XDA Smart Folks! I need crowd-source thinking on this. It's something that affects many many people, and will continue to for years to come. I've searched online high and low for answers to this, analyzed all sorts of potential scenarios for one simple purpose: cutting my landline service but holding keeping that phone number in my possession (maybe a year) until I decide where to go with it.
Here's my phone "ecosystem" right now:
(1) Landline home service which also carries my DSL service. I want to cut this service but find cheapest way to keep the number, to use to call forward to wherever I choose.
(2) I no longer need a landline phone, huge waste of money, and DSL can now be delivered via "dry loop"... whereby DSL provider supplies the phone line to you, using local phone company lines, routed to you strictly as data, which you have no responsibility for. The "dry loop" phone line is built into their monthly DSL price, but it is not in any way a phone # I access or use.
(3) T-mobile cell voice + unlimited internet/data plan for past 5 years, with HTC touchscreen phone, and a phone number I like.
(4) Several SKYPE-IN phone #s local to me
(5) and now a Google Voice # local to me.
(6) A Skype-to-go # I use just for calling international #s via a phone, vs via skype app on a computer. (You call your own Skype-to-go #, using any phone, cell or landline anywhere, then press speed-dials to connect to international land or mobile phones)
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MY PREFERRED SOLUTIONS, but not yet available, if at all:
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1. Port my about-to-be-disconnected landline # to replace my Google Voice #. This recent article from TechCrunch shows that it IS possible, just not yet available for "rank & file" GV users.
How I Learned To Quit The iPhone And Love Google Voice
Want to port your mobile number to Google Voice.... and do what I've done? Google Voice's Secret Weapon: Number Portability
It's an interesting quandary that, in order to port your number you need to ...Google Voice About to Get More Amazing By Letting You Port Your ...
Jun 14, 2009 ... That means you'll be able to port the phone numberGoogle Voice and use whatever phone you want, ... you've had for 5 or 10 or 100 years to Arrington Gets To Port Into Google Voice, When Do The Rest Of Us ...
Aug 10, 2009 ... Well, yesterday I read that Michael Arrington (a new adopter to Google Voice) of Techcrunch was able to port his numberGoogle Voice ... into
2. Port to my Skype-In # ... (Not a chance. Won't happen due to USA FCC rules)
3. Possibly add a 2nd line to my existing T-mo account, with a free no-feature phone, and use it just to forward calls to wherever I choose. Perhaps in a year Google Voice will have Number Portability by then. Downside: too costly
4. NOT cut off my local landline service, but convert it to a fax/data line, and, if possible, set up voice call-forwarding to whatever phone I actually want to ring when people dial my long-time #. Problem: I really despise my local provider for its domestic spying on all US citizens every phone call and web site in cooperation with Bush Administrations blatant disregard for laws. This is the primary reason I want to cut that tie completely -- an economic statement of principle.
5. Get a cheap pre-pay cell-phone plan that i use for no other reason than to preserve my # and use to call forward. But I don't know if consumers can port a number to a pre-paid plan in USA. Can they?
6. Use a "phone number parking service". I didn't know these existed til tonight. Like domain-name parking. But it's specifically for people in my shoes. You port your # to them, they forward your calls wherever you want, $10/month. Like here, and here.
7. Establish T-Mobile @ Home local service -- but I don't know if this sets you up with a separate phone # besides your cell line; I'm assuming no.
8. And finally: Let go of my current T-Mobile cell #, and just port my landline # to my cell account. The downside here is that it is an established contact #, I like it, and porting my landline # to it eliminates it.
What sayeth XDA-dev members?
UPDATE 1: NUMBER PORTABILITY - Ways to hold onto a number in between services
I've done some ruleouts since yesterday, which reduce the options:
• Port to my Skype-In # ... Eliminated. Not possible, per Skype support email.
• Possibly add 2nd line to my existing T-mo account, : Will cost me $20/month additional, by using a Family Plan additional one line. Not a good value at all. The price threshold to meet or beat is $10/month for actual phone service; or $5/month to "park your number"
5. Get a cheap pre-pay cell-phone plan (for example Tracfone or Virgin Mobile) that i use for no other reason than to preserve my # and use to call forward. But I don't know if consumers can port a number to a pre-paid plan in USA. Can they?
6. Use a "phone number parking service". This seems like the way to go -- unless T-Mobile wakes up with item 7 below. I didn't know these existed til tonight. Like domain-name parking. But it's specifically for people in my shoes. You port your # to them, they forward your calls wherever you want, $10/month. Like here, and here.
