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Root [Virgin Mobile] buying s3 advice? to unlock to virgin mobile?

People have told me you can use a donor phone's MEID to use unauthorized CDMA phones. I am pretty sure it is frowned upon though.. Yet when I was looking at Ting they had instructions to do this on there site's forums.

The donor phone is a grey area. If you own both phones then it is (I believe) legal.

But for the OP you would need to start with a CDMA version (probably Sprint) and even if you get it to work you will not have 4g.

As posted above amazon and HSN currently have VM gs3 phones for under $200.
 
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The donor phone is a grey area. If you own both phones then it is (I believe) legal.

But for the OP you would need to start with a CDMA version (probably Sprint) and even if you get it to work you will not have 4g.

As posted above amazon and HSN currently have VM gs3 phones for under $200.

I agree op should just buy the correct phone, instead of purchasing one to switch over. If you already had a phone you wouldn't mind to potentially turn into a brick just for fun, thats another story.
 
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I'd also suggest the op to check their local laws, where I'm at in Pennsylvania like a year or so ago they made it totally illegal and now punishable by law to unlock any cell phone without direct permission from the company the phone was originally ment for

Happened due to all the ppl selling iphones lol

The Senate just unanimously approved a bill to make unlocking cell phones legal. It already passed through the House. So, all it needs is Obama's signature and it'll be federal law to make unlocking cell phones legal. And Obama already said he'd sign it into law if a bill gets to him. I don't know of state laws can supercede the federal law. Probably can.
 
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Technically federal law wins but the state can make your life suck till you make it to a higher level of court lol I hope they change it

Currently here in n pa the law was passed just this past year and it basically stated you can root or use custom Roms to your hearts desire but unlocking a branded phone was a no no without direct permission


It basically started as I stated above almost 100% directly due to iPhone, back when the iPhone were like $300 if you got a plan and $700-800 without, ppl already with plans were buying like boxes of iPhone, canceling the contract, unlocking the phones and reselling them making like 200-300 per phone, apple wasn't very happy lol

Global phones which are unlocked by the manufacturer are still legal here but you must buy the global version of the phone from the gate currently



I mean I guess I understand what the law is trying to do but I still maintain the mind frame that I bought it, paid $300 or whatever for it, its my device to do with what I wish, I can throw it off a bridge if I choose to lol
 
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