Cell phones again

[john_b]

I get a little confused about CSS with forms too, but I usually can find a good example, and just copy it. That works for search boxes and other small forms — just don’t get too ambitious in the beginning!

I sometimes feel that this 'ere technology malarkey is starting to leave me behind...;-(

...small success last week, though, I bought a mobile phone that, ahem, you can use to make phone calls! No camera, radio, GPS, touch screen, Google maps, weather forecast...

Just GBP5 and it does what it says on the tin! Brilliant!!

John

[ktinkel]

Congratulations!

I have been thinking of trying one of those mobile phone things myself, but haven’t mustered the energy to actually do it.

When I was called to jury duty in January I saw a warning in the notice: No public telephones available (meaning, I guess, bring your own phone). So I panicked and started looking at cell phone options, but then they court said my services would not be needed after all, so I stopped thinking about it.

Maybe one day.

[john_b]

I have been thinking of trying one of those mobile phone things myself, but haven’t mustered the energy to actually do it.

I doubt I make more than a dozen calls a year on it but, on those occasions, the ability to make the call has more than covered the modest cost of the phone. You know, a car breakdown in a remote location, or serious delay, or whatever...

Maybe there are technical issues on your side of the lochan that make the equipment more expensive and/or unreliable? My phone will work in Europe, but it certainly won't work in the US...

...oops, I think I may be guilty of thread-drift...;-(

John

[ktinkel]

Maybe there are technical issues on your side of the lochan that make the equipment more expensive and/or unreliable?More a case of too many choices. I wish our cell phones worked the way they do in your neck of the woods. Most come with two-year contracts, and I don’t want to do that. There are no-contract phones, and I need to choose one of those. Someday (I do agree they can come in handy, especially when on the road.)

...oops, I think I may be guilty of thread-drift...;-(I’ll fix that. ;)

[Benwiggy]

John

Care to tell us what's the make and model of the phone, and how/where you got it for a fiver?

I've always taken a phone for free, every time my supplier wants to lock me into another contract. It used to be 12 months; now it's 18; and for the iPhone it's up to 2 years!
I've still never had a phone that makes an actual ringing noise like a phone when it is called.
However, I have enjoyed the last three phones I've had (Nokia), mostly because they sync with my Mac, so I can backup my phone numbers and keep a portable copy of my diary (with alarms to remind me!).
My tariff charges extra for using the internet, but as the screen is so small, it is pretty pointless trying. But for just phoning and texting, I'm on a very low rate.

That having been said, I am tempted by the new range of "smartphones" that have come out. Say what you like about Apple and the iPhone, but imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and every phone now looks like an iPhone clone.

For me, the ability to store and read loads of PDFs - books, documentation, research info, etc, would be very handy. The internet and email would be nice, too; and any "apps" for one thing or another would be frippery really. However, I'm not sure whether the tariffs that they charge are worth it.

Seemingly, in London, everyone has an iPhone. I've been in rooms where no-one talks to each other, but just furiously dribbles their finger over the phone.

[john_b]

I wasn't going to mention this next bit but your comment reminded me of one of the few occasions I've been in the US and also of a time when I really needed to make a phone call. I was cycling in Colorado and, ahem, took a wrong turn down a remote and sparsely inhabited valley. I'm a long way from where I should be, time had passed and as I was due to meet my other half soon, I really needed to contact her.

I had actually borrowed a tri-band phone which - I was assured - would work in the US. Well this was just the very time to adopt an air of nonchalance, whip out the mobby and give Joan a ring... but could I switch the damn thing on?? Not a chance!!!

Fortunately, the story did have a happy ending - no thanks to my technological skills - and if anyone is interested the full version (http://www.bikeroutes.org.uk/trips/trip24.htm) can be found here. I left out the bit about the phone, but now I can confess all...;-(

...there, that's a relief...;-)

John

[john_b]

Care to tell us what's the make and model of the phone, and how/where you got it for a fiver?It's a Samsung E1120 and about as basic as they come. It has a colour screen which is a step up from my last - and now spare-and-living-in-the-car - phone. ASDA (=Wallmart in the US) had shed loads of them for 10 quid, but that included a 5 quid talk time voucher. They were locked into Orange (pay as you go, no contract), but I couldn't pass up an offer like that...;-)

I'm sure that iPhones are great pieces of kit but, as you say, you're tied in to a contract and that just doesn't work for me.

It seems that this new breed of phones really needs 3G coverage to allow you to use all the whizzy bits. In our area that's simply a non-starter...

