My first smart phone.

The coworker I gave my iphon 4 nothing to got herself a new phone. Shortly after learning this, another coworker asked me whether I had a cell phone I wanted to sell.

Well, he rejected my price of $400 for the vintage Apple phone (it has a headphone jack!) But I plan to use it for Waze, podcasts and audio books in the car, to spare use on my Samsung.

Still, what would be a reasonable price for a Vintage iphone 4 nothing with a busted power button and a headphone jack? $60? less?

We're standing at $23.50 for a four month rental :)

Quote: Nareed

Still, what would be a reasonable price for a Vintage iphone 4 nothing with a busted power button and a headphone jack? $60? less?

That is a 3rd generation (3G) data phone. There is almost no market for a 3G phone anymore. Even manufacturer refurbished iPhone4 sell for US$45 on ebay, and they don't have a busted power button. I doubt you could get $20.

I know electronics are more expensive in Mexico, so it may be worth more.

Quote: Pacomartin

That is a 3rd generation (3G) data phone. There is almost no market for a 3G phone anymore. Even manufacturer refurbished iPhone4 sell for US$45 on ebay, and they don't have a busted power button. I doubt you could get $20.

I thought $400 was a bit high, but it's an antique. And measured in smart phone years, where one year equals 2,000 human years, it's really an antiquity :)

Quote:

I know electronics are more expensive in Mexico, so it may be worth more.

It depends. It was already outmoded when I got it. But compared with the crappy phone I had before, it was great. Someone stuck with a "feature" phone, would think it's out of this world (well, not really, but, you know, poetic license).

Anyway, in the end the coworker didn't want it (we were down to $25 for a six month rental; only his wife wouldn't be caught dead with such a device). So I'll see how well it works without a SIM card. It won't do Waze, alas, but if it plays Audible and podcasts, that ought to do it.

Quote: Nareed

But compared with the crappy phone I had before, it was great. Someone stuck with a "feature" phone, would think it's out of this world (well, not really, but, you know, poetic license).

Does the iphone 4 support wifi calling? How about Facetime?

Quote: Nareed

Audible and podcasts, that ought to do it.

Absolutely. No need to toss it away as long as it does basic iPod functions and calculators.

Quote: Pacomartin

Does the iphone 4 support wifi calling? How about Facetime?

I neither know nor care. 99% of my phone calls are work related, and that's what the company line is for.

Quote:

Absolutely. No need to toss it away as long as it does basic iPod functions and calculators.

I'll know when I get it home today and hook it up to WiFi.

All this has led me to reminisce about cell phones in the 80s and 90s, and it's really hard to believe once upon a time people paid for phones that did little more than make phone calls. It's harder to believe what they paid for them.

Quote: Nareed

All this has led me to reminisce about cell phones in the 80s and 90s, and it's really hard to believe once upon a time people paid for phones that did little more than make phone calls.

We still have cordless phones from the early 1990s (before digital cellular phones introduced). The 43–50 MHz cordless phones had a large installed base by the early 1990s, and featured shorter flexible antennas and automatic channel selection. Due to their popularity, an overcrowding of the band led to an allocation of additional frequencies; thus manufacturers were able to sell models with 25 available channels instead of just 10 channels (model shown).

Their frequencies are easily heard on practically any radio scanner or baby monitor.

The cordless phone was patented in 1977 . The first smartphone, IBM smartphone, was introduced in 1994.

Quote: Pacomartin

Due to their popularity, an overcrowding of the band led to an allocation of additional frequencies; thus manufacturers were able to sell models with 25 available channels instead of just 10 channels (model shown).

It was said at the time you could drive around a residential area with the phone receiver only, not the base, and find a base that would connect with it. Then you could make long distance calls, and stick the bill to an innocent victim.

I never tried it. No one ever claimed to have done it, but everyone knew someone who had.

Quote:

Their frequencies are easily heard on practically any radio scanner or baby monitor.

There was a Simpson's ep where Marge picks up cell calls on Maggie's baby monitor.

Quote: Nareed

There was a Simpson's ep where Marge picks up cell calls on Maggie's baby monitor.

You never could pick up cell calls on a baby monitor, but you could pick up cordless calls.

PRE-1991 CORDLESS FREQUENCIES
Channel ## Base TX Handset TX
Channel 01A 49.9300 01.6950
Channel 06A 49.8300 01.7050
Channel 13A 49.8600 01.7650
Channel 19A 49.8750 01.7950
Channel 25A 49.8900 01.8250
Channel 27A 49.8450 01.7350


PRE-1995 CORDLESS FREQUENCIES
Channel Base Handset Baby Monitor
Old-New Frequencies Channel
01 16 46.610 49.670
02 17 46.630 49.845 B
03 18 46.670 49.860 C
04 19 46.710 49.770
05 20 46.730 49.875 D
06 21 46.770 49.830 A
07 22 46.830 49.890 E
08 23 46.870 49.930
09 24 46.930 49.990
10 25 46.970 49.970



POST-1995 CORDLESS FREQUENCIES
Ch Base Handset
1 43.7200 48.7600
2 43.7400 48.8400
3 43.8200 48.8600
4 43.8400 48.9200
5 43.9200 49.0200
6 43.9600 49.0800
7 44.1200 49.1000
8 44.1600 49.1600
9 44.1800 49.2000
10 44.2000 49.2400
11 44.3200 49.2800
12 44.3600 49.3600
13 44.4000 49.4000
14 44.4600 49.4600
15 44.4800 49.5000
....
16 46.6100 49.6700
17 46.6300 49.8450
18 46.6700 49.8600
19 46.7100 49.7700
20 46.7300 49.8570
21 46.7700 49.8300
22 46.8300 49.8900
23 46.8700 49.9300
24 46.9300 49.9900
25 46.9700 49.9700

In 1994, digital cordless phones in the 900 MHz frequency range were introduced. They quickly won out over the 25 channel 46/49 Mhz phones.