Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with cellphones

Help me receive text messages from people on all cell networks.

needs more cowbell — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:39:50 -0800

After porting a number from Virgin Mobile to Page Plus, I don't receive text messages from people on the AT&T network. Page Plus is a small MVNO cell phone provider that "rents" space on the Verizon network. This is all in the US.

I ported my number to them from Virgin Mobile about two months ago. Everything seemed to have gone OK until I figured out that texts from people who have AT&T were not coming through. (I have tested this several times with several people. They get no indication that the text has not gone through, and I get no indication that a text has been sent.) Texts from Verizon and US Cellular are fine; I don't seem to know anyone on Sprint or T-Mobile, so I'm not sure about those. People on any network seem to *receive* my texts just fine.

Strange thing: after porting, I was still able to log in to my Virgin Mobile account online. And whaddya know, I could see a record of texts received from those AT&T numbers there. (Incidentally, Page Plus has no such online account management feature where you can see that someone with a particular cell number has sent you a text.)

I called Page Plus about my problem and mentioned what I'd noticed about seeing the record of the texts in my VM account online. They told me that I needed to speak to Virgin Mobile to have them fully close and delete the account, and that would solve the problem. I have since called Virgin Mobile several times. They swear to me that they have closed and deleted the account, and I can no longer log in to account management online, but the texts from people with AT&T still do not come through.

I've called Page Plus customer support again numerous times. They have "reset my account" and "reprogrammed my phone" a bunch of times, neither of which helped. Then they told me there was nothing else they could do because I use an unlocked CDMA phone/handset rather than a phone I purchased from them, and insisted that the issue must be my phone's software, which they cannot troubleshoot. That seems pretty ridiculous to me - it seems pretty apparent that it's a network issue.

ANYWAY - after pushing and threatening to contact the Better Business Bureau, I finally got tech support there to acknowledge that it might not be an issue with the phone/handset I use, and agree to troubleshoot what they can on their end, but without guarantees since "it could still be your phone." They're doing that now, but I suspect I still may need to make some suggestions for how they proceed in order to get this resolved. I'm supposed to call them back tonight.

SO - what could be causing this issue? Are there any concrete suggestions I can make to them (either Page Plus or Virgin Mobile's customer service) for how to resolve it? Do you think there is a snowball's chance in hell that this is an issue with my phone (Samsung SCH-i760)? If all else fails is there some intermediary inter-carrier text-directing entity I can speak to directly to try to get this fixed? I've googled and read and posted a bunch on HowardForums, and seen some people with similar issues, but that hasn't gotten me anywhere.

It wasn't me!

47triple2 — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:29:46 -0800

I got a T-Mobile Shadow today and I'm concerned that the battery water indicator has already been tripped. The indicator is a pink and white checker pattern but it looks really dark to the naked eye. Are they usually this dark or has it been tripped? (For reference, I have the latest Black/Burgundy T-Mobile Shadow (II) running WinMo 6.1.) Thanks!

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?

I hate the sound of your voice.

thebazilist — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:30:52 -0800

I don't want people to leave me messages. What's the best way to say this in my outgoing message? I'd like my voicemail to be a polite- and professional-sounding version of the following:

"Hi, this is Thebazilist. You can leave me a message, but I'll probably get back to you faster if you text me or e-mail me at [my e-mail address]."

Normally I shouldn't care if it sounded snarky, but I'm applying for jobs right now.

When I call places like Jetblue, they're always interrupting my hold to tell me that I should go to their website instead. Will my message be annoying? Should I not even do this?

(Reasons: it just takes a lot of time to check voicemail, and also I feel that "tug" of guilt or obligation more when I know I'm going to have to hear someone's voice needing something from me. I know, I'm terrible.)

I already know about things like Callwave, but right now I want to try to work this "free" option.

Which cell phone carrier is best for making calls from Eastern Europe to the US?

invisible ink — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:01:48 -0800

My father, a physician, is going on an European cruise through Denmark, Russia, Finland, Estonia, Norway, Sweden, and Georgia. He needs a cell phone plan that will allow him to call his patients here in the U.S. from each of those countries. He will be on this trip for roughly two weeks. He is more concerned about connectivity in each country, rather than price. What would be his best option?

