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#1
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
After looking at countless phones, the only thing I have managed to do
is eliminate Page Plus. I am told that, although it does do Georgia, the service is poor. It is a shame too. I was sold on the 12 package that does 250 min and 10M data. I was going to go with an expensive phone so I would be able to use all the features of a smart phone, but since I don't use them often, I was hoping to get a cheap package. Do any of the prepaid packages offer limited smart phone features? One of the Page Plus phones I looked at said GPS. Would GPS be considered part of a data plan? |
#2
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On 8/29/2012 2:57 PM, Metspitzer wrote:
After looking at countless phones, the only thing I have managed to do is eliminate Page Plus. I am told that, although it does do Georgia, the service is poor. It is a shame too. I was sold on the 12 package that does 250 min and 10M data. Wow, where are you in Georgia? My sister lives in Norcross and she can _only_ use Verizon if she wants coverage at her house, and elsewhere in Atlanta it's also very good. In Consumer Reports extensive annual survey of tens of thousands of cell phone users, Verizon is the only carrier with any positive ratings in Atlanta. T-Mobile is second, Sprint third, and AT&T fourth. Of course the situation may be different in other parts of Georgia. The GPS has nothing to do with a data plan. The problem you run into is that most carriers won't allow smart phones on plans without a data plan, or if they do there are all sorts of rules. You might just want to check Verizon coverage with a cheap or free Pageplus phone for a month and see how it works. It would only cost you a few bucks to do that. |
#3
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On 8/29/2012 2:57 PM, Metspitzer wrote:
After looking at countless phones, the only thing I have managed to do is eliminate Page Plus. I am told that, although it does do Georgia, the service is poor. It is a shame too. I was sold on the 12 package that does 250 min and 10M data. I was going to go with an expensive phone so I would be able to use all the features of a smart phone, but since I don't use them often, I was hoping to get a cheap package. Do any of the prepaid packages offer limited smart phone features? One of the Page Plus phones I looked at said GPS. Would GPS be considered part of a data plan? GPS is a separate radio that looks at the satellites. You don't need any data plan for that. The real problem is, what can you do with the gps data? If you need to find yourself on a map, then you need web access. I have a Palm Treo 850 with GPS. I use it as a PDA without any phone service. There used to be a software package from Mapopolis. It runs directly on the phone/pda in Windows Mobile or PalmOS. So, I can tell where I am from GPS without a data plan. Mapopolis left the consumer business. Don't know if there are alternatives today. You can also do the same with most any bluetooth PDA/Phone with a mapping application using a separate bluetooth GPS receiver. There are other services that imply GPS, but are actually location services that estimate where you are from the cell towers you can see. I think google took it further by looking at wifi hosts you can see. |
#4
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:57:33 -0400, Metspitzer wrote:
After looking at countless phones, the only thing I have managed to do is eliminate Page Plus. I am told that, although it does do Georgia, the service is poor. It is a shame too. I was sold on the 12 package that does 250 min and 10M data. Huh? Page Plus uses the Verizon network. Verizon covers Georgia quite well (upgrading from 3G to 4G now). I was going to go with an expensive phone so I would be able to use all the features of a smart phone, but since I don't use them often, I was hoping to get a cheap package. Do any of the prepaid packages offer limited smart phone features? One of the Page Plus phones I looked at said GPS. Would GPS be considered part of a data plan? GPS or navigation? GPS is built in. Navigation requires the network. Sorta. Aftermarket stand-alone nav packages are available. |
#5
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On 8/29/12 4:57 PM, Metspitzer wrote:
After looking at countless phones, the only thing I have managed to do is eliminate Page Plus. I am told that, although it does do Georgia, the service is poor. It is a shame too. I was sold on the 12 package that does 250 min and 10M data. I was going to go with an expensive phone so I would be able to use all the features of a smart phone, but since I don't use them often, I was hoping to get a cheap package. Do any of the prepaid packages offer limited smart phone features? One of the Page Plus phones I looked at said GPS. Would GPS be considered part of a data plan? These might help: http://www.prepaidreviews.com/ http://www.phonescoop.com/ http://www.cellguru.net/index.htm Happy huntin'. |
