Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Rogers

What do you use your cell phone for?

Decimask — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:10:52 -0800

What do you use your cell phone for? Odd question, I know. Some short background:

I got my first cell about 3 years ago--a super-basic cell with the minimum number of bells and whistles I could find. I have yet to pay a dime on ringtones, games or wallpapers. What I've come to realise is that:

A camera would have been handy

Making calender entries without a QWERTY keyboard sucks

Now I'm planning on moving to a plan of some kind. But I'm seeing features on some phones and wondering: What the hell would I ever need that for?

So, like it says on the front page, what are you using your cell phone for?

Hope me the legitament phone filter

shoebox — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:01:26 -0800

Help me choose a legit new cellphone that's on the market now that can meet all of my 21st century needs and demands. My trusty old cellphone recently met with the business end of cutting edge Swedish furniture design (phone in pocket; bumped into table). Higher powers have recognized that a phone is essential for them to keep tabs on me - so they in their great wisdom have decided to fully subsidize my replacement and left the details up to me. However, I really have not been keeping up with current technology. That is where I need you, hive mind.

My budget is ~$500 CDN, although the less spent the better. I don't mind if it goes over, but nothing too ridiculous. The plan is to basically get a phone second hand/off ebay/the black market/whatever and stick in my current Rogers SIM card. However, I don't have a data plan (on family plan right now) and don't plan to get one, so I suppose a smartphone would be out of the question.

A few other things to consider:

Wifi capability would be excellent. I am almost always in a multi-bar zone and would like to put it to good use.

Must have a decent music player (and expandable storage). I was thinking of getting a new mp3 player to replace my old zen micro from eons past, but now that cellphones can do virtually everything, this seems like a good way to kill two birds with one hand-held device.

A decent camera would be nice (same reason as above).

FM Radio. For when my music gets monotonous.

Bluetooth would be cool.

Must be black. I can live with blue or dark gray.

Most importantly, I plan to take care of this phone and need to last a long time, so something that wont be obsolete in at least a few years or so would be preferable.

Best Canadian iPhone Plan?

timeistight — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 22:03:41 -0800

I'm in Canada. I have a new contractless iPhone. What's the best voice/data plan for me? The best the guy at Rogers could come up with was around $78 per month, which doesn't seem a whole lot better the the $99 contract with a subsidized iPhone. How can I get a better deal?

Help me get our Internet devices back on speaking terms.

synecdoche — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 10:40:54 -0800

We have a US Robotics wireless router (USR5461) and a cable modem provided to us by our Internet provider (Rogers, in Ontario--it is a labeled as "WebStar" and "Scientific American"). They don't seem to be on speaking terms however. How can we get our wireless connection back? For the last several days, we have been unable to connect to the Internet in our apartment. We have the aforementioned router and modem, and can connect to each independently, but they don't seem to be working together. I can get to the router's configuration web page, and can connect to the network using Airport. Also, if I use a cable and plug in directly to the modem, I can get online just fine.

This has been happening off and on for the last several months, but now it seems to be constant. Sometimes I can get a few minutes of connectivity if I unplug every cord going into every device (the power cords, the ethernet cord, the cord that goes to the cable outlet) but it never lasts long.

Also, this is happening with the two computers my partner and I have--both are Macbooks but of different generations.

Any ideas as to how to fix this? It seems to me that everything is working fine except for the part where they are supposed to talk to each other and has me wondering if there's some sort of bad connection inside the router. The little light on the router that is supposed to indicate internet connectivity won't come on, either. I am really hoping we won't have to replace this router as it is only a year or so old.

Rogers or Bell for cable tv (Cake or death? Death or death?)

maudlin — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 08:43:57 -0800

Toronto cable tv frustration: should I dump Rogers for Bell? I have a basic cable package with Rogers and have added on a few extra channels, like BBC World News. I'm pretty fine with the selection of channels that I have.

However, dealing with Rogers for any kind of service or billing issue is incredibly frustrating. I just got off the phone with my third different CSR regarding a switch of a couple of the extra channels that resulted in additional fees despite being told explicitly by an earlier CSR that no additional fees would be applied. The fees were finally removed today, but it's not the first time I've had to make multiple calls to resolve something.

