Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with cellphone

Cell Phone Unlocking for Dummies

carterscott — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 12:18:24 -0800

Can Ask MeFi help me understand how cell phone unlocking works? I'm traveling to Europe and looking to use an old Motorola RAZR for making phone calls. I'm traveling to France for the month of January and have been trying to figure out the best option for using a cell phone in France. After research, research, and more research, I've found out about GSM cell phone unlocking which seems like the best fit for my needs.

I called AT&T (my wireless provider) and they happily provided me with the unlock code for my old Motorola RAZR phone. However, the process manage to confuse me. According to the customer service rep, when the phone is unlocked, it will be associated with my current wireless number (which is currently attached to my iPhone). This befuddles me... shouldn't I have a French exchange if I put a French SIM card in my phone?

Many thanks for any assistance provided!

The iPhone vs. the Droid?

sandra194 — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:25:53 -0800

Are you considering the iPhone or the Droid? Which one did you get and how did you decide? I am already a Verizon customer; also my sister has an iPhone and is willing to add me to her plan if I choose the iPhone.

Buying Used Phone Quandry

readery — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:54:25 -0800

Can a phone used with AT&T as a service provider then be used with T-Mobile? What does unlocked even mean? I prefer buying used phones or cheaper phones for kids, as they are hard on them. It seems each week there are new features and options, but we have a plain phone plan for calls and texting.
Thanks!

If you were a G1, and you were born today, what cell phone would you be?

Greg Nog — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:10:38 -0800

I would like to buy a nice new cell phone with a physical keyboard to replace a broken G1. Please help me with any knowledge about the Droid or the Cliq or any other suggestions you may have! So my G1 recently died a horrible death, and although I quite liked both the phone itself and the Android OS, I'm wary about getting another G1 to replace it, given the age of the product.

I liked the G1 mainly for the easy access to my gmail account, the web browsing, and the easy access to Google Maps, which I used pretty much daily and which I was utterly delighted by, whenever they added new bells and whistles to it.

I've looked into the Droid (which seems like a nicely high-tech update), but I find typing on the keyboard to be unpleasant; the keys are all flat and flush, leading me to accidentally push buttons I didn't mean to press with my GIANT APE FINGERS. Is there some way I could mod these with, like, a tiny dab of clear epoxy on the center of each key to lift and separate them? (I realize this sounds like a five-year-old's solution to the problem, but that's generally how I roll in this lifetime.)

Another alternative might be the Cliq, but if my basic research is right, it's on the earlier iteration of the Android OS, yes? Will it be updated to Android 2.0? The keyboard looks much better on the Cliq, although I don't really care about all the social apps and whatnot that it seems to excel at. And if all I want is an old iteration of Android with a comfy keyboard, wouldn't I be better off getting the cheaper G1?

I'm also receptive to a caution that I should just wait; that soon enough, some new Android device will stroll along to replace the Droid, and that it may well have a better keyboard and physical push-buttons on the front.

I'm out of my t-mobile contract now (FREE, FREE), so I'm happy to switch to any carrier that will do a nice job of being good to me.

An Australian iPhone in the US of A

robcorr — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:30:49 -0800

I'm an Australian who is holidaying in the US and Canada in December -- from Sunday! I have an iPhone and I would like to know whether I can use it for 3G data while I'm there. I've waded through a number of telephony and travel forums to try to piece this together myself, but they're contradictory and circumstances seem to change constantly.

Let me set out what I *think* is the simplest way to do this, and hopefully you can provide either confirmation or corrections.

1. Network unlock my phone. (Done -- restoring as we speak.)

2. Change my credit card's address to my hotel address.

3. Buy an AT&T GoPhone Pay As You Go sim pack.

4. Put the sim into a phone -- not the iPhone.

5. Visit the AT&T activation site, entering the other phone's EMEI and my hotel's address.

6. While I'm at the AT&T site, buy a $20/100MB data pack.

7. Using wifi, visit one of the sites that allows me to patch the US carrier details into my iPhone.

8. Transfer the AT&T sim to my iPhone; cross my fingers.

Is this right? Does this mean I need to buy a throwaway phone just to activate the SIM? Is there an easier way?

