We all know how all of us want to spend as little money as possible, and have the best speeds and coverage. This is where my idea comes in. I recently switched from Verizon, to TMO. It hasn't been easy. TMO is in the middle, while Verizon is top dog in nationwide coverage (ahead of AT&T and so on) I went onto every carrier website and acted as if I were to build my own plan. I noticed that if you specify that you WANT or HAVE a smartphone, your plan went up regardless of how much data you chose, or minutes and texts. (Doesn't apply as much since talk and text are unlimited)
Here is where my idea comes in.
1. Choose up to as many lines as you need.
2. Choose all basic phones.
3. Get the max amount of data for the carrier you're going to switch to or are on.
4. Change the amount of data you want later on, and so on.
Then, this is where it gets a little confusing. So, bare with me guys!
You would get today's "basic sim". They have changed, but I am taking about a SIM for a flip phone of some sort. I am aware that some phones are sim free, but I know that some that do require some sort of sim card. You somehow ask to get 1,2,3,4,5,6 GB's of data on THAT basic sim. Now, I don't know how you would enable 4G/LTE on there, because it looks like they are incompatible. Somehow, someone could enable 4G on those basic sims, SOMEHOW. Then, cut it depending on what smartphone you want and bam. Save $10-20$ per phone. The fact that the carrier "knows" you're going to want a plan that involves one or more smartphones, bumps up your bill. I honestly don't think basic sims even support 3g, but with this day and technology, anything is possible. Anyone have any kind of idea of what I am saying? :fingers-crossed:
really its a great idea i like it . i appreciate it..................................
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Ok, here's the deal. My Girlfriend is going to Germany in less than a month for 2 weeks with her school. I'm the paranoid type, and seeing the movie Taken has not parlayed my fears one bit.
I want her to have a cell phone while she's there, but also want something that can run Mologogo or another similar GPS tracking program. I'm not infringing on her privacy and she has control on when to turn on the program (unless there's a way to have it run in the background secretly... just kidding... but seriously)
So, I'm looking at 2 options. 1) Get her current plan upgraded for international for this month while she's away. Not the best prices, but it's simple. or 2) The better plan is to find a local carrier (vodafone, cello, etc.) and have her swap out the Sim on a phone I get here....
I have NO idea how cell service works across the pond and I've been getting conflicting stuff left and right. Basically, if you've done option 2 before, just let me know what you did, and I'll probably do that. The GPS tracking is NOT a priority, I just want her to have a phone there.
thanks
first you need a Quadband phone then some trust
When traveling internationally you need an UNLOCKED tri or quadband GSM phone. My favorite travel work horse is a Treo 750v. If receiving calls to your current USA cell number is a priority simply add international calling to your current account (if GSM carrier like At&t) and it is enabled automaticly on your sim card. Non GSM carriers like Sprint will issue you a SIM card to put in your phone while away. Rates are high for this convenience, expect to pay around $1.75 to $1.99 per minute or more for USA calls. Data support is sometimes available, expensive or other times data is non existant.
Once abroad you can purchase a local SIM card that gives you a local number in the foreign country and now you must either use a prepaid phone phone card (excellent for short term) or subscribe to a monthly billing account (good for long term) to have usable calling minutes on the phone. I like the $10 cards and most of them can be re-charged using a credit card. Rates are cheaper to the USA, around $1.40. Unlike the USA data rates are expensive, often billed per 1k! This is ok to check email occaisionally but forget about browsing the net for hours. The negative of all this is you have to switch SIM cards depending on if you want to receive USA inbound calls or make calls to the USA and check you voicemail. Now you know why there are "dual sim" made in china phones on ebay.
Recent phones now offer WIFI so it is possible to use skype for calls if you have an account and find an open WIFI network. I have accomplised this on my Treo 800w. There can be reduced call quality on WIFI depending on available bandwidth.
Tracking a person's phone would either rely on a USA based service that unlikely functions abroad or raw GSM data from foreign towers that may or may not yield valid data.
Seriously re-examine your need to track someone and the level of your trust. If this is a person you want in your life then allow them the freedom to be away and miss your quality companionship. If they really care for you then you have nothing to worry or track about.