#6
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 16:43:06 -0700, mike wrote:
On 8/29/2012 2:57 PM, Metspitzer wrote: After looking at countless phones, the only thing I have managed to do is eliminate Page Plus. I am told that, although it does do Georgia, the service is poor. It is a shame too. I was sold on the 12 package that does 250 min and 10M data. I was going to go with an expensive phone so I would be able to use all the features of a smart phone, but since I don't use them often, I was hoping to get a cheap package. Do any of the prepaid packages offer limited smart phone features? One of the Page Plus phones I looked at said GPS. Would GPS be considered part of a data plan? GPS is a separate radio that looks at the satellites. You don't need any data plan for that. The real problem is, what can you do with the gps data? If you need to find yourself on a map, then you need web access. I have a Palm Treo 850 with GPS. I use it as a PDA without any phone service. There used to be a software package from Mapopolis. It runs directly on the phone/pda in Windows Mobile or PalmOS. So, I can tell where I am from GPS without a data plan. Mapopolis left the consumer business. Don't know if there are alternatives today. You can also do the same with most any bluetooth PDA/Phone with a mapping application using a separate bluetooth GPS receiver. There are other services that imply GPS, but are actually location services that estimate where you are from the cell towers you can see. I think google took it further by looking at wifi hosts you can see. I was thinking GPS would work like it does on my nephew's smart phone. It will tell you where to turn while driving. I am guessing GPS may mean less. Finding out where I am standing is of no use. |
#7
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 20:04:12 -0400, "
wrote: On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:57:33 -0400, Metspitzer wrote: After looking at countless phones, the only thing I have managed to do is eliminate Page Plus. I am told that, although it does do Georgia, the service is poor. It is a shame too. I was sold on the 12 package that does 250 min and 10M data. Huh? Page Plus uses the Verizon network. Verizon covers Georgia quite well (upgrading from 3G to 4G now). I was going to go with an expensive phone so I would be able to use all the features of a smart phone, but since I don't use them often, I was hoping to get a cheap package. Do any of the prepaid packages offer limited smart phone features? One of the Page Plus phones I looked at said GPS. Would GPS be considered part of a data plan? GPS or navigation? GPS is built in. Navigation requires the network. Sorta. Aftermarket stand-alone nav packages are available. Yeah That is the word I was looking for.......navigation. |
#8
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 19:11:17 -0500, Dean Hoffman
" wrote: On 8/29/12 4:57 PM, Metspitzer wrote: After looking at countless phones, the only thing I have managed to do is eliminate Page Plus. I am told that, although it does do Georgia, the service is poor. It is a shame too. I was sold on the 12 package that does 250 min and 10M data. I was going to go with an expensive phone so I would be able to use all the features of a smart phone, but since I don't use them often, I was hoping to get a cheap package. Do any of the prepaid packages offer limited smart phone features? One of the Page Plus phones I looked at said GPS. Would GPS be considered part of a data plan? These might help: http://www.prepaidreviews.com/ http://www.phonescoop.com/ http://www.cellguru.net/index.htm Happy huntin'. One of the good things about the Internet is so much information out there. One of the bad things about the Internet is there is so much information out there. I am getting information overload with these phones. |
#9
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 20:19:20 -0400, Metspitzer