...but here's what I don't understand: my other half just bought a new phone with a nice touch screen. It's not 3G but it does allow her to access the internet, not at any rapid speed, but you can check emails and so on if you need to. Now I've seen pay as you go USB dongles that allow your laptop to access the internet at a reasonable lick, but I've never seen any equivalent non-3G 'dongle' that allows you similar access, albeit at a more leisurely pace. Do such devices exist?

I like your picture of someone who "furiously dribbles their finger" over the phone...;-)

John

[annc]

I've had my iPhone for nearly a week. It came unlocked, so I was able to negotiate a low-cost plan with my carrier. This saved me over AUD700.

I've always only had mobile phones for the emergency factor, but as I have a business and also a fulltime job, I also receive calls on it. But I still make very few calls apart from the occasional 'I'm running late' or 'I thought we were meeting in front of such and such a building, where are you?' calls.

The iPhone will sync with my Mac, which my last Sony Ericsson wouldn't (the previous SE phone did, so I was quite taken aback when the second didn't). I have a data account, so can use the iPhone to connect to the Internet when I'm away, thus avoiding exorbitant broadband charges when away from home. And it has a wide screen qwerty keyboard. Not good enough to touch type on, but it certainly beats the multiple keystrokes and high error rate of a numeral pad.

And I have just downloaded an app that lets me listen to my favourite radio station. I live an hour by train from my nearest city, so today, on my way to a concert, I will be able to listen to the radio and read, or just listen to the radio, with my Sennheiser headphones.

We'll see how much all this content and access costs in the long run...

[Benwiggy]

I'm sure that iPhones are great pieces of kit but, as you say, you're tied in to a contract and that just doesn't work for me.
It seems that this new breed of phones really needs 3G coverage to allow you to use all the whizzy bits. In our area that's simply a non-starter...
You can get an iPhone on pay-as-you-go, though you have to buy the handset at full price. You can always use Wireless instead of 3G.

I'm tempted to get one when my current contract runs out; though I'm going to be a little more reluctant before signing up, hopefully to squeeze some more out of Orange...

[ktinkel]

So far as I know, here you can only get an iPhone from AT&T with a 2-year contract. Sounds inhibiting to me, but I have never had any cell phone.

[Steve Rindsberg]

3G is just the latest/greatest way to access the internet. There are other technologies. EDGE is one. And some carriers, at least, act more or less as a dialup modem connection.

There were similar gadgets for laptops before 3G came out, but I'm not sure what technology they used. Expensive though.

And with some phones you can tether them to your PC (via USB cable) and use them as a modem of sorts.

[Steve Rindsberg]

Sounds like a great ride, phone notwithstanding.

Adventure Cycling is a good resource for route info and the like here in the states:
http://www.adventurecycling.org/

The Rail-to-trail Conservancy is another:
http://www.railstotrails.org/index.html

[annc]

So far as I know, here you can only get an iPhone from AT&T with a 2-year contract. Sounds inhibiting to me, but I have never had any cell phone.It sounds inhibiting to me, too. Because you always end up paying a lot more that way!

[john_b]

... but I have never had any cell phone.

There were times when DIY roadside repairs were the order of the day. You know the situation, the exhaust pipe would blow so you'd drink a can of beer, cut the top and bottom off and wrap it round the pipe with some wire and Gun Gum to seal it. And who hasn't had to lie in the gutter and bleed brakes with only your finger over the nipple to 'feel' for the bubbles?

Nowadays, I'm not sure I know how to open the bonnet.

But seriously, I must say I'd feel quite uneasy setting off on a journey - even a local one - without a mobile, just for those situations where it really does make life a whole lot easier...;-)

John

[john_b]

Thanks for those, duly bookmarked. The Adventure Cycling one, in particular, looks to have a lot of useful stuff. It seems similar to our very own Sustrans (http://www.sustrans.org.uk) website which I must recommend, not least because of the superb mapping, although it has to be said that the link to it isn't obvious.

I don't suppose I ever will do a TransAm route but it's nice to dream...

...maybe one day...

John

[john_b]

There were similar gadgets for laptops before 3G came out, but I'm not sure what technology they used. Expensive though.

Well the going rate for these 3G dongle thingies seems to be about GBP20 per month, pretty well unlimited access.

I'm really thinking of those times when I'm maybe away for a week or two but, as I say, my feeling is that 3G coverage can be fairly patchy.

If, however, there was some other gadget that could be used to let your laptop access the internet using an 'ordinary' wireless phone connection - as you suggest - then I'd surely be interested in finding out more.

I suppose ideally, I'd be looking for a doo dah that lets you have 3G access if it was available but defaulted to 'ordinary' access if it wasn't.