Actually, the tracking is an on-board Java applet that accesses the Phone's internal GPS module and sends the coordinates to an off-site server for viewing on PCs, etc. www.Mologogo.com if you're interested. Yes, I do have trust issues, but not with her, more of other people. Just because you're not paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you. I always err on the side of over-preparedness... worst-case-scenario type of thing.
Yes, my plan is to use the "local sim card installed on an unlocked tri/quad-band cell phone bought locally here in the US" method. However, I've heard of companies that actually ship those sims to you ahead of time, so that you can do all the set-up here, instead of fiddling with it in the middle of your already hectic trip.
My thing too is One or both of us will be calling international. It would probably be cheaper for me to use a land-line and a phone card to call her local german number, no? Or maybe even use Skype's Skype-out service (which is basically VoIP-to-Landline/Cell service)
But again, Which company do I use. I know the mechanics, I need the specifics.
Oh, and thanks for the heads-up on the data plan, ix-nay on that on account of costs. I think I'll just spring for a can of pepper-spray instead of gps tracking.
So I'm cheap. I do not want to pay an extra $30 for data on my fuze. Shortly after buying my fuze, I immediately called up AT&T and asked them to turn off data, because my phone was constantly trying to connect to 3g, and from previous experiences I know it will rack up my bill since I am without a data plan.
Anyway I've been searching around because data on this phone would be nice to have when I am outside of wifi. I noticed how at&t offered prepay data on select go phones for between $10-20 per month (Link http://www.phonenews.com/att-gophone-prepaid-adds-data-only-option-3381/. I thought sweet! But then what about voice and texting? I need voice and texting, and it would be nice to stay on my family's plan since I am not paying for it.
Then I started reading about dual sim's and dual sim adapters and thought what if I could have my current sim (unlim. voice, unlim. text, no data) and add in the 2nd sim card of one of those special prepay data phones and have my fuze run off of that for 3g data.
I have read with dual sim adapters it sounds like you have to switch between the 2 of them, so would that mean I could use only one at a time? Meaning if I am on the second data only sim, I could not receive texts or calls until I switch back to my main sim?
If this configuration could work simultaneously than it would be PERFECT. But if theres anyone out there with more insight, please let me know. Thanks
first of all. 3g is not only data. 3G is basically a faster connection (that also includes phone calls). [unless i'm wrong, this is how I understand 3g]
second. I don't think there is a dual sim adapter for the touch pro, but it also kind of makes the phone look horrible (assuming it's connected to some port since there is no room for another sim card).
Only specific phones can handle dual sims like KIRF iphone nano so it's not really worth it to save 10 bucks a month since you'll be spending money anyways, to get this adapter of yours.
I think there is finally a dual sim adapter for the touch pro...
Check this out:
http://www.simore.ch/en/two_sim_cards_in_one_mobile/dual_sim_card_gold_1.php
wow. That's kinda crazy to see that you have to cut up your sim card to fit it inside the dual sim adapter...
mike3000 said:
So I'm cheap. I do not want to pay an extra $30 for data on my fuze. Shortly after buying my fuze, I immediately called up AT&T and asked them to turn off data, because my phone was constantly trying to connect to 3g, and from previous experiences I know it will rack up my bill since I am without a data plan.
Anyway I've been searching around because data on this phone would be nice to have when I am outside of wifi. I noticed how at&t offered prepay data on select go phones for between $10-20 per month (Link http://www.phonenews.com/att-gophone-prepaid-adds-data-only-option-3381/. I thought sweet! But then what about voice and texting? I need voice and texting, and it would be nice to stay on my family's plan since I am not paying for it.
Then I started reading about dual sim's and dual sim adapters and thought what if I could have my current sim (unlim. voice, unlim. text, no data) and add in the 2nd sim card of one of those special prepay data phones and have my fuze run off of that for 3g data.
I have read with dual sim adapters it sounds like you have to switch between the 2 of them, so would that mean I could use only one at a time? Meaning if I am on the second data only sim, I could not receive texts or calls until I switch back to my main sim?
If this configuration could work simultaneously than it would be PERFECT. But if theres anyone out there with more insight, please let me know. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting thought. Bad news is they won't work simultaneously - however you can have the autoswitch every hour or so if you wanted.
Personally I'm not sure its really worth the effort. First off, you have to buy the adapter - which is going to cost you close to 100 bucks, then you'll need the gophone and it's sim-chip and the monthy prepay on that. By the time you add all this up you might as well just blow the 30 bucks on a data plan and save yourself the headace.