wrote: On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 16:43:06 -0700, mike wrote: On 8/29/2012 2:57 PM, Metspitzer wrote: After looking at countless phones, the only thing I have managed to do is eliminate Page Plus. I am told that, although it does do Georgia, the service is poor. It is a shame too. I was sold on the 12 package that does 250 min and 10M data. I was going to go with an expensive phone so I would be able to use all the features of a smart phone, but since I don't use them often, I was hoping to get a cheap package. Do any of the prepaid packages offer limited smart phone features? One of the Page Plus phones I looked at said GPS. Would GPS be considered part of a data plan? GPS is a separate radio that looks at the satellites. You don't need any data plan for that. The real problem is, what can you do with the gps data? If you need to find yourself on a map, then you need web access. I have a Palm Treo 850 with GPS. I use it as a PDA without any phone service. There used to be a software package from Mapopolis. It runs directly on the phone/pda in Windows Mobile or PalmOS. So, I can tell where I am from GPS without a data plan. Mapopolis left the consumer business. Don't know if there are alternatives today. You can also do the same with most any bluetooth PDA/Phone with a mapping application using a separate bluetooth GPS receiver. There are other services that imply GPS, but are actually location services that estimate where you are from the cell towers you can see. I think google took it further by looking at wifi hosts you can see. I was thinking GPS would work like it does on my nephew's smart phone. It will tell you where to turn while driving. I am guessing GPS may mean less. Finding out where I am standing is of no use. Mapping requires data plan. The GPS alone can give you lattitude and longitude, and in some cases altitude. Smart phone apps are available that will make it into a speedometer and rate of climb indicator without data plan. |
#10
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 20:22:18 -0400, Metspitzer
wrote: On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 19:11:17 -0500, Dean Hoffman " wrote: On 8/29/12 4:57 PM, Metspitzer wrote: After looking at countless phones, the only thing I have managed to do is eliminate Page Plus. I am told that, although it does do Georgia, the service is poor. It is a shame too. I was sold on the 12 package that does 250 min and 10M data. I was going to go with an expensive phone so I would be able to use all the features of a smart phone, but since I don't use them often, I was hoping to get a cheap package. Do any of the prepaid packages offer limited smart phone features? One of the Page Plus phones I looked at said GPS. Would GPS be considered part of a data plan? These might help: http://www.prepaidreviews.com/ http://www.phonescoop.com/ http://www.cellguru.net/index.htm Happy huntin'. One of the good things about the Internet is so much information out there. One of the bad things about the Internet is there is so much information out there. And sorting out the good is like sorting fly-**** from pepper. I am getting information overload with these phones. |
#11
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
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#12
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
I was thinking GPS would work like it does on my nephew's smart phone. It will tell you where to turn while driving. I am guessing GPS may mean less. Finding out where I am standing is of no use. There are several navigation programs for Android that don't require 3G data. You basically download all the maps onto the memory card in your phone. It works well. |
#13
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
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#14
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 19:06:22 -0700, SMS wrote:
On 8/29/2012 5:04 PM, zzzzzzzzzz wrote: GPS or navigation? GPS is built in. Navigation requires the network. Sorta. Aftermarket stand-alone nav packages are available. If you're on a limited data plan then those after-market packages are a necessity if you want to do navigation. Not too expensive. Yeah, about $30, IIRC. |
#15
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On 8/29/2012 5:20 PM, Metspitzer wrote:
On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 20:04:12 -0400, " wrote: On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:57:33 -0400, wrote: After looking at countless phones, the only thing I have managed to do is eliminate Page Plus. I am told that, although it does do Georgia, the service is poor. It is a shame too. I was sold on the 12 package that does 250 min and 10M data. Huh? Page Plus uses the Verizon network. Verizon covers Georgia quite well (upgrading from 3G to 4G now). I was going to go with an expensive phone so I would be able to use all the features of a smart phone, but since I don't use them often, I was hoping to get a cheap package. Do any of the prepaid packages offer limited smart phone features? One of the Page Plus phones I looked at said GPS. Would GPS be considered part of a data plan? GPS or navigation? GPS is built in. Navigation requires the network. Sorta. Aftermarket stand-alone nav packages are available. Yeah That is the word I was looking for.......navigation. Ask yourself why you NEED GPS??????? If you just wanna get from here to there, figger it out online before you go and print a map or take notes. GPS shines when you get lost or confused or detoured or change plans. If you travel by car, get a cheapo self-contained GPS appliance. They're small enough to fit in your pocket if needed. Costs less than the data plan you'll need for something rarely used. Don't leave it visible in the car. The broken window costs way more than the GPS they stole. GPS is of little use when you don't control the means of transport. The bus driver ain't gonna go where you want. And if it's too far to walk, you don't need GPS in your pocket. There are always exceptions. |
