[Novalug] “What I Did This Summer” or “Goodby Cell Phone Contract”

greg pryzby greg@pryzby.org
Sun Nov 17 05:21:47 EST 2013


True on gvoice and international but if you have data you can run an all
that will use Wi-Fi. Getting the mailed transcript allowed me to call back
when I was on WiFi
On Nov 16, 2013 8:09 PM, "Jason Kohles" <jkohles@palantir.com> wrote:

>  Don't learn the hard way (like I did) that Google Voice won't help you
> here.  You can't forward your Google Voice calls to an international
> number, so it's no use if you plan to get a local SIM..
>
>  When I travel outside the US I end up pointing Google Voice at my office
> phone and then forwarding that to a local number..
>
> --
> Jason Kohles - Palantir Technologies - IT Site Engineer
>  jkohles@palantir.com - 703-957-5784
>
>
> On Nov 16, 2013, at 7:45 PM, "John Holland" <jholland@vin-dit.org> wrote:
>
>   I did something similiar but not as well researched as you. One thing I
> would recommend is getting a google voice # you can  forward to whatever
> cell or other number (or numbers) you are currently reachable at. It can
> also send you emails of your voice messages but the transcription is often
> incomprehensible.  (Don't know who else offers anything like this but would
> be interested to find out)
>
>
>
> On 11/16/2013 07:22 PM, Charles R. Head wrote:
>
> Simply put, I dumped my cell phone contract. I got a very nice smart phone
> that was reasonably priced, will run all the apps I need and will work
> anywhere in the world – all without a contract! I pay $0.05 per minute to
> talk anywhere in the U.S. and Canada.  When I travel, I'll get a second SIM
> for that locale when I get there.
>
> This all started when my wife and I visited Italy and Kenya this past
> summer. I knew she'd want to go to stores and art museums that I have no
> interest in, but we'd still need to keep in touch for meals, etc. So, what
> to do? We knew our U.S. CDMA smart phones wouldn't work essentially
> anywhere but in the U.S. So, in Italy, we bought two GSM cell phones for
> ~$20 each and got 240 minutes of talk time each on SIMs for a local telecom
> for an additional ~$10 each. They worked great. When we got to Kenya, we
> pulled the Italian SIMs out and inserted free Kenyan SIMs. We put a few $s
> of time on each phone and had a fine time there too. No contracts! No
> commitments! Great prices! Great service!
>
> When we got back to the U.S., I couldn't help but ask myself why I should
> have to put up with the expensive, long term contracts we're all stuck with
> here. I found the answer – *we don't*!
>
> Here's what I did:
>
>    -
>
>    I found that several companies sell dual SIM, multi-band GSM smart
>    phones. These phones are marketed as “world phones” because they will work
>    on both the cell phones bands used in the U.S. and the cell phone bands
>    used in the rest of the world.  [Google:  dual SIM, multi-band GSM smart
>    phones ]
>     -
>
>    I found that AT&T and T-Mobile both operate GSM cell phone networks in
>    the U.S., in parallel with their CDMA cell phone networks. They sell their
>    extra capacity to several cell phone service providers that then offer
>    service to the public on a pre-paid, no contract basis.  [Google:  pre-paid
>    GSM cell service ]
>     -
>
>    I bought a dual SIM, quad band GSM smart phone for ~$200. My phone
>    looks like a Samsung Galaxy SIII – the G SIII protective cases even fit.
>    -
>
>    I got a U.S./Canada SIM that gives me cell phone service for $0.05 per
>    minute. I buy service in $10 chunks, but several other options exist. I've
>    used my service around the D.C. area and in Portland, OR. It worked fine in
>    both places.
>
> I didn't provide any brand names above because I'm not shilling for
> anyone. Moreover, there are several different sources of both the smart
> phones and SIMs – some of which may well give better deals for you than
> what I got. Lately, I've seen some nice new phones I would like to have
> bought – but they came out after I bought mine. Nevertheless, if you really
> want to know what I bought and who I'm getting service from, I'll tell
> those who ask.
>
> Also, although data plans are available from the same service providers
> that provide GSM cell phone service in the U.S., I didn't get one. I just
> set up my phone to connect via WiFi when it's available (and FREE – I'm
> cheap! Yeah, I know. You'd never guess.).
>
> Drawbacks? Well, the price per minute is probably higher than you can get
> with a long term contract. However, for me, that difference is a trivial
> portion of my total cell phone cost and is totally overwhelmed by the
> benefit of not having a contract. Also, the coverage provided by the AT&T
> and T-Mobile GSM systems isn't as good in the U.S. as some CDMA systems.
> Nevertheless, I've found that I get totally sufficient connectivity around
> the D.C. area and in the other places I've visited since I started this one
> person revolt. It all depends on where you need to go. Oh – don't forget,
> phones like mine work all over the rest of the world too. That's something
> you can't say about your typical U.S. smart phone.
>
> So, come on in, join me. The water's fine – and you get to stick one in
> the man's eye!
>
>
>
>
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