However the ability to now have dual sims in the FUZE is great. I suppose if you traveled a lot it could prove quite handy.
For $35 a month for technically sprint i will plunk down $300 for this beauty but how fast are the downloads?
Seems faster than my tmobile vibrant 3g was.
Sent from my MOTWX435KT using XDA App
it all depends on service and tower loads.. like at around 6pm i get 300kbps and at 6am i get 1400-1500 kbps... right now its 8:30am and im getting 850kbps... so it all depends sometimes i get 100kbps all the way down to 30kbps.. but the triumph was faster than my Buddy droid x and he had two bars i only had one.. at least 3 times faster ( both on 3g)
I was on SERO 500, and my Sprint phone died, so I want to upgrade to SEROP, but calling Sprint (5 times, they know what is SEROP but would not give it to me), email ecare (3 times, then no one reply anymore). So I am now on VM $25 plan w/ Triumph.
The phone itself is just like any other Android phone. At home, I get almost no Data. Phone and SMS go thru no problem. Google Map, Browser, Youtube 90% of the time would not load, and complaint no connection. When I walk out of the apartment building Data works.
The problem is, my old Sprint phone is Touch Pro, and it got perfect Data.
So does Sprint has any special rule for VM phone? Since I am new to VM and Android, I am reading now how to update PRL.
the main difference is that sprint plans allow roaming on verizon towers. otherwise, the data speeds are the same. any speed difference you're seeing is likely caused by device differences (e.g. antenna, radio, ...)
VM doesn't roam, so it will never have as good reception as a sprint (or AT&T or Verizon) phone. Part of that $80-$100 a month you are paying them is for roaming access fees between the carriers.
Long and short of it is if you want the bet reception and data speeds, you need to pay for it. You aren't going to get top notch network performance for $25 a month.
emkorial said:
VM doesn't roam, so it will never have as good reception as a sprint (or AT&T or Verizon) phone. Part of that $80-$100 a month you are paying them is for roaming access fees between the carriers.
Long and short of it is if you want the bet reception and data speeds, you need to pay for it. You aren't going to get top notch network performance for $25 a month.
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Agreed, but you can get get top notch service for $35 a month. In some areas the best signal for a Sprint phone will be from Sprint towers; in that case, a Virgin phone (using only Sprint towers) will get the same service as a Sprint phone unless the actual phones are different.
I disagree. I have the phone and the web browsing speed was horrible as well as the download speed for apps. You guys may have towers closer to you. I stay in washington, dc. I did the prl swap, now i feel as though my data speeds are much faster, possible 300% more faster. I browse facebook, zoom! check out a youtube vid and no buffering on a 6minute video. If you have slow data speeds do the prl swap! You will appreciate the phone much more!
http://androidforums.com/triumph-all-things-root/395533-big-difference-data-speeds.html
Which PRL did you use, hitsndc? 01115? 01119? 01120? These are the 3 PRL's I've seen mentioned across the forums.
MarkMcCoskey said:
Which PRL did you use, hitsndc? 01115? 01119? 01120? These are the 3 PRL's I've seen mentioned across the forums.
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Click to collapse
I used 01115
I just swapped to 01115; will advise if it makes a difference. I also attempted to force the phone into EvDO-only mode in the build.prop file - that MAY make a significant difference in places where the radio "hunts", which mine DOES when mobile.
If it works I'll post a "how to" which is more-or-less like what's been posted, with one exception - there's an easy way to get the phone to ALWAYS have the diag enabled using "anycut".
Update: EVDO-only lock is NOT effective, however with 01115 the phone re-selects to 3G much more reliably and quickly than with the base PRL and is also connecting to towers it never did before (as shown in "Open Signal"), so at least here it appears to be an improvement.
I swapped to 01115 myself.
Speed test are about the same, which I understood would be the case. As long as my connection is more consistent, I'd be happy. I've had a couple dropped calls. Will have to wait and see with this PRL.
I should check Google maps to see if it detects me closer/more accurately. I've had times where it was miles off, when I know there are towers closer. So hopefully I have better access to the closer towers.
Would still like to know the difference between the PRL's (01115, 01119, 01120, or any others that would work with the Triumph).