7. Establish T-Mobile @ Home local service -- ANSWERS: Yes, I can port my old landline # to a new T-Mobile @ Home VOIP account. HOWEVER, A REALLY STUPID PROBLEM -- T-MOBILE WON'T LET YOU PAY THEM an additional $10/month for this service, in some cases:
LISTEN UP T-MOBILE, or get hurt by stupidity: T-Mobile will not let customers sign up for this service -- and pay T-Mobile an additional revenue of $10/month -- unless the customer has a voice plan of $39.99 or over. I use my cell more for data than talk, so I have the $29.99 voice plan -- and so T-Mobile says "No, we will not take your money and make from you an additional $120/year in revenue, because you don't qualify to pay us $10/month." ... Nevermind that I have an additional Text messaging plan, and on top of that a "Total Internet and Unlimited Hotspot" data plan -- adding another $40/month I pay to them. Pure beancounter mentality vs Total Customer Relationship business mentality.
(10-1-09) Right now I have a call-back due from T-Mobile's CUSTOMER RETENTION department to let me know if they will let me pay them an additional $10/month to get the @Home VOIP phone service... If they don't, I may pack up my whole account with them and switch to Sprint or AT&T, simply due to beancounter insulting stupidity. Stay tuned for the answer.
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Related
hi everyone, before you are going to call any 0870/ 0845 number, try this
http://www.saynoto0870.com/search.php
and most of the company include HTC has local number instead of 08xx
this way you can save money or use your free min to spaek to the company or custmore service.
please tell everyone about this !!
I have been using them for a while now and it works quite well with a few exceptions.
If you have access to a landline it also offers 0800 options for many numbers too.
I had problems calling post offices and the DVLA with it, and also once a bank etc finds someone has found a way of calling them and bypassing a number that makes them revenue to keep you waiting - they often change the number.
But I would say always worth a try regardless of this.
tethering and Wi-Fi Sharing Add-On Feature Launches November 3
Overview
On November 3, T-Mobile will launch a tethering and Wi-Fi sharing add-on feature. This feature will allow customers to use their phone as a modem, enabling them to connect a computer or Wi-Fi capable device to the Web using our 3G or HSPA+ network.
By adding this add-on feature, which will cost $14.99/month, customers will gain access to the Web when they are on the go and wherever T-Mobile has coverage. Although most customers will use their laptop to access our network through their device, they will also be able to connect using any Wi-Fi capable device, like gaming devices, non-T-Mobile tablets like the iPad, and music players. Customers can make the phone-as-modem connection using a USB cable, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi sharing.
Requirements
Customers must have a 3G or HSPA+ compatible device to utilize the Tethering/Wi-Fi sharing feature.
Customers must have an Unlimited Web feature with an MRC of $19.95 or higher.
Customers must add the $14.99 Tethering/Wi-Fi add-on feature.
This is a separate add-on feature and in addition to the Unlimited Web feature.
Available for postpaid and FlexPay customers. Note: FlexPay customers will need to change their Unlimited Web feature in order for the new tethering add-on feature to work.
Right fitting
Tethering/Wi-Fi sharing will be ideal for customers who:
Need occasional access to the Web using a PC or other device.
Want a connection to the Web on-the-go, wherever T-Mobile has coverage.
Don’t see the need or want the expense of a complete mobile broadband experience, like T-Mobile’s webConnect. Note: customers who intend to use their laptops to access the Web frequently, or use a high amount of data, should consider a webConnect plan.
Additional Details
Customers who purchase a T-Mobile mobile broadband product like the upcoming Galaxy Tab should activate with a webConnect plan to ensure the best experience.
The set-up process will be determined by the type of device customers own and will be different for every manufacturer.
The data accumulated while tethering will count towards customers’ 5GB data speed reduction threshold limit.
Because T-Mobile Terms & Conditions have not permitted tethering in the past, those customers who have configured their device for tethering will receive a message on their handset advising them they will need to add the new add-on feature to continue using their device as a modem.
Action
Be aware dealers can begin selling the Tetherng/Wi-Fi add-on feature beginning November 3.
Review the Grab & Go for additional information.
Beginning November 3, refer to policy pages: T-MobileNews > In-Store Polices and Procedures
source: http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2010/10/26/t-mobile-to-charge-14-99-tethering-fee-come-nov-3rd/
I have received the same communication and am currently using it with no additional cost. Granted I am using it prior to the launch date so that may have something to do with it.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
Ditto - using Nexus One with custom ROM on current unlimited plan. Will be watching to see if somehow they start blocking this.