Roaming in Europe?

trokair — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 08:38:46 -0800

[CellPhoneFilter] How does international roaming work in Europe? I know that here in the States, if I travel overseas to the EU I am considered "internationally roaming" and end up paying larger fees for voice and data usage than I would at home. In Europe, where you have to travel a much shorter distance to move from country to country, are the same rules in effect? Do the carriers have networks that spread to different countries? (i.e. if I am on Carrier A in France and Carrier A has a presence in Spain, am I roaming if my home MCC is set to France and I am in Spain?)

Sorry if this is a loaded question!

Cellphone Version of a Hummer?

Danf — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:15:01 -0800

Does anyone have experience with mil-spec cellphones? My contract is up, and, even though I don't need a new phone, I am considering getting a phone what will take more abuse than my present one will. AT&T offers the
Motorola Tundra or Samsung Rugby as options for mil-spec phones.

Does anyone have either of these, and, if so, what do you think?

Part of me feels like I'm buying a Hummer, but since my job takes me to construction sites, and crawling around in attics and tunnels some of the time, I think it may be useful to have a phone I don't have to worry about as much.

Any thoughts? I do not need a smartphone, but I want to make sure I don't make a dumb choice, either.

A Yankee needs an Eastern European Blackberry

ps6000 — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 06:18:12 -0800

How can I (an American) get a Blackberry with an Eastern European number with unlimited data. My company is going to have a new employee working in Eastern Europe. I have been tasked with getting him a Blackberry. Due to the nature of his work we would like to get him a Blackberry with a phone number local to him. This would be Slovakia, Czech Republic, or Austria. I have no idea on how to go about this. I have asked this individual to look at plans, but all he finds are plans with limited data, and prepaid options. Not being versed in European cell phone customs, is this the norm?

Do you have any similar experience that would be applicable and could help?

What do other people/companies do in similar situations?

Cellphone for Grandma

msalt — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:03:13 -0800

Which of 3 cellphones should my mom (75) pick -- Motorola Moto W755, Samsung SCHU430, or LG VX8360? Her carrier (Unicell) is folding into Verizon, and those are her 3 free choices. She wants the simplest, and as her technical help desk, I heartily agree. (To be fair though she is not scared of tech and is game to learn new stuff.) She will probably use this only for phoning, texting and as an address book.

I realize there was a similar previous question but the models and user needs are different.

Which cell network works best in San Francisco?

jasper411 — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:01:57 -0800

San Francisco MeFi-ers: Verizon? T-Mobile? Almost out of our contract period with AT&T. Should we switch or hang in there? Cool phone toys and features are not a priority for us. All we need cell phones for is to make and receive calls (ok, text messages too)! Network coverage is the one and only selling point for us.

We had Sprint for a long time, but the network coverage seemed to degrade when they were merging with Nextel, and we switched. When we first moved to AT&T, it was Cingular and we were very happy, but since being taken over by AT&T, it seems like there's been an inverse correlation between the quality of the network coverage and their advertising budget about how great their network is. As I'm driving east down Portola from Twin Peaks I drop so many calls it's ridiculous.

Out 2 year contract ends soon, and I'm considering switching. One AT&T rep I spoke to said that things will be getting better - that they're working on enhancing the 3G network and that the problem may be that our phones aren't handling the transition between the 3G and Edge networks. His perspective was that we should get newer phones and hang in there. But of course, an AT&T person *would* say that.

OTOH, we could switch to Verizon or T-Mobile. What are your experiences? I realize a lot of MeFiers have i-Phones, which are on the AT&T network - the i-Phones are totally amazing in terms of gadgetry, but what are they like as cell phones? Are you happy with cell phone network coverage these days? What about you people on other networks? Any thoughts?

What do outgoing phone rings mean?

timory — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 18:26:12 -0800

Usually, when you call somebody's cell phone and hear a beep after each ring, it means they are on the phone with somebody else. Are there any other ring indicators like that? I've heard extra-long rings or double-rings, for example, so I was just curious if that meant something, as well.

I need a tech work around.

brookeb — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 12:28:01 -0800

Can I make my Sprint Blackberry work with my Verizon Wireless account? I was given a Sprint enabled Blackberry to use for work purposes on a temporary job. The job is over and I get to keep the Blackberry. Only problem is my cell service is through Verizon not Sprint. Is there anything I can do to make the blackberry compatible with Verizon?