For instance, some people say that T-Mobile has a better prepaid data offer that doesn't require hoop-jumping to activate in the iPhone (albeit Edge rather than 3G), but others say it's no longer available.

And finally, I'll be in Canada for about a week. I won't bother trying to get a Canadian sim for such a short period, but it'd be nice to know whether the US plan will work there.

Thanking you in advance.

Short term cell phone in Italy?

cccorlew — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 10:21:38 -0800

Cell phone for 3 months in Italy? Cheap is good. Mt daughter is headed for study abroad in Florence next semester. I am cell-phone clueless. We have Sprint, but I've heard we don't to (or can't) use her phone there.
Is there a 3 month solution to cell phones in Italy that won't break my bank? Should I do it here, or let her do it there?
Pointers and hints gratefully accepted.

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?

Did I mess up my phone's reception?

surenoproblem — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:36:09 -0800

Could I have messed up my cellphone's reception when I replaced its casing? I recently replaced the casing on my phone: taking my phone apart, unscrewing lots of things, then putting the phone into a new case. I just followed online instructions; I don't have a lot of experience with these sorts of things. I can't remember when it started, but my phone seems to say "Emergency Calls Only" or "No Carrier" quite regularly now, and I never noticed it doing this in the past. Is there something I can do to fix it? It's a SonyEricsson K660i, and I followed these instructions:

http://www.formymobile.co.uk/k660disassembly.php

Did I mess something up in the disassembly/re-assembly process? Can I fix my reception?

How reliable are Virgin Mobile and their term plans?

Joseppi — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:30:31 -0800

Is Virgin Mobile worthwhile for their non-pay-as-you-go phone plans? They've got very competitive prices but I've heard they're terrible for their pay-as-you-go plans. Does anyone have any experience with their term plans? Are they just as bad? The main thing I've heard is their customer service being the worst and that the coverage isn't great. Any thoughts?

Good Prepaid Cellphone for Austin, Tx?

Sentus — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:10:58 -0800

Hey there, I hate dealing with credit cards, signing contracts. Need a good simple and reliable Prepaid cell phone. Hope you folks are having a great weekend...

I am thinking about finally getting a prepaid cellphone.
It's going to be mainly for business purposes. Going to use it in moderation.

A few questions:
1. Voice mail. I need it to have a reliable voice mail service. To be able to customize it with my voice.
2. What happens If I brake it, lose it, it gets stolen? Would I be able somehow to get the same number again?
3. Google Voice - Is any body uses that? Could it work for me?
4. Good/Bad experiences with providers in the area?
5. Other ideas?

Thank you in advance and have a great day,

Prepaid Cellphone For NYC That Is Not Virgin Mobile?

jason's_planet — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:52:01 -0800

I need a prepaid cellphone service in NYC that is NOT Virgin Mobile. Looking to pay about $10 a month. Don't need lots of fancy telecom doo-dads. Just need decent reception and reliable service and voicemail. What are my options? How about Verizon? Are they any good? I've been using Virgin Mobile for a while. But the relationship is no longer meeting my needs. Because you've been nice enough to read my question and (possibly) help me out, I will spare you the gratuitous kvetching. Here is the abbreviated kvetching: Virgin Mobile's service is so piss-poor that I can barely make out what people are saying on my phone and it's not unusual for me to get voicemails two or three days after they would have done me some good. This is unacceptable. I feel as if I'm paying $6 a month for absolutely nothing. I am willing to pay c. $10 a month if it actually gets me something.

I'll add here that I am a very occasional user of my cellphone. It's there for potential employers to contact me and so that I can let people know if I'm running late. I don't need five hundred minutes of calling a month or anything like that.

I've done a little bit of research, and Verizon prepaid appears to fit the bill. If you have firsthand experience of Verizon prepaid, would you recommend them? Or is there another service that you would recommend? Again, halfway decent reception here in the concrete canyons of NYC and reliable service -- i.e. getting voicemails when people leave them, not four or five days later -- are what I'm looking for. Nothing fancy.