So I'm looking at Bell and have found a comparable package that I could live with. But in your experience, is Bell generally more or less frustrating than Rogers when it comes to billing, support and installation? Are there any obvious benefits or drawbacks to making the switch that I should know about?

Skype Ultra-Lite

nosila — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 06:04:12 -0800

Hi there. I'm living in Montreal and just got an Android-based phone (HTC Dream) through Rogers. I'm trying to use Skype Lite, which would be like a dream come true...if it worked. Help, please! I'd like to use Skype Lite to call internationally. Should be a breeze, right? I got the Skype Lite app, installed it, signed in, and everything looks fine. My contacts are all there, etc.

It works by dialing a local number (in Montreal, supposedly) and then somehow magically connecting to Skype via that number so that I am only using local minutes that I've paid for on my phone plan.

The trouble is that when I try to actually make a call, it tells me it's dialing a local number to connect to Skype. It then dials this number: +1813xxxxxxx

According to Google (who clearly rules my life even more now that I have an Android phone), this is a Florida area code.

Then, I get the following message:

"The number you have called is not assigned. Please check the number and try your call again."

My call is then terminated, and I didn't even get to say hello. The location in my Skype profile is set to Montreal. I have no idea how to change the number that it calls to a local Montreal number. Skype has notoriously bad customer service, so no help there. Next step is to try Rogers, but I know exactly how that will go.

Anyone out there have any insight or ideas on this one? Thanks in advance!

iPhone 3G and SYNC by Microsoft in Canada

ChazB — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 05:38:09 -0800

[New(ish) car filter] I'm likely buying a lightly used Ford Fusion SEL this week to replace my wrecked Pontiac Wave (Chev Aveo outside Canada) and I'm looking for feedback from owners. Long story short, wrecking my little econobox is turning out great in the end as I'm getting enough back from the insurance to put me into a much larger Ford Fusion with better features and more room. My question stems from the SYNC by Microsoft system that is installed. It's the version that doesn't have the navigation and I'm looking for answers from people with direct experience with it.

I'm wondering if the hands free bluetooth and voice activated phone and media features work with an iPhone 3g running the latest firmware on Rogers in Canada, and what features do/don't work?

The Sync My Ride site lists some older firmware iPhones on US carriers as being compatible with limited functionality, but I was hoping that with software updates to both SYNC and the iPhone that the support has gotten better. Any insight would be appreciated as hands free is mandatory in one of my major traveling locations and I'd love to use this with my iPhone.

Can I call a toll-free number from my international cell phone without incurring charges?

smersh — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 08:38:57 -0800

My international cell phone provider (Airtel in India) insists that I can get uncharged toll-free calls while roaming in the US and Canada. It sounds too good to be true. Can you shed some light on this for me? I'm a Canadian citizen with a green card to the US who's been living in India for a while. I've let go of my American and Canadian numbers because I couldn't justify spending $80/month for no reason. So, every time I come back home (US/Canada), I resort to prepaid Rogers and AT&T SIM cards.

This time, however, when I spoke to Airtel (my Indian provider), they told me I could call toll-free numbers free of charge, even when I'm roaming internationally. That means I can use a calling card while I'm here and pay just 4 cents a minute instead of paying upwards of $100 for prepaid SIM refills.

Now, I called Airtel a second time to double-check, and they said they don't charge, but the carrier I'm roaming on might!! Obviously something they should've told me the first time I asked.

If there's anyone who has any experience with this, can you illuminate me? Am I going to get charged while using my Indian SIM on an American/Canadian network to call an 800 number? I'd love to be able to not recharge my pre-paid cards, but I'd rather not get a $1000 cell phone bill.

Any help is greatly appreciated

Talk me down from the 3G ledge.

cgg — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 08:27:52 -0800

iPhoneInCanadaFilter: Help me decide whether or not I should get an iPhone. I'm interested in any and all experiences, good or bad, but especially those with a Canadian tilt. I'm a gadget geek, but up until now I've managed to keep my iPhone lust in check. My brother just got one however, and this was the first time I'm really managed to spend some quality time with it. It's so purdy... It may have put me over the edge.