Turn my Q into a Curve

trbrts — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:53:49 -0800

I've got an aging Motorola Q on Verizon. Someone just gave me a Blackberry Curve that was on ATT. How can I use the Curve? I want to stay on Verizon. I thought I could just drop in the SIM from my Q. But, I don't see a SIM card behind the battery. The Curve has one though. What's the best way to get this curve working on Verizon's network? Thanks for your help.

Other than the iPhone, is there an AT&T phone for me?

jesirose — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 14:40:54 -0800

Can anyone recommend a "smartphone" for me, or should I just give in and get the iPhone? I'm using GrandCentral and AT&T. I just got a Pantech Duo and have had nothing but trouble. My husband got an iPhone at the same time and likes it. I have about 25 days to use the buyer's remorse and pick a different phone, and I don't think I can keep using the Duo. I'm going to stick with AT&T.

I want to be able to surf the web, use IM (aim and yahoo) and email, (so, a full keyboard) and of course, take calls!

I use GrandCentral. I have heard of a few problems with GrandCentral and the iPhone, but the problem I have right now is when calls come in, I need to be able to press 1, 2 or 3 to accept/deny my calls. The Duo fails here, it worked once, then stopped. I exchanged it and that one worked once and stopped. (As in, I press 1 and GC can't tell, I guess the phone doesn't send the tone? AT&T doesn't know what is wrong but said the phone is just defective) I'm not concerned with listening to the voicemails from GC on the iPhone, which is what I understand the problems with the iPhone to be, but more concerned with accepting the calls when they come in!

I've played with the iPhone a bit and my only complaint is the keyboard - I really want a physical keyboard. (And yes, the keyboard on the Duo is so flat that it's practically a touchscreen, but at least they depress). I surfed the web for a bit and I did have to retype addresses several times.

On the Duo, Windows Mobile has also crashed 3 times in the past 2 days and I can't seem to get videos to play on it (youtube). The call quality is awful, I can hardly understand people. I don't talk much, but ... it's a PHONE. I need to be able hear calls when I DO talk.

I've looked into the Tilt as I like the sliders, but it also uses Windows Mobile and I worry it will have the same slowness and crashing. The Palm Centro didn't get such great reviews and I wish I'd listened to the bad reviews of the Duo. My next choice was the Palm Treo 750...but if I'm gonna spend $200...why shouldn't I get the iPhone? Are there any other phones from AT&T that would fit what I want to do, and work well?

How do I get my LG Dare phone to stop talking?

zembla3 — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 17:42:27 -0800

How do I get my LG Dare phone to stop talking? I have an LG Dare phone. Recently, the phone has started announcing callers and numbers before the phone rings - i.e., a computerized female voice will say something like, "Call from Bob Smith. 212-555-6171," and then the phone will ring. Text messages are similarly announced. I must've inadvertently activated some kind of voice command, because the phone wasn't doing this before. How do I turn this annoying feature off? I can't find anything about it in the manual.

Mourning Suncom

konolia — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:35:34 -0800

Tmobile just bought out Suncom in North Carolina. I had Suncom. Our cell phone plan was the Unplan, which had unlimited minutes in our region. What's gonna happen to my sweet deal? My husband is in real estate and is also heavily involved in local Party politics, which being translated means he is a massive user of cell phone minutes. The Unplan was made for folks like us...having perused the Tmobile site the nearest thing they have is a plan that is nationwide BUT will cost us more money. Going back to limited minutes is NOT AN OPTION.

Please tell me there is hope! In other words, will they grandfather in our plan-and if not, can we escape their clutches and go elsewhere? And if you are a realtor or otherwise a massive user of cellphone minutes, what else is out there that we should look at?

Set Me Free.

PFL — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:07:50 -0800

I want to unlock my Blackberry Curve. Any free solutions? How do sellers come up with these unlock codes anyway? I have unlocked phones before by paying a website ~$20 for a code. I know there is free software you can download that will provide unlock codes, but I don't know how reliable these are and I haven't been able to find one that unlocks Blackberrys.

Is there software out there that can do this? If not, how can I find out the unlock codes myself? Are there any tutorials out there? I haven't been able to find anything on Google aside from people selling the codes.

