Random cellphone babbling thread #1

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They're on a different list - that of companies which I would love to see wither and die verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry slowly and painfully...

That's true. We've already wasted enough space about the iTrash, though.

 

Number portability is FINALLY just a couple of days away - next Wednesday, to be more precise. So, my fellow Canadians, we FINALLY can switch providers and keep old phone numbers... not a minute too soon, I must say.

So, seeing as we now can port numbers, I've gotten my old Fido account restored (didn't dropped any airtime prior to the end of the allowed six months - but then again it doesn't matter as it's just "put on hold" after that six months) only to begin the process of porting my number to Solo Mobile next week, though I wonder if they will be able to port my old Fido number to my already active Solo account. I'll know on Monday, I guess.

Failing that, I'll just feed my Fido airtime every now and then. One thing tipping the scales in their favor is the rewards program - drop airtime, stash up on Fido dollars, and cash them in for a new phone. Sounds great for a whimsical schizophrenic artist like me who tires of phones shortly after getting them. Now I'll just bide my time and hopefully get a new one for free every year or year and a half.

 

Field test: Nokia 3390, Fido/Rogers

The 3390 is a monoband (GSM 1900) phone which was offered by Fido when the stars were young. Where others see this one as junk, I don't. Someone's junk can be someone else's treasure.

Battery life: With the original NiMH battery, it's rated for 5.5 days. Since the NiMH battery was dead when I was given the phone, I swapped it with my 3590's BLC-1 which pumps up battery life to roughly 9 days.

Signal: For a 1900 MHz only handset, this one holds it's own surprisingly against my other phones. Being as this one uses 1900 MHz exclusively, I do not have access to 850 MHz, but it's not a big deal as I don't get out of town very often, and Fido's reception in urban areas is astounding, so losing 850 MHz is no big loss. I've recently unlocked it, so it gave me a chance to test it with Rogers service. Unsurprisingly, I've had roughly the same performances RF-wise, which doesen't come out as a surprise since Fido/Rogers use the same network platform.

Sound quality: Good, though at the receiving it shows I'm on a cellphone. The earpiece if plenty loud and has a great sound quality, though a minor hiss can be heard in the background during periods of silence.

Form factor: Candybar

Phone and keyboard feel: This one feels like a 5165-3590 crossover. It has the 3590 form factor (though in a smaller, wider package), and the keyboard feels and looks like a 51xx. This perticular keyboard layout is no-frills and takes some time getting used to. Personally, I've grew fond of this perticular keyboard layout and the Navi key, having used a 5165 for maybe a year or so.

Screen: Small monochrome screen with Nokia's signature puke-green backlight. Unlike newer Nokias, signal and battery gauges have 4 bars on this one.

Camera: None. Phone cameras sucks.

Customization: No carrier offers any mono ringtones or wallpapers, but that's okay, Oxygen Phone Manager is packed with everything I need to make my own. Ringtone-wise, the phone has a built-in composer which allows, with the proper writing, the composing of custom tunes, though only ONE can be saved at a time. The custom ringtone on my phone is Marilyn Manson's cover of Sweet Dreams. Like a vast majority of Nokia models, the 3390 can also be customized via a custom faceplate.

Wrap-up: This is another fine vintage Nokia addition to my collection. Yeah, I'm a vintage phone lover and if you're not down with that, then I don't care.

Final score: 8.5/10. With a LED swap and a custom plate, this will definitively be a great little phone. Now that it is unlocked, it also could be used as a roaming phone.

[ May 21, 2007, 20:45: Message edited by: Disciple of The Watch ]

 

Updated Nokia 6015i & BlackBerry 5810 reviews.

Some more iDEN phone (so far the i1000, and maybe a couple more) reviews coming soon.

 

This thread looks like it could use a good shot of energy in the arm...

Here's what a columist at PC World has to say about the upcomming iPhone.

Let the iPhone bashing begin!

 

Got a new phone just a few weeks ago, when a relative of mine complained that his phone made calls by itself. So I made a radio out of it with an occasional PrePaid -call capability. Nokia could use a better UI, though.

 

Indeed, indeed. I was supposed to post a couple more phone reviews, but things never go the way they're supposed to, so... but anyway, I'll try to get them up and running later this week.

Anyway, about the iTrash, predictive text entry is a f****** nightmare... though Palm's handwriting recognition takes the palm of horrible software.

As for it's using EDGE, since I'm not a data user I could care less whenever it uses CSD (a cookie if you remember this one), WAP, GPRS, EDGE or HSDPA - what's the point of downloading tones/wallpapers at 1.1 MB/s? Okay, in the case of music phones I can understand - being the owner of a Samsung T809 myself - but mobile TV? Movie streaming? Whatever.

Anyway, knowing Apple, the first version of the iTrash supports EDGE, and maybe in a year or so later - mark my words - they will launch an HSDPA version, just to force you to buy another one to access Average Joe's precious 3G capabilities.

Indeed, indeed.

The moral of this story? Apple, you might be a big name in the computer industry, but in the wireless industry... you're gonna get stomped... bad.

 

IIRC when/if they launch the iPhone in Europe, it will support 3G+, it is no match for other smartphones though.

On a sidenote, I managed to wash my Bluetooth Headset today . Of course it happens the one time when I am too lazy to check the pockets for any items... Oh well, it was a cheap model anyway.

 

I'm getting a Nokia N73 next week after 2 years with my Nokia 6020

 

Ok, got my contract upgrade yestarday. Went for the Samsung U600, instead of the Sony Erricson K950i. Wise choice do you think? I went with the Sumsung as everyone i know has problems with their Sony's. Although i didnt have any problems with my K750, i reckon i was just lucky.

