funkyab
10+ year member
CarAudio.com Elite
well.. I am so sick of mobile phone providers jacking customers around like crazy here.
some of my biggest peves are:
1. companies such as ATT making customers think that they have to bind into a 1 year or 2 year contract, when in reality this is only necessary when buying a phone from them directly. Of course the legenth of the contract offsets the cost of the discounted phone (for them) but ends up screwing the customer in the end. In almost all cases it is cheaper in the long run to buy a phone (not from the network) and have the flexibility to change your contract whenever you want. Remember, we are not talking about prepaid, but a normal ATT contract just with out the years of binding time.
2. Those that get suckered into a 1 or 2 year contract many times have to stay with the rate prices of the contract that existed at the time they entered it even if better rate packages become available during their contract period. Many times providers will tell customers that they can change but they have to enter into another 1 or 2 year contract from that point forward, creating another circle.
2. The joke of 3G in the United States. Providers here boast 3g networks and speeds but this is really no more than a joke. In 2004 i was using 3g in europe that was significantly faster than the 3g speeds in the u.s now. We can just look at provider branded equipment. For example the htc hermes (labeled by att as the 8525 or tytn or even its follow up the htc kaiser or as known by att as the tilt, att has yet to include the second camera on these phones. funny thing is that HTC has to specially make the phones for att to NOT include this feature. By the second camera i mean the one on the front which allows real time video calls via 3g networks. With the rollout of 3g networks in other parts of the world, this was one of the very first features to be included on 3g phones to give users this feature showing the speeds of 3g. Hell... i was working at faster speeds in NAIROBI this time last year on safaricom (operated by vodafone) than i am on ATT here.
3. The joke that att makes in their commercials of "att has more bars everywhere" and even goes as far to say that "att even has bars in finland, hong kong, etc....."
what a joke, making users think that att has any kind of presense abroad. Of course, if you have a tri or quad band phone (in most cases locked to att ot tmobile) you can indeed use your phone in these other countries BUT WHILE TECHNICALLY ROAMING and paying sometimes 3 DOLLARS PER MINUTE!!!!
THE TRUTH IS.... this is a scam. What i have been doing for years is this.... all of my phones are of course able to be used in almost every other country with gsm service. I take out the international calling feature on my contract which gives typical rates of between 12 and 15 cents for calles to fixed phones (land lines) and 15-40 cents for calls to mobile phones. right before i leave the u.s. for wherever it is i am going, i use the call forwarding feature on my phone to forward my calls to the number of my sim chip in the country that I will be in. by doing this,,, people can call my local u.s.a number and it will be forwarded to my number in what ever country i am in at appx. 30 cents per minute, VERSUS me keeping my ATT chip in and paying upwards of 3 dollars per minute.
I could go on and on but ill stop here.
FUNNY THING IS... ATT can charge upwards of 3 dollars per minute while roaming with their chip on networks abroad and i can actually use my satellite phone for 1 dollar per minute (when purchasing 500 minute bundles) HAHA What a joke!!!
FYI... this is the next phone i am getting soon.
Thuraya recently launched a new satellite and covers most of the world.
I can have my sim chip in it for whatever country's provider i happen to be using and it uses that network but will automatically switch to satellite coverage when GSM is out of range.
Thuraya SG-2520 is a breakthrough in satellite communication technology.
As the world’s smartest and lightest dual-mode satellite mobile phone (170g), Thuraya SG-2520 offers dynamic performance, inimitable style and innovative features surpassing all other available satellite-based products.
Smart Phone
Using cutting edge satellite technology, Thuraya SG-2520 is an advanced "smart phone" with 3-in-1 integrated technologies (satellite, GSM Tri-band and GPS) offering users an unparalleled combination of quality and performance.
GSM Tri-band
The satellite service option in Thuraya SG-2520 allows you to roam across nearly one third of the globe, from border to border; in urban areas and remote locations providing the advantages of easy mobility and seamless service beyond land-based telecommunication systems. This means that if you are in Thuraya’s coverage area you can make and receive calls anywhere in the world. And when outside the coverage area, you can also use your phone within a GSM compatible network.
Thuraya SG-2520 is the only satellite tri-band phone that provides connectivity on 900/1800/1900 MHz GSM networks offering greater flexibility in high traffic GSM environments with increased phone usability and voice quality in Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe and North America.
GPS Services
Thuraya SG-2520 offers superior GPS navigation capabilities that allow users to find locations and reach destinations quickly and safely.
Mobile Satellite Internet
Thuraya SG-2520 is GmPRS enabled. The embedded micro browser facilitates convenient Internet access. You can download/upload information at speeds of up to 60/15 kbps using Thuraya’s satellite network anywhere in Thuraya’s coverage area.
Display
A high resolution, 262,000-colour user friendly display [1.9 inch] enables easy viewing of the phone’s multimedia applications.
Interactive Applications
Thuraya SG-2520 supports a variety of applications based on Java (J2ME).
Thuraya Mobile Satellite Services
USB Data Cable
Solar Charger
-------
a big step up from my last sat phone
(the one in the middle)
some of my biggest peves are:
1. companies such as ATT making customers think that they have to bind into a 1 year or 2 year contract, when in reality this is only necessary when buying a phone from them directly. Of course the legenth of the contract offsets the cost of the discounted phone (for them) but ends up screwing the customer in the end. In almost all cases it is cheaper in the long run to buy a phone (not from the network) and have the flexibility to change your contract whenever you want. Remember, we are not talking about prepaid, but a normal ATT contract just with out the years of binding time.