Many thanks in advance.

Picking a cellphone in Japan: iPhone or not?

remi — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:13:46 -0800

I just moved in Tokyo, where I'll stay for a year. I need a cellphone and I'm leaning towards getting an iPhone. What do you recommend? I asked a similar question about choosing the iPhone or not in Japan. The only difference is I was still in Canada then, and I was wondering if I should get the iPhone in Canada to later use it in Japan, which is not a good solution.

Now, I've been in Japan for a bit more than two weeks, where I'll stay in Tokyo for up to a year. I quickly realized that a cellphone here is close to a necessity. I rented a black NEC N905i cellphone from PuPuRu for a week, using the NTT DoCoMo network. It was really convenient, though the initial sign-up is confusing and I wish I could have used text messaging. The phone itself works well, but it was a bit bulky and I got lost in the menus a few times.

I've met some people in Japan with an iPhone they like, but most of them are not Japanese. Many of the Japanese people I know are satisfied with the phone they have, and it's usually not an iPhone. I get the impression the iPhone is not liked by the Japanese, but adored by foreigners in Japan. Additionally, I heard the official carrier of the iPhone, SoftBank, doesn't have a great network, but it's tolerable in Tokyo.

Today, I almost went to the nearby SoftBank store to get myself an iPhone, but I decided to discuss about this first. If I was still in Canada, I'd get myself an iPhone (or an Android phone) right away, but the opinion on the iPhone here in Japan seems to be split. I've also been using an iPod Touch for almost a year. I like it and sometimes wish I would have got further with an iPhone instead.

Also, I know if I'm not getting an iPhone, I'll be missing out on all the "cool" features many Japanese cellphones offer. These include "keitai saifu" (cellphone wallet), 1seg, dual camera, decorative mail, and for some, 8MP camera, HD video, solar-power recharge. It's all fun, but I also need to think about a phone that will get things done than just do nice things. Just by using my iPod Touch, I've been able to store and sync my contacts with my MacBook, listen to my music, check my calendar, take notes, watch videos, and run many useful apps I've bought and downloaded. From the iPod Touch, the iPhone would basically be a step up, with a phone, GPS, and a camera. Besides, do I need some Hello Kitty or Disney characters to make my e-mails cute just to say hi? As for the cellphone wallet, I obtained a convenient Suica card already.

Finally, if you're in Japan, let me know if you recommend the iPhone and if its official carrier, SoftBank, is tolerable in Tokyo. If not, which phone and carrier do you recommend?

In advance, thanks to everyone for your time!

Cheapify my cellie

mwhybark — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:39:06 -0800

cell plan change suggestions? Income change upcoming. Currently we spend about $110 / mo on 2 phones with one dataplan on one phone. Happy to jump carriers (we are on AT&T), need to keep our numbers.

I believe the conventional wisdom is embrace the cheapskate route, kick the data to the curb, and go with disposable SIMs that limit minutes and usage.

If I do that, can we keep our numbers?

Finally, is there a decent prepaid dataplan?

There are plenty of precursors but the shifting sands ever insist on a current answer.

Lastly: Howard Forum, check. Tracfone, gotcha, to an extent. Here's a Tracfone subquestion: my parents have and still use pre-SIM phones under tracfone. Can I send them some modern handsets and get them on to the new phones with their Tracfone plans intact?

No phone reception: how to get texts?

fightorflight — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:45:11 -0800

How can I send and receive SMSs in a mobile phone blackspot? My new flat is in a total mobile blackspot, at least on my network (iPhone on O2). I can get around the calls problem by diverting them to the home phone, but am tired of missing texts.

Is there any way I can receive them at home, and send them with a number that people can reply to? Super-bonus points if there's any way I can get alerts about incoming ones to my iPhone (which is on wifi at home).