#16
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:57:33 -0400, Metspitzer
wrote: After looking at countless phones, the only thing I have managed to do is eliminate Page Plus. I am told that, although it does do Georgia, the service is poor. It is a shame too. I was sold on the 12 package that does 250 min and 10M data. I was going to go with an expensive phone so I would be able to use all the features of a smart phone, but since I don't use them often, I was hoping to get a cheap package. Do any of the prepaid packages offer limited smart phone features? One I'm still not sure of the details but you can get a lot more phones on prepaid than the phone companies seem to suggest. I just bought a Huawei some number, called a Fusion Phone, with Android. I'm not particularly recommending it, becuase there don't seem to be a lot of Apps for it. OTOH, maybe I don't know how to look. But I bring it up because ATT sells it as a Gophone, online and in stores (or !25 at Walmart, but 100 at walmart.com). This comes with a setup for data, etc. But I bought mine used, and took the sim card from my very cheap prepaid gophone (I thought all gophones were prepaid, and maybe they were when I first got one, but they're not anymore iiuc) and put the sim card in my new phone, turned off the Data, in the settings, and now I have no Internet, except, get thks, whereever there is wifi. which is a lot of places these days and growing. And it seems that wifi is faster than cellphone data anyhow. Ther3e is also a settting to turn GPS on and off, and I have the vague aidea that GPS might be satelite and not cellphone data. (That confuses me however. Using the Android Maps app, last Sunday I was in a rural area, too far from any house to get wifi unless their wifi is a whole lot more powerful than my brother's etc., and it showed me where I was, on a map with no street names, but wchich did have a state highway number. A few days later I was in the city, but probably also not near wifi, and it gave me the location from sunday, and when I got home, where i have wifi, it still gave the location from Sunday. I think GPS is turned on but I' ntot sure and the phone is upstairs.) In fact on the ATT newsgroup, they pointed me to an ATT page which sells if I have the prepaid smart phone, I CANT buy data. (I was afraid I would use it accidentally, as I did with phone number 2.) of the Page Plus phones I looked at said GPS. Would GPS be considered part of a data plan? |
#17
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 20:19:20 -0400, Metspitzer
wrote: There are other services that imply GPS, but are actually location services that estimate where you are from the cell towers you can see. I think google took it further by looking at wifi hosts you can see. I was thinking GPS would work like it does on my nephew's smart phone. It will tell you where to turn while driving. I am guessing GPS may mean less. Finding out where I am standing is of no use. You are HERE. |
#18
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
Another interesting thing is that I bought my phone on ebay from a guy
in Louisiana, and that rural road where i first got my location is about 15 miles north of my house and I had never been there before, but somehow it had a map of the area in t he phone. I thought the maps came from the web but the location came from satellites. Is there anyway I dl'd the maps when I was at home 15 miles away? I looked at the Maps app but didn't do much. When I first looked at it, it said I was at my home, with a map. I only have 2 gig, btw. Of course it didn't give directions to any place. I think that is called Navigate, and when I go there, it wants me to agree to something, so I leave. On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 22:32:54 -0400, micky wrote: On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:57:33 -0400, Metspitzer wrote: After looking at countless phones, the only thing I have managed to do is eliminate Page Plus. I am told that, although it does do Georgia, the service is poor. It is a shame too. I was sold on the 12 package that does 250 min and 10M data. I was going to go with an expensive phone so I would be able to use all the features of a smart phone, but since I don't use