Should I walk around with my Iphone? NO WAY! Do NOT Make Yourself A Mark

I was swapping some furniture out today and came across my Jamaican phone and receipt. Since you can get a cheap phone with SIM and 500J of credit for less than $35, I figured I would post this public service announcement to educate those who might be interested. Unless of course prices have gone up in a couple of months.

Don't be a mark and whip out that brand new Iphone. Leave it in the safe and buy one of these archaic objects. This is my second one as I put my first one thru hell and back and the screen finally gave way. Here is a pic of the phone as well as my receipt for the phone and sim card that I picked up at Mega Mart in April.

The 500J phone credit is actually 625J once you tack on the lofty 25% sales tax. The battery charge last forever on this thing and the reception is about a 6/10. My driver Freddy is really the only person I struggle to understand, but I struggle to understand him in person as well. I have had yet to find a local who cannot navigate this thing in the dark, so ask if you need help adding credit.


Attachment 42166

true.

I prefer to be "phone-free" in Jamaica ~~

Well said, Booger. I still use an old AT&T Blackberry (5+ years old) with a Digicel SIM. I find that in many cases this phone is still more advanced than the ones many Jamaicans use. This gives me some pause, when I take it out in public. You're probably better off buying a cheapo like the one Booger posted.

I bring my old smartphones and tablets to JA when I visit and leave them behind with people who have been nice to me / helped me in some way.

I work for a cell phone carrier, so I always seem to have an old smartphone or two laying around.

I will admit though that I do carry my personal smartphone at times in Negril, but leave it in my pocket when walking anywhere, and only take it out when I reach my destination.

Cell phones can be like an addiction - it's hard to get away from the constant stream of information and just RELAX.

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Originally Posted by Patricia

I prefer to be "phone-free" in Jamaica ~~

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As do I. It stays in the bag until I need to call for a ride or call back home to check with Grandma to make sure Booger is alright.

phone-free/TV free
only tech ....I have is a 160 gig Ipod & docking station
Can't live without ..tunes

Just make sure you do a factory reset to clear all info off of your old phone before leaving it in Jamaica with friends.

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Originally Posted by halfwaytree

Just make sure you do a factory reset to clear all info off of your old phone before leaving it in Jamaica with friends.

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Of course, and it's helpful if you call your carrier ahead of time and request it be unlocked as well.

My JA cell looks just like that!

Gee yours looks better than mine and I still use it. It's and old Nokia I bought there but it does have a flashlight - sometimes useful. I just leave it with phone cards and a friend tops it up and then sends herself the credit. That way my SIM remains viable and she gets some extra time.

The Digicel store Megamart in Mobay refused to sell me a sim card.
She told my she can't sell to foreigners and then said a Jamaican ID is required.
Not sure if this has changed but others have posted similar problems with getting a new sim at Megamart.
After a few days without a phone, I got a loaner sim from a driver.
Kinda a pain in the A$$ as I loaded a ton of info into it and couldn't use it right away...

Again, this may have changed since April...

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Originally Posted by kim in socal

The Digicel store Megamart in Mobay refused to sell me a sim card.
She told my she can't sell to foreigners and then said a Jamaican ID is required.
Not sure if this has changed but others have posted similar problems with getting a new sim at Megamart.
After a few days without a phone, I got a loaner sim from a driver.
Kinda a pain in the A$$ as I loaded a ton of info into it and couldn't use it right away...

Again, this may have changed since April...

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I had the same problem Kim, had to use my Jamaican friends ID. Maybe they just prejudice peeps from So Cal? If I recall someone sent an email to Digicel for confirmation and the response stand that the employee was wrong.

It is next to impossible to find a more reliable, rugged, unstoppable phone than those simple Nokia phones. And with a flashlight built in - a great simple way to make a call. Hard to beat that!