Magic Numbers Finder on Orange
I just published my first app to help people save money on there phone bills by adding Orange network numbers to their magic numbers plan to get free calls from an 80p app.
Credit to google and Taiic for making this possible.
Use ‘Magic Numbers Finder’ to check if you can save money calling your favourite people. This app allows you to check their number to see if they are with Orange*.
Save £££’s by adding them to your Magic Numbers list to call them for free (on Pay Monthly)for as long as you want**, or an hour for 20p on PAYG.
Orange Magic Numbers is available on most Orange pay monthly Contracts and PAYG plans, please see the official site for full details and terms and conditions.
Remember you can add an extra magic number every 6 months if you stay on an eligible pay monthly plan.
*** Features***
Checks your contacts number against a database of known Orange numbers to see if they may be eligible to be used as a Magic Number.
Smooth, easy to use interface.
Remembers contacts you have already found in a convenient list ready to be added to your Magic Numbers.
Permissions:
Storage – To keep a list of all the contacts you have found.
Network communications – used to link out to the Orange website for full terms and conditions.
Your personal information – needed to access your contacts list to check their numbers.
Phone calls – The app checks that you are not in a call.
Disclaimer:
The app is in no way endorsed by ‘Orange’ or the ‘Everything Everywhere’ company. This app is provided ‘as is’ to help you save money.
* Some numbers may be false positives/negatives as people may have taken their number to or from another network, unfortunately there is no way for this to be taken into account. Orange have specific terms and conditions on availability and usage costs of their Magic Numbers service which you can find on Oranges website.
.Any queries with use of magic numbers should be referred directly to Orange.
** Orange state that the Promotion is subject to a fair usage policy, which is currently defined as a maximum call duration of 3 hours per Magic Number per day.
moderators, if there is a better place to put this, please move accordingly.
situation:
my employer will pickup $95 of my cellphone bill if i get a smartphone for work - so that i can check emails while traveling to job sites, meetings, etc. i travel about once every other week now. they will put me on the company account when i am traveling every week. so this might only be a 2 year stop-gap till they are paying for all of my phone and this isnt an issue at all. at that point, i can port my GV number to ATT and the company account.
i currently have a dumb or "feature phone" and cant justify spending the monthly data rate to get a smart phone for personal usage, but if my business pick-ups most of the tab, it is worth it. personally, i make less than 200 minutes of calls and 200 texts (mostly to my wife who is on the same plan, that is all negated as part of the "shared"
if i stay on my current family's plan and convert it to a family data share plan (ATT), that actually saves me about $15 a month on my phone bill
downside - i have an out of area phone number and my office wants me to have an in-area phone number for business
in short, what is the best, long term way to have 2 numbers call/receive on a cellphone, without having to pay extra, or minimal, for the convenience of being able to call from the different numbers. if the telecom carriers would just drop their stupid tax limitation for having different tax / area codes on the same account, i wouldn't have this issue. realistically - if everyone in the USA had free nation wide calling via cellphone, land-line, etc - we would all just have 10 digit numbers and this wouldn't be a problem b/c we wouldn't need all of these hacks and tweaks for porting numbers, move voice over sip/voip, use 3rd party programs that use txt over data rather than it just all being easy and cheap / rant over.
GV number
it appears i am receive / call from an in-area number - i already setup a number and tried a iphone and it works great.
not concerned that it uses minutes b/c family share plan has unlimited minutes (i keep searching for google voice alternatives and i either come up with VoIP / SIP options to avoid using minutes and use data OR business plans that use voice, but charge for minutes)
my concerns / reason for looking for other options / alternatives
1. every year google says that US calling is free for the next year. and their rates page shows the same.
since i will be using default GV iphone/android app that will use minutes rather than VoIP to make the calls, will that ever be a concern of mine (e.g. if google makes a call $0.01 a minute in the future, i don't want to have to find another option really quick b/c it does not suite my needs anymore)
2. GV closing - everyone was "up-in-arms" about reader closing this year. most of us have moved to other programs / clients that allow us to continue reading news
3. GV says that you shouldnt use it for business b/c they don't have enterprise support. the company i work for is far from an enterprise, but i still have some an uneasy feeling that if google doesn't like GV anymore and drop it, im scrambling to find something fast and dont want to do that. e.g. is this the best long term solution?
option 2: long time listener to leo laporte / twit and they are advertising ring central.
looked at their features and not only will it cost more than i am saving, but also, it has tons more features that what i need.
other options? someone on the GV forums called GV a "call management service" and i have searched for alternatives and most of the business oriented services seem to want to offer more features than i need and to change for it. most of the personal alternatives are an attempt to reduce voice minutes, but use data.
a lot of our contractor clients have project managers and job-site supers have completely random area codes and call from other named business's when they call us, so it might not even be an issue. trying to do all my research before i go back to my boss and give him some options and see if having an in-area number is required or just something that they would want.
thanks for the help and advise.
