quote:
Originally posted by Menthix
...as it is a quad band.
I'm not 100% sure if E-GSM is the same as GSM though, it might be, but don't take my word for it (eventhough the frequencies are the same).
It might be a phone which supports two different types of cellphone networks both with with dual band frequencies. It might be that, in lamens terms, this is 'quad band', but personally I'm not sure about that, because:
For the Dutchies amung us:
http://www.gsmhelpdesk.nl/helpdesk/helpdesk.php?id=11
...where they make a distinction between GSM 900Mhz/1800Mhz networks and E-GSM networks.
And according to
http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/GSM_(communicatie)
E-GSM (900Mhz) is an extention on GSM (900Mhz). So it might be that a phone which supports only GSM 900Mhz will not work on a E-GSM 900Mhz network and vice versa.
In The Netherlands only Orange, Telfort, and maybe T-Mobile support E-GSM (900Mhz), In Belgium, all three major providers support it though.
And Since Orange (The Netherlands) and Base (Belgium) have deals with eachother in regards to roaming, I think if you take an Orange/Base sim card you're good in both countries.
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quote:
Originally posted by wacky
I think I may be lucky enough because my friend let me have his phone that he had in Australia. I'm just not sure if it would work in Europe.
What exact type of phone is it?
Normally, you can find power adapters for almost any phone here though.
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Also, Be carefull with using just a plug converter! For many devices (might also be your phone) it isn't enough to simply convert the plug!
The electrical grid in Europe is 220/240V and works on 50Hz, in US/Canada it is 100/120V working on 60Hz.
Plugging in a device which doesn't support the European voltage and frequency and you'll damage your device permanently.
On each device (eg: your cell phone power adapter, or laptop power adapter) the supported voltages and frequencies should be listed in small print.
If it supports both the US/Canadian and the European power grid you should see something like: "Input: 110/220V - 50/60Hz".
note: 110V can also be 100V or 120V, and 220V can also be 230V or 240V
Laptop power adapters usually (but not always!) support both power grids.
If it is not listed, or if it only lists "110V - 60Hz", then you also need to buy a "power converter" (also called "transformer" or "voltage converter"). This is usually a brick-like block and is relative heavy.
eg:
http://www.voltageconverters.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=PB1650
some reading materials:
http://users.telenet.be/worldstandards/electricity.htm
http://www.enjoy-europe.com/hte/chap11/electric.htm
http://www.enjoy-europe.com/hte/chap06/packing.htm
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As for plugs:
Belgium, The Netherlands and Switzerland all have different kind of sockets.
Though, if you have a plug
type C (without the earth), you can use it both in Belgium as in The Netherlands. The only difference between Belgium and The Netherlands is that in The Netherlands the earth is located on the side of the plug/socket, while in Belgium it is with a thick pin off-center in the middle.
If you do need earthing, make sure your plug supports both side and center earthing (commonly found in Belgium -almost all plugs have it-, a bit less common in The Netherlands), aka plug
type E.
Switzerland uses a total different plug/socket (
type J), which is incompatible with the ones use in Belgium or The Netherlands. Although, it might be that a plug type C also fits a socket type
F J, but that depends on its subtype (I suggest you don't try it though unless you know what you're doing - never force a plug into a socket).
A travel plug adapter can commonly be found in most hardware shops. You could also buy them in the Airport, though they would be a bit expensive.
(Plus, I have a whole bunch of them also, which came with other adapters. I have no use for them since they change a US/Canadian plug type to Belgium/Netherlands type... so I suppose you can have them).
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