Can I liberate myself from Bell yet?

synecdoche — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:23:30 -0800

Is there any chance I can get out of my Bell cell phone contract as a result of their institution of fees for incoming text messages? I purchased a Bell cell phone about two years ago, with a three year contract. Two years later, and I use this thing exactly once a week. I was never happy with the service to begin with; I get a lot of dropped calls, poor reception where other people get fine reception, and the customer service has been terrible. Some of these things may be phone related but when I went back to the store to ask about them, they said all they could do was offer me a $25 discount on a new phone. No thanks.

Anyway, the new text messaging fee is sort of the last straw. Now that they want to charge me for incoming messages, I really want to be shot of them. What I am wondering specifically is if this new fee might constituted some sort of breach of my original contract, which did not stipulate per-message fees for incoming texts. If so, will this allow me to get out of my contract so I can get rid of this phone, and be free of Bell?

(I am in southern Ontario.)

Samsung f700 vs AT&T Tilt

Nickel — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 21:43:13 -0800

Smartphone Comparison: Samsung f700 vs AT&T Tilt After 3 years on a Sidekick 2, I'm ready to make the move to a better smartphone. I was looking at the iphone and the n95, but didn't like the lack of qwerty keypads. Now I'm trying to choose between the Samsung f700 and the AT&T Tilt (8925). They're similar phones - both have touchscreens, slide out qwerty keypads, fast HDSPA and the rest of the normal smartphone capabilities (music, camera, video, gps). Prices for unlocked versions of the phones seem similar on ebay, with the Tilt being slightly cheaper. Does anyone have any information about comparisons between the two?

My main interest is the overall "feel" of the phone. Does it feel solid and comfortable in your hand? Is it clunky and awkward? Do the keys feel good and easy to type with or are they small and cramped?

I will be buying an unlocked phone for use with T-Mobile in the US, will one phone have better functionality or service than the other? I understand that there are certain codes I need to use to connect to internet and MMS. I also understand that the samsung f700 is a triband (no 850 mhz). However, T-Mobile seems to use 1900 mhz exclusively, so will that be a problem?

Are there any other differences between the two?

need a loud phone

jeffcovey — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:08:46 -0800

which unlocked gsm phones have the loudest volume, for both sending and receiving? i've been frustrated with the last couple of cellphones i've owned, as i
often have trouble hearing people on the other end and they complain
that they can't hear me. i see people talking into phones on the train
and wonder whether they're just pretending to be on a call -- my phones
become useless if i'm just standing on a sidewalk with light traffic
going by.

my current phone is a motorola v195 that i'm using with t-mobile's
pay-as-you-go service. i'd like to replace it with something that's
useful outside a sealed soundproof room and that doesn't require me to
shout to be understood.

i just use a phone for making calls, and don't want web browsing,
cameras, pda features, etc. just a solid basic phone that can pump some
air out of its lungs.

thanks for your help,
jeff

GSM Unlock

Neiltupper — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:07:55 -0800

There plenty of sites which offer unlocking service for a gsm phone. Are there some services or methods that are superior to others? I have read that unlocking has occasionally resulted compromised phone features. Any suggestions or recommendations? It's a Motorola Razr.

Should we buy cellphones for $5 or not?

shipbreaker — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 15:29:51 -0800

The AT&T Pay As You Go "go phone" has a Motorola C168i with a color screen, at Best Buy or Radio Shack they cost $15 cash and come with $10 worth of airtime. Even if they are Made In China, can the Motorola phone itself only cost $5 US to manufacture? Also, many people I've discussed this with seem to think that if you buy several of these phones and treat them as "disposable", you get put onto a watchlist as a suspected terrorist or drug dealer. Can that be legal? Did the PATRIOT act (II, III, IV, whatever they're up to nowadays) make this legal? Is that just paranoia of the people I've talked to? Do we even dare to discuss this topic on the Internet?

Neat uses of the mobile web by media outlets?

Anonymous — Thu, 29 May 2008 13:20:40 -0800

What are some unique uses of the mobile web by television networks/individual shows, magazines and newspapers? I'm (reluctantly) working on a research project about possible future uses of the mobile web, SMS and mobile audio/video by a TV show. The show focuses on political issues, entertainment and current events, not breaking news. For various reasons, I don't want to get too specific. However, I've never used the mobile web and don't see the appeal to this, so I'm kind of lost.