So has anyone gotten the Moto X on RW yet? If so can you give me your personal review of the phone and service? Thanks a million!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
I hope I hace one
I hope I hace one
Using Moto X on RW for 30 days and love it!
Being a newby here, I can't provide a link to my original post, so here's the response cross-posted.
In short. I dig it. Cheap phone, well equipped (no, not the best or fastest, but hits my sweet spot; ok, no jokes...), and WiFi access is fine.
Pros
- convenience (dirt simple; if you can post to this site, you can manage your phones)
- cost/TCO (half the cost of VZW)
- quality of handset
- no contract
- service extends between US and Canada (calls from Canada to US included; WiFi use encouraged, but not required)
[Update: service was confirmed during a 6 day trip to Ontario, where we had no difficulty calling each other and others using RW phones while roaming, all included in the flat monthly rate. We only lacked the data, voice and SMS were fine; we had no trouble finding WiFi for email, etc.]
Cons
- Sprint network is not the best (but works well in my area; ymmv)
- can't auto-dial a conf call number (can dial 800-numbers, but can't pass a second string automagically; I have to remember the code and enter after the call connects; for me, a small trade-off for cheap service)
- phones have custom ROM to handle hybrid WiFi/Cell calls, so they can't be used on another network.
If you have questions, please ask. I do NOT work for RW... I was a very loyal VZW customer (great network, great service, but expensive)
If you want $19 discount on first month, use my discount code at referrals dot republicwireless dot com /a/clk/1x9d7h
My Experience
Call quality has been great during our first month of ownership. WiFi and 3G calls are great, with only a few moments of "clipped" speech on two separate calls. I believe that has more to do with my WiFi network than anything else. Not bad considering the many hours of use the Moto X has been getting. According to the RW site, I've "offloaded" about 25% of my calls to WiFi this month, which allows them to lower costs.
[Updated: I did confirm that my router/ap setup impacted calls and I've tweaked things for perfect results, now]
Setting up the phone was a simple, guided process. You are assigned a phone number, based on your billing address, and there's a web form for porting an existing number to the new device. Note: Google Voice numbers can't be ported to the phone, but you can still use the GV app on the phone, and can even force the phone to only dial out as GV. Number porting was done in 2 days and I noticed I lost access to my VZW online account. I figured this would happen and grabbed anything of value from the site before initiating the port requests.
Based on prior comments, here are a few corrections. Google Voice works just fine on the Moto X, including visual voicemail and transcription of messages into text (very convenient). LastPass integration is awesome... and don't forget your YubiKey NEO for two-factor authentication. VPN connections are supported, which reduce exposure while on public WiFi. Google integration is excellent and setup is easy. I have some concerns about Motorola capturing data and sending through their servers, but lack the skills to cut them off -- search for Motorola Is Listening and you'll get the story.
NAS/Cloud
If you have not checked out Synology, do yourself a favor... the absolute best NAS out there. Their software is amazing and it permits use of Android Apps to get at Music, Videos, Files, and downloads. To cut it short... their apps are my personal cloud. Paired with cheap 3G/4G, you can't beat the convenience and security of knowing you're activity is not being monitored for later resale in the form of promotions suited to your tastes.
Total Cost of Ownership
Even with a 22% corporate discount, my wife and I spent $7,000 with VZW over 5 years for voice/text (no data) in US and Canada... that's about $115/mo * 12 * 5 years. I don't know about you, but that's more than I spent for my desktop, laptop, and Comcast bill. Pricing is not in line with reality... same as the $250/MB text plans of yesteryear.
The new plan ($25/mo for 3G talk/text/data) will cost $600/year for two lines. Yes, we have to purchase phones, but the 5-year TCO will be $3,600 ($50 * 12 * 5, plus $600 for phones)
By the way, did I say I'm excited about this phone/plan... eeeegad, it's awesome!
Bye bye LG VX9200 (Env3)... you served us well. sniff. sniff.