Here's why I think I should buy now
1) Rogers has (apparently) extended their $30/6Gb plan until the end of September. I thought I'd missed the boat on that, but apparently not. After that time, the prices apparently go up, drastically. They're stupid now, but they get worse. Rogers really is evil, but they have the monopoly here.
2) I've been a Rogers customer for oh, a decade or so -- I have no problems signing a 3 year PHONE contract with them. I've been without a contract (ie month-to-month) for a while, so no problems there.
3) The data contract scares me. My bro said that the cancellation fee is "only" $100, tho. Compared to the prices to get out of phone plans, that's actually a bargain.
4) I won't need to buy a new GPS if I have an iPhone. (My current GPS is old, slow, and almost useless...). I don't have huge GPS needs, but right now anything is better than what I've got.
5) I can ditch my clunky Creative Vision:M mp3 player; I don't really need more than 16Gigs anyway.

Reason's against the iPhone:
1) Lets face it, it's just another toy I really don't need. But if I can afford it, why not?
2) iTunes. Enough said.
3) A 3 year data contract, @ $30/ month.
4) There's always something better coming along in 3 months time.

I'd love to hear your experiences with the 3G iPhone. Love it? Hate it? Love it but want to throw it at your nearest Rogers employee?

Mefites, can you talk me down off the 3G ledge? Or should I jump?

(And yes, I know I should ask at the howard forums... but there's so much, well, stuff there. They intimidate me. On the other hand, I lurve you guys...)

Free/custom ringtones for a KRAZR on a Rogers Canada plan?

gwenlister — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:50:24 -0800

Free/custom ringtones for a KRAZR on a Rogers Canada plan? Apparently they have locked it but I'm sure you smart people know a way around it. :) I know there *has* to be a way to get around it, but as it stands I can't for the life of me figure out a way to get custom ringtones on to my phone apart from downloading them for a fee from their site (or muchmusic.com). Does ANYONE know of a site that will allow me to do it? Phonezoo.com worked amazingly on my old phone (a crappy old ROKR), but now the files I get from phonezoo on to my KRAZR don't have the "Apply as Ringtone" option.

HELP! I really miss my Kenny vs. Spenny rintones. :(

Best mobile internet service for telecommuting in U.S. and Canada?

beccyjoe — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 16:11:30 -0800

I'm telecommuting from the U.S. and Canada and am wondering what my options are for mobile broadband/internet. I've done some research... and so far have found:
* Sprint: cheap and unlimited plans but want me to commit to two years and don't provide service while in Canada
* Telus (Canadian company): per GB plans, provide option to allow you to use within U.S. without paying high roaming fees but still more expensive than U.S. companies
* Rogers (Canadian company): provides portable internet service. Cheap but I'm pretty sure you can't use it in U.S.

Any experiences or ideas would be great! thanks!

Several ISPs enter the ring, only one leaves...

vernondalhart — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:48:17 -0800

What is the best ISP in Vancouver, Canada? We're moving from a house which has 'built-in' internet---i.e. we aren't dealing with the ISP---to an apartment. So who should we go to for highspeed internet? It might be worth nothing that we already have a cellular contract with Bell, so it might be easiest to go through them.

But really, I'm looking for your personal experiences. Which is cheapest? Who has good customer service? Which companies kick puppies while selling children into diamond-mining slavery?

How can I make sure whatever phone I buy in Japan will work with my Roger's SIM card?

KokuRyu — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 17:36:10 -0800

I am in Japan and want to buy a new cellphone to take back to Canada. I have an existing plan with Rogers in Canada, and I want to take the SIM card from my crappy Motorola and put it into a new phone brought back from Japan. How can I make sure whatever phone I buy will work with my Roger's SIM card? Basically, I just want to buy a functional clamshell phone because I hate the Motorola phone I have - the ringer buttons are all on the outside of the phone body, so my ringer is frequently turned off. It would be nice to have my Japanese phone be able to do some text messaging, but it's not important. I just want to make phone calls.