 

Ahh,the U600. Interesting choice, Dalveen. Memory card slot, 3MP cam, 18-bit TFT color screen, all with the tried tested and true Samsung reliability -- oops, this is a GSM Samsung we're talking about here, never mind.

Still have the same problems with Solo - that's right, they haven't fixed the problems yet. I'm thinking of going to the competition, and thanks to money woes, I'm moving in a small town that isn't even covered by digital service yet (housing is FAR less expensive there), so I will have to roll back to analog.

So, I'm now into the part of deciding which analog phone I'm getting. Seeing as my old 232 has a broken LCD, I'm not using it. I thought about the StarTAC I have, but Telus are anal bastards who refuse to activate anything they didn't sold themselves. Technically, I *could* get it flashed with the proper Telus firmware, and clone the ESN of my VX-3200, but that's just a huge hassle.

I *could* technically use my SCP-3100... but Bell analog coverage is horrible where I'm going to be living. Telus, on the other hand, have good - but not great - analog coverage so that's the way to go.

Brain cancer, anyone?

[ June 23, 2007, 07:57: Message edited by: Disciple of The Watch ]

 

Well, it has finally happened - BB5 has been succesfully reverse-engineered.

A fully working BB5 unlocking software is now out. So far BB5 unlocking only works via cable, but it shouldn't take an eternity before it is repackaged as a working calc.

I haven't tested it myself, not having the necessary cable for my 2610, but reports hold many successful unlocks.

Just thought I'd pass the info along.

 

And another MVNO bites the dust.

First it was ESPN Mobile, then Amp'd. Last I heard, Disney Mobile isn't doing too well either, and Jitterbug? I heard next to nothing, though I wouldn't be surprised it's not doing too well either. Helio is struggling, I heard. Virgin Mobile, OTOH, is faring very well. I don't know about Tracfone, though.

MVNOs in itself aren't a bad idea... but this is an extremely competitive market. To even be remotly viable in the wireless industry, you have to offer something the other carriers do not. Take Virgin Mobile, for example - it offers cheap prepaid service, and the number of subscribers and the international presence of Virgin Mobile clearly shows this was a huge market to tap.

At any rate, down goes another MVNO.

I must say I am looking foward to see the Canadian branch of Amp'd Mobile fail so abysmally as it did in the US. It's but a matter of time...

 

Anyone can recommend a good quad-band phone with at least a week's worth of battery life, and both infrared and bluetooth connectivity?

Any other extras (mp3, camera, games...) I don't really care about.

 

Mobile broadband is ten bucks around here now, so I've been seriously looking into it. The default (and cheapest) speed is 384kbps, so I'm wondering just how my Nokia 6822 can be in EDGE/3G coverage area.

Problem is, I can find this info *nowhere*. Help please?

 

The 6822 does NOT support 3G - only class 4 EDGE and class 10 GPRS.

I'm not really sure about the specific info you're looking for, but if you want to know about the performances of your phone in terms of speed, you're in for a disappointement.

Theorically, EDGE is capable of speeds up to 236 KB/s. Concretely, expect speeds of maybe 60-80KB/s using EDGE data.

If you are seriously looking for mobile Internet, and plan a heavy use, you should definitively consider getting a 3G phone.

Can you be a little more specific, like a preferred manufacturer, form factor, carrier? That would help.

 

My carrier is Vodafone Ireland. Even though I have a contract with them and could get a phone upgrade, I normally buy SIM-free phones, so I don't limit my choices to the (usually crap) phones they offer.

I'm not too fussy about the manufacturer. I have owned Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Motorola phones, and they all have good and bad things.

In any case, I'd prefer something small, easy to carry, but with decently sized buttons. I'm strongly against anything extremely thin phones, like the RAZR. I got one for Christmas. It fell from my desk one day. It broke. No more thin phones for me, thank you very much.

I haven't owned any sliding phone, so I wouldn't have an opinion.

The only clamshell I ever liked was a Motorola PEBL, which could be easily open with one hand thanks to its spring mechanism, it felt great to the touch, and it wasn't too thick.

 

Ok, DotW...here's another research project for you.

I saw a commercial for T-Mo's new technology that uses WiFi *and* standard cell towers for what seemed like an outrageously low monthly bill.

So since I'm at work and too lazy to look for myself, what phone(s) do you have to buy to take advantage of the plan? Any other info you find would be helpful too.

 

Dude, take your Alzheimer pills, you already asked me about that. Anyway, I'll refresh your memory. The said service is called Hotspot@home, and UMA-compatible phones are the SDA, Nokia 6086 and the Samsung T409 (Basically, you'll need a new Hotspot@home compatible phone)

You will also need a router for the service - T-Mobile offer one, but you can use another router - not sure about those you can use, I think a D-Link or a Linksys.

IIRC, calls made on WiFi are not deduced from your bank of minutes. Also, if you initiate a call while on WiFi, and then move out of the hotspot and relay the call to standard cells, the call won't be deduced from your bank of minutes. The opposite is not true, however. You WILL be charged for a call initiated on regular cells (if using daytime minutes), even if the call is relayed to your hotspot.

Pricing is something you'll have to move your lazy arse and find out yourself. You can do that, can you?

Right. Give me some time to check it out, and I'll get back to you.

*EDIT* Okay, after a quick look at Vodafone's lineup there are a couple of phones that meets the quad-band and Bluetooth criteria, but IR is more difficult to find. You DO know you can transfer filed and stuff like that via Bluetooth, yes? IR is on it's way out and is less and less common on phone. Also, do you have a certain set budget? The best phones that I can think of are S60 Nokias, and they're not cheap.

[ August 02, 2007, 22:00: Message edited by: Disciple of The Watch ]