I know this is vague, but I'm looking for something beyond the standard list of links, video highlights and SMS alerts. After sifting through 25-30 news sites, I'm not finding a lot beyond that.

I have a fair amount of ideas about possible features already: episode guides and schedules, podcasts, video highlights and full episodes, customizable reminders, polls and occasional special promotions. However, they're all sort of .. meh.

If you use the internet on your cell phone/PDA/whatever, what media outlets (beyond breaking news sites) stand out to you? Why? What do you wish you could see? Bonus if anything is at least vaguely interactive. Feel free to mention features that aren't necessarily applicable to a TV show format.

Find me an AT&T/Cingular cellphone that doesn't suck.

paultopia — Tue, 20 May 2008 15:15:46 -0800

Help me buy a new AT&T/Cingular cellphone that doesn't suck? I need reliability, general feature quality, and (ideally) calendar synchronization, don't need outrageous expense... I'm finally at the point in my cellphone contract where I can get a discount on a new phone for extending for another two years, which is great, because I hate my current phone. Since I'm doomed to stick with AT&T/Cingular for at least that long (it's the only company that gets decent signal on my campus), I don't mind the serfdom, but here's the problem: I can't find a phone that looks at all appealing.

Here's what I'd like:
1. Price: I don't want to spend more than a hundred bucks. I'd go a little higher if I could find a steep, steep discount on something wonderful (like an iphone). I don't care whether I do this by buying from AT&T or from a third party, so long as it works with my current account. And I don't mind buying refurbs, so long as they won't crap out on me and leave me holding a big financial burn. And I don't want to buy an expensive data/media plan to get the full discount. (That's AT&T's latest trick: hundred dollar mail-in rebate cards to get the advertised price, and you only get the rebate card if you not only get a 2 year voice contract, but also a ripoff data plan at an extra 20 bucks a month.)

2. Quality: general cellphone stuff is the most important. I hate my current phone (loathsome Sony Ericsson Z525a) because it does stupid crap like crash if shaken, freeze up, flicker all night because the connector for the charging cable isn't good, etc. The phone needs to work right, be audible, have decent battery life, last for 2 years, etc.

3. I don't need random toy features like cameras, ringtones, etc. Though they're nice if they come without costing more money or requiring compromising on other features.

4. Competent design. Another thing I hate about the phone I have is it puts some "push to talk" button on the side (I don't even know what "push to talk is," except AT&T charges you a lot of extra money for it.), so every time I took the phone out of my pocket, I'd press the button and get an error message. I eventually pried the button off the device in a fit of frustration. No more of this garbage, please.

5. Decent PDAish features would be nice, especially calendar sync with desktop (running vista, or linux if that's easier).

6. I don't want to buy a data plan now, but it would be nice if the phone could handle it should I want to do so later.

Is there a phone that can hit my sweet spot here? Or am I just totally dreaming that the cellphone companies could produce something other than glittery garbage and marketing tricks to screw the consumer?

help for the technologically callenged, please

raztaj — Tue, 20 May 2008 13:58:27 -0800

Please help me find a cell phone plan. (Please make it not be with Verizon) I've been on a family plan for a very long time. I'm looking to part ways, from being on my father's bill, and from dealing with incompetent Verizon employees. I'm up for a new phone/contract, so it seems like a good time to make a change.

If you have any suggests for plans, I'd be most appreciative. This is, in some ways, very new for me.

Here are my needs:
- I don't use my phone all that much for calls. 450mins a month with free evenings/weekends is fine.
- Unlimited texting would be good.
- e-mail and web access are turning into must (I do not have this now, but am finding it something I need)

Phone musts:
- PDA with calendar, notes, general PDA-like stuff, *without* a Windows interface (Treo 755 is nice)
- Not a fan of the blackberry. I can't get used to its design with the roller ball thing.

I can do a one year contract, and if possible, a plan that would let me do month-to-month after that. In a little bit over a year, I'm not sure where I'll be - I might be working abroad. I might join the peace corps. I'm not sure yet.

Clearly I'm technologically retarded and have been spoiled by being on someone else's bill for a long time, but I'm looking to change this.

This is very jumbled, but if anyone has some thoughts on direction based on some of this criteria, I'd be very appreciate. Thank you.