Ever the optimist...

John

[john_b]

You can get an iPhone on pay-as-you-go, though you have to buy the handset at full price. You can always use Wireless instead of 3G.

They are indeed not inexpensive and I haven't seen any on offer in ASDA yet...;-)

... to squeeze some more out of Orange...

Nice one!

John

[ktinkel]

But seriously, I must say I'd feel quite uneasy setting off on a journey - even a local one - without a mobile, just for those situations where it really does make life a whole lot easier...;-)I guess so. We don’t travel too much, but it sure would be handy if I could persuade Jack to carry a phone so we could communicated about decisions at the supermarket! I know he won’t spring for one of his own but if I had one, he might be willing to take it if he was the one going to the market.

I am back to mulling this phone thing over. :D

[Steve Rindsberg]

I'd almost bet that the 3Gthingies would be able to drop back to a lower speed connection when 3G's not available. Worth asking the provider about.

[Steve Rindsberg]

Thanks for those, duly bookmarked. The Adventure Cycling one, in particular, looks to have a lot of useful stuff. It seems similar to our very own Sustrans (http://www.sustrans.org.uk) website which I must recommend, not least because of the superb mapping, although it has to be said that the link to it isn't obvious.

I don't suppose I ever will do a TransAm route but it's nice to dream...

...maybe one day...

John
Same here. The day recedes as Herself's knees get worse, alas. But if you're ever passing through southern Ohio, give a shout. There always seems to be a spare road or touring bike around the place. No MTBs though ... last time I did that ended up in pain. Much pain.

[john_b]

Hadn't thought of that so I nipped into the local phone shop.

The guy there was not optimistic that any connection would be stable enough to be useful. I asked it it was possible to buy a fancy phone that I could use to connect to my laptop but he wasn't too positive about that either and said even if you could get a connection, it would not be cheap to operate it...

...not much of a sales person, huh??

In any event it doesn't look promising for this area, but it's a problem that needs to be solved.

John

[john_b]

Thanks for the offer, much appreciated! I must also reciprocate if you find yourself in this neck of the woods...;-)

Yes I think we perhaps have to scale down our ambitions in the light of reality, but I'm not going to write off the idea yet.

John

[annc]

I asked it it was possible to buy a fancy phone that I could use to connect to my laptop but he wasn't too positive about that either and said even if you could get a connection, it would not be cheap to operate it...

...not much of a sales person, huh??He sounds refreshingly honest for a mobile phone sales person to me. Unless you negotiate a special rate for data only, using your mobile phone plan for long connections can be very, very expensive.

[Steve Rindsberg]

I'll take "not much of a salesperson" and honest over the alternative.

So the connections in your area are a bit spotty?

[john_b]

He sounds refreshingly honest for a mobile phone sales person to me. Unless you negotiate a special rate for data only, using your mobile phone plan for long connections can be very, very expensive.

This is a mystery to me because - as I said - you can get a 3G dongle that gives you 'unlimited' access for a month for about BGP20 or thereabouts. If you're away for a couple of weeks or so then that seems a reasonable price but it just doesn't seem to square with the cost of using a much slower connection on your mobby.

As you point out, it is expensive. I'm not sure, however, whether the charge is based on your connection time or the amount of data. If you just want to check the odd email then I suppose it might fly, but for any serious work it just doesn't make sense.

John

[john_b]

So the connections in your area are a bit spotty?

OK for most networks, as far as I know, though you might be struggling in some of the more remote valleys.

3G coverage is a different matter, though. The map actually shows limited coverage in the town where I live but nothing else for 30 miles or so in any direction. I guess Edinburgh would be the nearest.

Of course, having mobile broadband where I live isn't a lot of use...;-)

I just can't fathom why, in areas where you can get 3G, the cost of using it is - apparently - several orders of magnitude cheaper than an 'ordinary' mobile connection...;-(

I suppose that in the Greater Scheme of Things, it wasn't so long ago that we were on dial-up connections... remember that iconic noise?

...doh, is there such a thing as an iconic noise?

John

[Benwiggy]

dial-up connections... remember that iconic noise?
You mean: "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ooooooooooooooooooooooo weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, kkkhkhkhkhkhkhkhkhkhkhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, Ba ding, ba ding ba ding, eaaaaaoh wha!" ....?

[john_b]

LOL! I think you've captured it con brio...;-)

John

[Steve Rindsberg]

>> remember that iconic noise?

From just a few weekends ago. We were up in the hills in western Kentucky and one of our group used the ATM at the hotel. It had to dial in to the Mothership to validate the transaction and for some reason they didn't have the modem muted.