im not a newcomer in the unlocked cell phone market, i would get the galaxy s but its near 800 for the 16gb unlocked version, when i can just get the captivate for 450 off craigslist,

now on the site it says order online and you get free activation, can i just not pop the sim and use it?

what is this "activation" and how much does it cost and is there anyway to do it yourself

activation fees are when you first get a cell phone plan with a company they charge you X amount of dollars to turn on your service. its a one time fee. its much like if you buy a house you have to pay to get your electric turned on the first time. i would think you could buy the phone w/o a plan though so you could avoid the fee.