Rogers customers: Extreme or Extreme Plus for internet service?

saraswati — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 20:06:23 -0800

Rogers customers: would you recommend Rogers Hi-Speed Internet Extreme Plus? I'm looking at canceling my TV service (a savings of about $100) and instead upgrading my internet service to Extreme (8 mbps) or Extreme Plus (18 mbps). I currently have Express which is 7 mbps, although speed tests show speeds of about 3 or 4. My question is: is the jump from 7 to 8 mbps even worth it? Should I just go crazy and go with 18? If you've used Extreme Plus, can you comment on the quality of the service? I'd love to hear specifically about things like advertised speed vs actual speed, downtime frequency, and any problems they've given you with BitTorrent. Thanks!

The best or the most convenient phone?

Ctrl_Alt_ep — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 16:58:57 -0800

Should I keep my super cool cellphone and crappy provider or switch to something much more convenient? This is going to sound kind of silly, but I have until tomorrow night to decide, I am completely unable to make up my mind, and this will be a major expenditure for me over the next 3 years. So, logically, I'll let strangers help me decide.

So I got a cell phone (a Sony Ericsson k790). I decided to go with Rogers (who are more expensive than everyone else here) simply because they were the only people with this phone.
I chose the phone because it is the best camera phone anyone around had (3.2 MPs - remember this is Canada guys) and the internet says good things about the phone. And I absolutely love it - except for one thing: it is huge. Not exactly 90s brick phone huge, but large enough that is doesn't really fit in my pocket (I'm skinny). I've thought about carrying it around in my bag, but I can't hear or feel it that way, and I've already scratched it doing that. I don't have a landline, as I'm on the go all day.

I can either put up with the phone I really like, switch to a Sony Ericsson W580 which I know will fit in my pocket.
The downside is that it's buttons are too small for me, the camera doesn't have a flash and I don't really like the interface or the fact that it is a slider. It would still be an expensive phone with an expensive monthly fee.

The third option is attempting to get out of my contract (possible, not uncommon, but up to them) and going with one of their competitors which will be ~$15 less expensive a month with a phone I dislike - considerably more so than the W580.

Or am I completely crazy to think that I could get a decent photo out of a cellphone?

GSM Providers in Toronto

Manhasset — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 20:11:17 -0800

I'm trying to get the best and cheapest GSM service in Toronto with the shortest contract.... Are there any GSM cell service providers here besides Rogers/Fido? Or, are there any companies that offer their own service on Rogers network the way, say, Virgin uses Bell's network? Thank you.

What are my choices for Broadband Internet service in Toronto?

chunking express — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 08:30:31 -0800

What are my choices for Broadband Internet service in Toronto? I just dumped Rogers Extreme; they started throttling bit torrent traffic again, which I find a bit annoying. Is my only other option now to go with Bell? If so, are there any Bell plans that are particularly good?

Wang off!

Infernarl — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 16:11:11 -0800

What is that movie where at the end the hero is flying a space ship and he crashes it into the main villain, piercing him with the pointy tip of the ship and killing him? It is like some buck rogers retro-future movie.

Fred Rogers speech defending PBS funding?

o2b — Sun, 06 Jun 2004 09:39:38 -0800

Does anyone know where I can find a copy of Mr. Roger's speech to Congress (?) defending the funds allocated to public television? A transcription is fine, but I'd also love a movie of it. I've googled without results, but it may be because I'm not fully familiar with the story.

How do I share the internet from my desktop to my laptop?

aclevername — Mon, 03 May 2004 13:00:40 -0800

I have a Hub, a desktop and a laptop. The desktop is currently hooked up to the net via Rogers. How do I arrange to have the internet access shared with the laptop? [more inside] I know this is likely a simple thing to do, but I can't seem to manage it. A former roommate and I had this set-up (I didn't hook anything up though), but we had made it official and ordered a second IP address from Rogers. Is this really necessary?

I tried connecting it all, (cable modem to hub, each computer to hub) and nothing. I cannot seem to find any simple instructions. I feel stupid for not being able to do this, so thanks for helping.