Help a cellphone novice buy a cellphone

cardamom — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:22:01 -0800

Hoping the hive mind can help me with a cellphone solution. I know nothing about cellphones and in years past have relied on the internet and a landline for my phone needs. I've used a combination of Google Voice (GrandCentral formerly), Vonage, and a cheap pay-as-you-go cellphone. I am now in a nomadic situation (US) where I do not have a reliable landline nor internet for the foreseeable future. It's time to get a real cellphone. My ideal phone would include:

1. Easy use of Google Voice
2. Less than $100/month with at least 700 minutes and unlimited data or maybe wifi?
3. Can be in Europe for 3-4 months at a time (currently in US), and can either use the phone or put it on hold with minimum payment (like $10 month).
5. Importantly, can easily tether to my macbook so I can have some semblance of a wifi signal

Despite being cellphone ignorant, I am pretty good with technology, so I feel confident I'll be able to eventually navigate any phone suggested.

I've only looked into the iphone, and it just doesn't seem to be a good solution. Plus, I have a touch, so I don't feel too left out. :-)

I'm thinking Android, but am totally confused by the options, and OK, this is even more embarrassing, am not even sure the best place to buy one. Locked, unlocked, GSM .... argh! I've emerged from my cave and everyone is now speaking a strange language.

Using a Japanese phone stateside?

greasepig — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 04:28:12 -0800

Is it possible to use my Japanese Toshiba 810T in the States? I'm moving back to the states, and would love if I could use my little black phone to email my Japanese friends. It's Softbank, and does use some kind of SIM card. Basically I want to be able to use the Japanese input and also the handy dictionary. Is this just a pipe dream, something that will cost a lot, or just a plug-and-play situation? If it's no good, can I at least transfer the dictionary to a US carrier's phone, or is there anyway I could have a US carrier phone that would work with Japanese input?

Dropping the landline

yawper — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:04:11 -0800

Thinking of dropping my landline, but I'm stuck in the dark ages. I have a cell phone which is great for local calls, but terrible for long distance. Skype, VOIP, calling cards, etc...I am clueless about these things. I live in Canada. Also: I have a central alarm system in my home. My husband and I each have Bell cell phones and we get good reception with them at home, so that's not an issue. We have Rogers home phone, cable, and cable internet. We really only use the home phone for long-distance calls to the US and other parts of Canada (we live in Ontario).

Question 1 - what are our best options for long-distance calls?

Question 2 - will dropping the landline still allow us to use our alarm system? (Grand Alarms, for what it`s worth.) Yes, I will contact them tomorrow to find out for sure but am hoping someone here has experience with this.

And yes, I realize this question has been asked several times, but I couldn't find any recent questions that were specific to Canada. Thanks!

Which GSM slider phone?

kindall — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:12:24 -0800

What GSM slider phone should I get (that's not a Motorola), given that I generally liked my Motorola RIZR Z3 except for the minor fact that it stopped working? I have an unlocked Motorola RIZR Z3 that I generally like except for its recent propensity to reboot spontaneously and to declare "No Service" when I know it should get signal. I read some stuff that suggested that some unlock techniques could cause this sort of behavior, but it recent, it happens when I shake the phone, and I tried some other firmwares and they were no better. So, time for a new phone I guess. What does the hive mind suggest?

Would prefer slider form factor

Camera, MP3, and Internet not important, but must have Bluetooth

Can charge from a USB port using a standard mini cable

I use T-Mobile so it needs to be one they have sold or else unlocked

Used is OK as long as the phone's from the last couple years (I just have no idea what to look for on eBay)

I'd like to keep it around $50, definitely under 100

No Motorolas, obviously

I've got a syncing feeling this may not be possible.

dan g. — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:19:33 -0800

Are there any verizon non-smart phones out there that could syc via bluetooth (or some other non-internet way) with a google calendar? Wife and I are looking at replacing our very old school verizon phones with new non-smart phones. we don't want any data plan or internet function on the phone but would like to be able to sync up the calendars on the phone with a google calendar we share.
Has anyone else tried to do something like this?
I'm not opposed to a hack of some sort to get it working, but the day to day syncing would need to be pretty straightforward or I think it would become an annoying burden.