them often, I was hoping to get a cheap package. Do any of the prepaid packages offer limited smart phone features? One I'm still not sure of the details but you can get a lot more phones on prepaid than the phone companies seem to suggest. I just bought a Huawei some number, called a Fusion Phone, with Android. I'm not particularly recommending it, becuase there don't seem to be a lot of Apps for it. OTOH, maybe I don't know how to look. But I bring it up because ATT sells it as a Gophone, online and in stores (or !25 at Walmart, but 100 at walmart.com). This comes with a setup for data, etc. But I bought mine used, and took the sim card from my very cheap prepaid gophone (I thought all gophones were prepaid, and maybe they were when I first got one, but they're not anymore iiuc) and put the sim card in my new phone, turned off the Data, in the settings, and now I have no Internet, except, get thks, whereever there is wifi. which is a lot of places these days and growing. And it seems that wifi is faster than cellphone data anyhow. Ther3e is also a settting to turn GPS on and off, and I have the vague aidea that GPS might be satelite and not cellphone data. (That confuses me however. Using the Android Maps app, last Sunday I was in a rural area, too far from any house to get wifi unless their wifi is a whole lot more powerful than my brother's etc., and it showed me where I was, on a map with no street names, but wchich did have a state highway number. A few days later I was in the city, but probably also not near wifi, and it gave me the location from sunday, and when I got home, where i have wifi, it still gave the location from Sunday. I think GPS is turned on but I' ntot sure and the phone is upstairs.) In fact on the ATT newsgroup, they pointed me to an ATT page which sells if I have the prepaid smart phone, I CANT buy data. (I was afraid I would use it accidentally, as I did with phone number 2.) of the Page Plus phones I looked at said GPS. Would GPS be considered part of a data plan? |
#19
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 19:27:10 -0700, mike wrote:
On 8/29/2012 5:20 PM, Metspitzer wrote: On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 20:04:12 -0400, " wrote: On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:57:33 -0400, wrote: After looking at countless phones, the only thing I have managed to do is eliminate Page Plus. I am told that, although it does do Georgia, the service is poor. It is a shame too. I was sold on the 12 package that does 250 min and 10M data. Huh? Page Plus uses the Verizon network. Verizon covers Georgia quite well (upgrading from 3G to 4G now). I was going to go with an expensive phone so I would be able to use all the features of a smart phone, but since I don't use them often, I was hoping to get a cheap package. Do any of the prepaid packages offer limited smart phone features? One of the Page Plus phones I looked at said GPS. Would GPS be considered part of a data plan? GPS or navigation? GPS is built in. Navigation requires the network. Sorta. Aftermarket stand-alone nav packages are available. Yeah That is the word I was looking for.......navigation. Ask yourself why you NEED GPS??????? If you just wanna get from here to there, figger it out online before you go and print a map or take notes. ....and then read them while you're driving. GPS shines when you get lost or confused or detoured or change plans. If you travel by car, get a cheapo self-contained GPS appliance. They're small enough to fit in your pocket if needed. Costs less than the data plan you'll need for something rarely used. Don't leave it visible in the car. The broken window costs way more than the GPS they stole. GPS units today aren't worth enough to bother stealing. GPS is of little use when you don't control the means of transport. The bus driver ain't gonna go where you want. And if it's too far to walk, you don't need GPS in your pocket. Who said otherwise? BTW, you've never heard of a transfer? There are always exceptions. |
#20
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:57:33 -0400, Metspitzer
wrote: After looking at countless phones, the only thing I have managed to do is eliminate Page Plus. I am told that, although it does do Georgia, the service is poor. It is a shame too. I was sold on the 12 package that does 250 min and 10M data. I was going to go with an expensive phone so I would be able to use all the features of a smart phone, but since I don't use them often, I was hoping to get a cheap package. Do any of the prepaid packages offer limited smart phone features? One of the Page Plus phones I looked at said GPS. Would GPS be considered part of a data plan? Ok............I was ready to go with this: http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/dev...id=pk8R8DDCHt1 I did a chat with ATT (Amber). Amber said this phone does GPS navigation. It is something that I probably won't use, but I would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. She said that to use the GPS I had to get a 5$ per month data package, but I only had to do that on the months I use the GPS. She also said that I could get a 15 dollar card and use it in a month. I don't think that is true. The ATT says the package that comes with this phone is 25 bucks. This may be a deal breaker. I was ready to go with 15 a month. At a dime a min, 150 min would have been plenty. Still 30 buck per month for a smart phone is as low as I have found. |