2. Those that get suckered into a 1 or 2 year contract many times have to stay with the rate prices of the contract that existed at the time they entered it even if better rate packages become available during their contract period. Many times providers will tell customers that they can change but they have to enter into another 1 or 2 year contract from that point forward, creating another circle.
2. The joke of 3G in the United States. Providers here boast 3g networks and speeds but this is really no more than a joke. In 2004 i was using 3g in europe that was significantly faster than the 3g speeds in the u.s now. We can just look at provider branded equipment. For example the htc hermes (labeled by att as the 8525 or tytn or even its follow up the htc kaiser or as known by att as the tilt, att has yet to include the second camera on these phones. funny thing is that HTC has to specially make the phones for att to NOT include this feature. By the second camera i mean the one on the front which allows real time video calls via 3g networks. With the rollout of 3g networks in other parts of the world, this was one of the very first features to be included on 3g phones to give users this feature showing the speeds of 3g. Hell... i was working at faster speeds in NAIROBI this time last year on safaricom (operated by vodafone) than i am on ATT here.
3. The joke that att makes in their commercials of "att has more bars everywhere" and even goes as far to say that "att even has bars in finland, hong kong, etc....."
what a joke, making users think that att has any kind of presense abroad. Of course, if you have a tri or quad band phone (in most cases locked to att ot tmobile) you can indeed use your phone in these other countries BUT WHILE TECHNICALLY ROAMING and paying sometimes 3 DOLLARS PER MINUTE!!!!
THE TRUTH IS.... this is a scam. What i have been doing for years is this.... all of my phones are of course able to be used in almost every other country with gsm service. I take out the international calling feature on my contract which gives typical rates of between 12 and 15 cents for calles to fixed phones (land lines) and 15-40 cents for calls to mobile phones. right before i leave the u.s. for wherever it is i am going, i use the call forwarding feature on my phone to forward my calls to the number of my sim chip in the country that I will be in. by doing this,,, people can call my local u.s.a number and it will be forwarded to my number in what ever country i am in at appx. 30 cents per minute, VERSUS me keeping my ATT chip in and paying upwards of 3 dollars per minute.
I could go on and on but ill stop here.
FUNNY THING IS... ATT can charge upwards of 3 dollars per minute while roaming with their chip on networks abroad and i can actually use my satellite phone for 1 dollar per minute (when purchasing 500 minute bundles) HAHA What a joke!!!
FYI... this is the next phone i am getting soon.
Thuraya recently launched a new satellite and covers most of the world.
I can have my sim chip in it for whatever country's provider i happen to be using and it uses that network but will automatically switch to satellite coverage when GSM is out of range.
Thuraya SG-2520 is a breakthrough in satellite communication technology.
As the world’s smartest and lightest dual-mode satellite mobile phone (170g), Thuraya SG-2520 offers dynamic performance, inimitable style and innovative features surpassing all other available satellite-based products.
Smart Phone
Using cutting edge satellite technology, Thuraya SG-2520 is an advanced "smart phone" with 3-in-1 integrated technologies (satellite, GSM Tri-band and GPS) offering users an unparalleled combination of quality and performance.
GSM Tri-band
The satellite service option in Thuraya SG-2520 allows you to roam across nearly one third of the globe, from border to border; in urban areas and remote locations providing the advantages of easy mobility and seamless service beyond land-based telecommunication systems. This means that if you are in Thuraya’s coverage area you can make and receive calls anywhere in the world. And when outside the coverage area, you can also use your phone within a GSM compatible network.
Thuraya SG-2520 is the only satellite tri-band phone that provides connectivity on 900/1800/1900 MHz GSM networks offering greater flexibility in high traffic GSM environments with increased phone usability and voice quality in Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe and North America.
GPS Services
Thuraya SG-2520 offers superior GPS navigation capabilities that allow users to find locations and reach destinations quickly and safely.
Mobile Satellite Internet
Thuraya SG-2520 is GmPRS enabled. The embedded micro browser facilitates convenient Internet access. You can download/upload information at speeds of up to 60/15 kbps using Thuraya’s satellite network anywhere in Thuraya’s coverage area.
Display
A high resolution, 262,000-colour user friendly display [1.9 inch] enables easy viewing of the phone’s multimedia applications.
Interactive Applications
Thuraya SG-2520 supports a variety of applications based on Java (J2ME).
Thuraya Mobile Satellite Services
USB Data Cable
Solar Charger
-------
a big step up from my last sat phone
(the one in the middle)
I guess it is safe to say when it comes to cell phones it is all serious business with you //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif
ngsm13
5,000+ posts
BSEE
INdeed.
I'm in a contract, but big deal...
I like getting phones for free... and paying the price per month I've always paid...
nG
I'm in a contract, but big deal...
I like getting phones for free... and paying the price per month I've always paid...
nG
FurbiesAndBeans
10+ year member
CarAudio.com Elite
Too bad verizon's phone HAVE to be activated through them... no sim card //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif
funkyab
10+ year member
CarAudio.com Elite
indeed, I have many friends that have been frustrated with this. CDMA is an old technology originally used in WWII.
The biggest problem with cdma is that cdma netorrks are a small fraction of networks worldwide. Granted, in the usa there are many verizon users using this technology but you are basically SOL if you want to use your equipment on other markets.
GSM was originally designed to be the "global system for mobile communications" Unfortunately the USA did not really get on board at the beginning when many countries were building up their GSM networks. And another funny thing is that when the USA DID DECIDE to use GSM technology, they began operating on the 1900mhz band when most of the other GSM providers in the world were using 850 and 1800... so much for GLOBAL!!!
MikeofTulsa
Moderator
The one and Only!
you talk about all this shit worldwide. in reality how many of us leave the US? what good would a phone that works worldwide do us if we are never outside the us? you are a moron.
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