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The great thing about unlocked cell phones is that they work no matter which carrier you choose. All kinds of models are available this way, and while people often naturally prefer the most recent models, it often pays to consider older offerings in addition. For example, unlocked cell phones such as the Nokia Surge make great second handsets for those who want to keep two separate contact numbers. It looks like a T-Mobile Sidekick but being unlocked means that you aren’t restricted to just AT&T in the United States. It has the same form factor as the popular Sidekick, only instead of swiveling it slides to uncover the keyboard below the screen-cum-cover. Packing this smartphone with text messaging and social media capabilities makes it clear that Nokia is focusing on the young with this model.

You can’t do much better when it comes to unlocked cell phones for second or third “lines.” But just what is the Surge? What’s it like? Well, it’s a 3G phone offering 2.4 inches of screen space at 320×240 TFT pixels and 16 million colors. The 2 megapixel camera is nothing when compared to the over-3 megapixel camera on the related 6760 Slide model available in the rest of the world (which phone, incidentally, isn’t carrier-exclusive), but the Surge did debut earlier, too. Video recording is made at the standard QVGA resolution.

This phone uses the Symbian Series 60 multi-tasking platform, nicely complementing the rather powerful feature-set, marking it a mid-level offering. The Surge works with Bluetooth 2.0, along with A2DP support, and offers microUSB connectivity as well. Audio is piped through a standard 2.5mm jack. In keeping with most Nokia phones nowadays, there is also a built-in stereo FM radio. MicroSD cards are supported for close to a maximum of 8GB of additional storage space, in addition to the 2GB card included. This phone can also be found in black, white, or red color schemes. Talk-time is rated at a respectable five hours, and standby is a robust five hundred.

Even better, being unlocked means no longer being tied to AT&T and a long two-year contract with mandatory voice and data plans that could conceivably add up to about a thousand dollars a year for even a fairly casual user! And naturally the Surge is designed for those who are constantly texting, chatting, e-mailing, or surfing the web. Such folks could quite easily be charged over two thousand dollars a year!