Any and all advice welcomed and appreciated.
Thanks!

Verizon wont give me what I orderd or let me quit.

digividal — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:03:17 -0800

How can I make Verizon Wireless treat me better? They changed my plan without my consent. I have actually been pretty happy Verizon Wireless until very recently.

I have one regular cell phone line with Verizon, and one of those nice little usb broadband modems. I have had both since about 2005.
The great thing was that I had the unlimited broadband plan on my modem. They do not offer it anymore so I was proud of being able to keep my unlimited broadband plan.
Earlier this year, my wife and I got divorced. Among the thousands of matters to attend to, was to split our Verizon account into his and hers.
I called up Verizon and explained that I needed to remove her from the account and have the account only in my name.

The rep said this was no problem, and it was quick to do. I asked him specifically to ensure there was no changes to account, and if the broadband account would
remain the same. He ensured me that this would be the case, and even commented on how cool it was that I had the Unlimited plan.
He told me I needed to make sure I kept it. Wise words.

I kept getting bills in the expected amount so I did not verify further at that point. This month I did read my bill, and I notice that my broadband plan has changed from Unlimited as expected to their new 5GB plan.
This was clearly an error so I call up VZW to have them correct the error. I spoke at that time to rep number. 322590.
She assured me that she would put in a request to have my account updated back to the grandfathered plan and I would get a call back the next day.

3 days passed and I received no notification so I called VZW back. This time I spoke to rep 319729, who was a supervisor she said.
She looked at my account, and said that VZW had refused to put the unlimited plan back on my account, and there was nothing they could do.
I requested that because they had failed to provide me with what I was contractually entitled to, that they should release me from the termination
charges on the account and allow me to close the account.

Rep 319729 said that it was impossible for VZW to give me the plan and I wanted, and it was impossible for Verizon to release me from my early termination. Now they are charging me $59.99 per/month for a service I did not sign up for, and do not want.

Rep 319729 said that there was a website that listed the terms and conditions that apply when VZW makes a change to the account, and it was my duty to read this mythical piece to understand what they were allowed to do, when they make changes to the account. Rep 319729 did not say what the Url for this document was.

What can I do? They took advantage of me, in a very trying time in my life, and they refuse to fix it, and they even rub my face in it, with this mythical website I am supposed
to have read before calling to change my account.

I know I never agreed to the change, and that I never signed any documents about the change? How can they do this?

What does this High Pitched Noise mean? Am I a Dog?

bluefly — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:06:22 -0800

I just bought a charger for my cellphone at Target. It's not the special manufacturer's brand, but an after market one that costs half of what the Sprint store chargers cost. When I plugged it into the wall, it started making a high pitched noise. I haven't plugged the other end of the charger into my phone for fear of ruining it. Is this normal? Is my charger bad? Thanks.

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.

I'm looking for an affordable mobile plan that will let me surf the web and use Google maps during a short trip to Canada.

stuart_s — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:31:05 -0800

I'm going to Vancouver next month. My Sprint phone won't be of any use to me there. When I went to Toronto last year, I was able to make exorbitantly expensive phone calls and I wasn't able to access the internet or use google maps. I'd like to do all of those things economically. I still have my old Treo 75?wx. Perhaps that could be of some use? Thank you.

What? I can't hear you! (on the cell phone)

ClaudiaCenter — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:54:12 -0800

Help me understand my sweetie when we speak on the (cell) phone. My sweetie travels a lot for business. I use a Sprint Samsung cell phone, she has a BlackBerry. I can't understand her on the phone. Her voice sounds muffled and fuzzy. Any suggestions for me or for her? She doesn't have any problem hearing me for the most part.

How can I remember to always put my mobile phone on silent before meetings and turn it back on afterwards?

grouse — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:10:43 -0800

How can I remember to always put my mobile phone on silent before meetings or seminars? And to turn the sound back on when the meeting is over? Any useful tricks? I don't seem to have a problem remembering this in artistic environments, only in work environments.