have reviewed. This is the first time I’ve used such a service, but I thought I would give it a try, as I am always looking for products and services to review. As such, this is a Sponsored Post, but I believe it to be a fair one. I will never conduct a review that has been in some way sponsored without disclosing that to the reader.

The Cellular-Blowout site lays out the products they’re offering in a fairly simple way, by manufacturer or by type of product. It’s clean and straight-forward. Not only do they sell popular phones unlocked, but also a large array of accessories, from antennas and cases, to headsets and ring-tones. Their page of Hot New Phones lists a number of newly released phones, displayed with images and sales prices. Scanning the site, I found the unlocked phones’ prices to be competitive with other brick-and-mortar and online-only sellers. Their selection of “cutting edge” phones was good, even claiming to have the most-coveted Nokia N95.

The majority of these phones are for a GSM network (read Cingular or T-Mobile in the US), however they did have a batch of phones that were reportedly for a CDMA network, as used by Verizon. For those phones, their site says:

These brand new phones all work with Verizon. Just buy a phone and bring it into your local Verizon store and they will progam your phone number. Its that simple. Why wait to get a cool phone? Get yours now at Cellular-Blowout !

My understanding is that, while technically it can be done, Verizon shuns mobile phones not purchased through their stores. I cannot attest to how well this specific selection of phones will work for Verizon users—especially since most sold through Verizon are crippled, and often will not work with Macs because of crippled bluetooth. If you have any insight into this process, please leave a comment below.

As for GSM phones, Cellular Blowout’s Technical FAQ explains that while your SIM chip will work in unlocked phones to make calls, you’ll need carrier specific settings to use the Internet and SMS, among other features. This setup information is readily available on the Internet, but it’s always good to search out the details before you purchase a phone.

Cellular Blowout also resells a selection of phones with service through the major US carriers: Cingular, Verizon, Sprint, Nextel and T-Mobile; as well as Virgin Mobile prepaid phones. The prices again, appear to be competitive with the name-brand stores and other offers you might find elsewhere online.

The bottom of the FAQ lists Cellular Blowout’s real-world address and toll-free phone number. This is something I always look for before making an online purchase, and all over the place you read their assurances of 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Since I’ve never personally dealt this company, I thought it was important to see what others thought. I clicked on the NexTag link from the Cellular Blowout website which proudly displays them as a "4-star Seller." Cellular Blowout has received 40 reviews over some 90 days and of those 1/4 were negative; over the past 40 days two out of seven were negative (that’s over 28%). One and two star-rated complaints range from the check-out system not disclosing shipping costs, lack of way to change shipping options, defective phones, late shipping, and bad customer response times. Following up on this, I searched the Better Business Bureau website and found some further discouraging news—a D Company Rating. Clearly, these complaints are something that Cellular Blowout needs to work on. That said, there are still 30 NexTag reviews that are very positive that praise their “great selection and prices,” good shipping options, and ability to pay with PayPal.

This post was merely meant to review the Cellular Blowout site, not to recommend or send readers away. If you have anything to say about Cellular Blowout, please leave a comment below.

Comments from the old website

Cellular Blowout problems
Posted by Anonymous User at 2007-06-23 08:31
Note that the BBB rating for this company is now F Could not provide what I ordered. Would not respnd to my request for a refund before anything was sent to me. Would not respond to E-mails or phone calls. Sent a replacement product that does not even show up on their website.
Be very, very carefull