But for those coming to island, the "tabloid" type title of this thread is far from the truth. The Jamaicans I have shown this to are hurt and frustrated by this horrible sterotype. Hundreds, if not thousands of people who visit Jamaica weekly use their iPhone with no problems at all. None! Zippo! Ziltch! An iPhone makes you no more of a "mark" than being wearing shorts during the day.

Jamaicans who purchase iPhones want the box, the manual and all the "cool" factor that Apple has built into the iPhone. And with the latest release of the iPhone 6 - the latest version, it has becomes increasingly hard to use a "stolen" phone.

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/17...l-for-that.htm

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenhue...lt-kill-switc/

The "kill switch" built into the iPhone can make it a "paperweight" for the vast majority or people who would attempt to steal it anywhere in the world. If you believe the subject title, then dont use your iPhone in your city as well. So as not to mislead people, to quote Forbes, a somewhat respected news outlet:

"Smartphone crime rates have already dropped since Activation Lock debuted. Thieves, wary of robbing someone but ending up with a dud phone, stopped trying as often. In the first five months of 2014, smartphone robberies and thefts dropped significantly in San Francisco, New York City and London, a June study found."

Sure, there are ways around the kill switch and completely blanking the phone (I do know people in "low places"), but ALL the services that can make a stolen iPhone work in Jamaica will make sure that this will cost you nearly as much as as buying a brand new iPhone.

For one, they know you are hacking a stolen phone, and two, they want to make it worth their while to take the risk. And then you have the issue of Digicel or LIME being able to track legit IME numbers on the phone so they may not activate it even after you have spent all that money. No one I talked with today would buy an iPhone without the box and manual, etc that came with it. Even for ja$2000 or us$20 - they wouldnt want to take the risk.

I have been at restaurants where 17 out of 19 people there were on their smartphones. While I find this sad, almost everyone here carries at least one smartphone. The brand is nearly irrelevant. The one exception is a Blackberry 10 - those are like the "Holy Grail" of smartphones on the island.

You are much more of a "mark" by smoking the herb and/or drinking til 3am than you are by carrying an iPhone. Flashing a wad a cash it much worse than using an iPhone. Just use your head and and there will be no worries!

Rob,
The Jamaicans that you showed this too who are sad are not the ones who you need to worry about. The Jamaicans who use an Iphone are not the ones you need to worry about. Hence why I mentioned the mark in the title. It is not tabloid in the least bit and is good info for those who are new to third world(developing country). Just because you asked a few peeps that you know what their perspective is, with your spin thrown on it, does not make it invaluable information. I have traveled a lot, with Antartica being the only continent left on my bucket list, and this applies across the board. And yes, there are places in the US where I do not whip out my phone. And your comment about peeps not buying a phone without box and what not is BS and laughable as I personally have sold a phone on my last two trips, based off of request from multiple people on previous trips. I'm bringing another one on my next trip as well. Need a new phone?

Booger,

You seem to enjoy the dark side.

I don't walk with people who steal phones.

But what do I know after 40 years?

You're the expert

Cap

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Originally Posted by captaind & Linston

Booger,

You seem to enjoy the dark side.

I don't walk with people who steal phones.

But what do I know after 40 years?

You're the expert

Cap

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Cap,
I do not either. But I do notice the hustlers scoping out tourist at certain places that are frequented by tourist. I am far from the expert, just sharing some general knowledge as I said to those less traveled.

All i can say is WOW....if using an IPhone makes you a mark, maybe we should continue to skip JA
for other destinations.

Rob, are you telling me I could have "accidentally lost" my Blackberry z10 this past reach!!! Maybe pocketed some $$$?

The one exception is a Blackberry 10 - those are like the "Holy Grail" of smartphones on the island.

Holy C-R-A-P! I could be using a brand new Apple i6!!! I'm wicked pissed! :)

Booger, we walked around with an ipad mini 2 and a cannon rebel T3 day and night without any problems this past June.

