Is it a good idea to buy cell phones outside of the US?

[simonm]

In fact the vast majority of the worlds mobile phones are sold outside of the US ... ;-)

[macphanatic]

The other issue is firmware upgrades. Usually they are issued by the carrier, not the manufacturer. It can be difficult to impossible to get the upgrades. I've got a European Nokia that I can't get the upgraded firmware that corrects a few issues.