Genesis3 said:
I just swapped to 01115; will advise if it makes a difference. I also attempted to force the phone into EvDO-only mode in the build.prop file - that MAY make a significant difference in places where the radio "hunts", which mine DOES when mobile.
If it works I'll post a "how to" which is more-or-less like what's been posted, with one exception - there's an easy way to get the phone to ALWAYS have the diag enabled using "anycut".
Update: EVDO-only lock is NOT effective, however with 01115 the phone re-selects to 3G much more reliably and quickly than with the base PRL and is also connecting to towers it never did before (as shown in "Open Signal"), so at least here it appears to be an improvement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for sharing, with regards to locking into 3G more reliably, do the phone signal decibel levels improve as well? And how about voice quality?
Voice quality was never an issue here - this phone is capable of holding a voice call and being stable when it shows ZERO bars, which none of my other handsets have ever done.
The big difference I see is that there are other towers that now appear in the neighbor list and the handset does connect to them where it didn't before, so I am definitely "seeing" connection sources that I didn't know existed in the past.
It hasn't made a material difference in data rate performance that I can see from my house - the real test will be whether it makes a difference of materiality when I'm in the car and such, which is where I've seen a lot of "hunting" down to 1x and "sticking" there. We'll see if that is gone or not.
I'm keeping 1115 for now but have the original PRL in the event I need to go back to it.
Once I swapped my prl and added the EvDo line my Data more than doubled in speed. Like hitsndc said I am now able to stream a whole 4 min video with no buffer. Once I removed that line it would stop every few seconds. Added the line, back to no Buffer. I tried this a few times before I came to the conclusion that it did make a difference.
Once I updated the PRL I used opensignal from the market to see my towers and now I was locked on to a tower close to me that wasnt even showing up on the map before.
Im alot happier with my phone now. Once we get 2.3 on here Ill be good
Where did you put the EVDO line? In build.prop? That's where I stuck it - it made no difference for me; I still occasionally "hunt" to 1x service, but the PRL change DID make a difference as I now "see" towers (and connect to them) that I wasn't before.
Look guys I only had one bar.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk
My DINC recently took a crap on me, and I'm currently looking around for a replacement. However, what I want to know if in the meantime it's possible to re-activate my old "dumb" phone (LG enVtouch or an old razor) without affecting/losing my plan (unlimited data).
~cheers
That depends on your carrier. In Germany it's not common to have a provision in your contract that forces you to stick to the phone given to you by the carrier... in fact I haven't heard about such a provision anywhere, but you might just want to check with them.
I sometimes switch to my old Palm Centro when I'm away from a charging station for more than 4 days because the battery life is better and I haven't gotten any complains yet
If you are with Verizon (EnV phones in US) then switching to a dumb phone will cause you to drop your unlimited plan and you wont be able to get it back. I would recommend switching to a different smart phone while you are looking. An old one from a friend maybe?
They title of the topic seems a bit elusive but, this is a solution for a problem myself and several people I know have been having with phone carriers. Essentially, most of the people I know use prepaid phones. On top of having to already having to deal with credits that expire, we have a new problem now that 4G networks are in place. What all carriers do is charge your credits when the phone switches to 4g even if you have mobile data turned off. The receiving and transmission of information when this switching happens is not actual data (to the point the carrier app will gladly display that you consumed 0 MB of data that day), but it's charged from your credits like it is. This "feature" has the ability to make credits that should last at least a month vanish in less than a week sometimes.
I tried many times to discuss and mention that to both the carrier and the regulatory agency where I live, but the overall consensus seems to be that I should expect that to happen with 4g phones, since "that's how they work". Sure, they will reimburse me if I complain but I have better things to do than invest my time gathering evidence, filling a complaint, them receiving calls, only for the exact same thing to happen the next time I put credits.
After some research, learned that it you switch your mobile data to 3g or 2g, that credit stealing doesn't happen. The issue is...getting to to screen where you actuality configure that takes too much time and it's well "hidden", since it's not a setting most people would touch all the time. Plus, trying to explain that to simmering that's not tech savvy when they ask why their credits vanish is a royal pain.
I've been looking for a more automated solution to deal with this without much success. Something that would detect when WiFi is on and immediately switch the mobile data to 3g or 2g. The switching to 4g would only happen when WiFi is off or something like that. Ideally, I'm looking for something that doesn't require root as well, so regular people can have access to said functionality.
Does this exist in some form?