Rob, can't believe you didn't clue me in on the VALUE of my Blackberry z10! I thought Iwas the only person in the world dumb enough to own one!! :)

Enjoy,

VVHT

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Originally Posted by VVHT

Rob, are you telling me I could have "accidentally lost" my Blackberry z10 this past reach!!! Maybe pocketed some $$$?

The one exception is a Blackberry 10 - those are like the "Holy Grail" of smartphones on the island.

Holy C-R-A-P! I could be using a brand new Apple i6!!! I'm wicked pissed! :)

Booger, we walked around with an ipad mini 2 and a cannon rebel T3 day and night without any problems this past June.

Rob, can't believe you didn't clue me in on the VALUE of my Blackberry z10! I thought Iwas the only person in the world dumb enough to own one!! :)

Enjoy,

VVHT

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If BBRY would have released the Z10 and all BB10 phones with 10.3.2 they would have sold a lot more. Still liking my Z10 here.

My old iPhone 4s makes a damn good camera, and it uploads nightly to the cloud. If I lose it... Meh. Buy another on eBay for $45. Not even hooked up to make calls, but just to,take and store my videos/pictures.

I know so many people - including us! - who have that phone! LOL

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Originally Posted by M&G Montreal

I know so many people - including us! - who have that phone! LOL

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LOL, so do I . And Hussyband, I recently picked one of those up on Ebay for around the same price as a filler phone until my wife's eligible for a new one in a couple of months. It will be the next phone I take to Jamaica to unload. New Iphones hit the safe........

"An iPhone makes you no more of a "mark" than being wearing shorts during the day. "

Be careful Rob. There are a lot of Boardies that would not look good walking the west end without shorts! I for one. People listen to you man.

Booger you are right on but it should stand as a universal warning not just Negril. We Are having a crime wave of Cellphone thefts in Montreal right now. The local paper just issued a warning.

Is the holy grail the Z10 or Q10?

For visitors to Negril, or anywhere for that matter, common sense should prevail. I have stated ways not to make your self a "mark" and it is simple common sense you should apply where ever you are.

In the years living here, this topic does come up from time to time in casual conversation. An iPhone does not make you a "mark". The cellphone shop owners in Negril tend to have an instinct when an iPhone is stolen. If the "customer" asks to make it usable, they charge between us$300 to $400 for that service depending on the model. That alone deters people from stealing iPhones, they will not be able to sell the phone to make any profit.

These are the facts. Enjoy Jamaica and use your iPhone as you see fit. Use the same caution you would use anywhere.

I still use my little Samsung flip phone in the US. My kids make fun of me, but every time they drop their fancy phones and have to replace them, I get the last laugh. I could bounce mine off the wall and it would be fine.

In Jamaica, I was chastised by a youngster around 12 years old; "You should not have that phone!" she said, expecting me to have the latest and greatest tech. A no heverybaddy falla fashion, seen...

Hmmm, no comments that the start of this thread is just like the admonishment in 'Smoking herb on vacation thread'? LOL

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Originally Posted by Lola

Hmmm, no comments that the start of this thread is just like the admonishment in 'Smoking herb on vacation thread'? LOL

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:rolleyes: Both threads are reminiscent of a "my dog's bigger and badder than your dog". No matter how much you pay (cheap or extravagant) herb or a phone it's just herb and a phone.

Attachment 42174

I don't bring a second phone any more just change the SIM card on the plane. No problem.

I bring my old I-phone...no calls can be made but I use it for pics and Wifi.....Most drivers can be contacted via FB messenger..works for me!

Here's my Ja phone:

http://negril.com/forum/attachment.p...id=42188&stc=1

I think it cost me US$30 and is duel sim so I can, if I wanted, use both my T-mo and Digi Sim's at the same time. I don't use a cheap phone to not be a mark. I do it so I don't have to worry if I leave it in cab, at the bar or if I jump in the ocean with it in my pocket.