#21
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On 8/29/2012 10:16 PM, Metspitzer wrote:
On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:57:33 -0400, wrote: After looking at countless phones, the only thing I have managed to do is eliminate Page Plus. I am told that, although it does do Georgia, the service is poor. It is a shame too. I was sold on the 12 package that does 250 min and 10M data. I was going to go with an expensive phone so I would be able to use all the features of a smart phone, but since I don't use them often, I was hoping to get a cheap package. Do any of the prepaid packages offer limited smart phone features? One of the Page Plus phones I looked at said GPS. Would GPS be considered part of a data plan? Ok............I was ready to go with this: http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/dev...id=pk8R8DDCHt1 I did a chat with ATT (Amber). Amber said this phone does GPS navigation. It is something that I probably won't use, but I would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. She said that to use the GPS I had to get a 5$ per month data package, but I only had to do that on the months I use the GPS. She also said that I could get a 15 dollar card and use it in a month. I don't think that is true. The ATT says the package that comes with this phone is 25 bucks. This may be a deal breaker. I was ready to go with 15 a month. At a dime a min, 150 min would have been plenty. Still 30 buck per month for a smart phone is as low as I have found. While anything's possible, I wouldn't take Amber's word for it. If it's not on her script, she don't know jack. Vendors play fast and loose with the term GPS. If the mapping program is on the server, even if you do have a real GPS receiver, what happens on a 1 hour trip? How much data gets transferred back and forth? And what does that cost on your data plan? That's the primary reason I don't have cell service. It's far too easy for something you didn't want, didn't know was running, ended up roaming or wasn't explained to you to rack up an astronomical phone bill. Don't remember the carrier, but they advertise unlimited data. If you go to the store, that's what they tell you. But if you read the fine print that's buried in the fine print, you get a very limited amount of 4G data, then it drops back to 2G speeds. At 2G, you can drive over and ask your buddy faster than you can send and receive a text. ;-) My $5 garage sale smart phone has GPS and the navigation program runs on the phone. Only thing I can't do is make a call ;-) |
#22
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On 8/29/2012 7:27 PM, mike wrote:
On 8/29/2012 5:20 PM, Metspitzer wrote: On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 20:04:12 -0400, " wrote: On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:57:33 -0400, wrote: After looking at countless phones, the only thing I have managed to do is eliminate Page Plus. I am told that, although it does do Georgia, the service is poor. It is a shame too. I was sold on the 12 package that does 250 min and 10M data. Huh? Page Plus uses the Verizon network. Verizon covers Georgia quite well (upgrading from 3G to 4G now). I was going to go with an expensive phone so I would be able to use all the features of a smart phone, but since I don't use them often, I was hoping to get a cheap package. Do any of the prepaid packages offer limited smart phone features? One of the Page Plus phones I looked at said GPS. Would GPS be considered part of a data plan? GPS or navigation? GPS is built in. Navigation requires the network. Sorta. Aftermarket stand-alone nav packages are available. Yeah That is the word I was looking for.......navigation. Ask yourself why you NEED GPS??????? If you just wanna get from here to there, figger it out online before you go and print a map or take notes. GPS shines when you get lost or confused or detoured or change plans. If you travel by car, get a cheapo self-contained GPS appliance. They're small enough to fit in your pocket if needed. Costs less than the data plan you'll need for something rarely used. Don't leave it visible in the car. The broken window costs way more than the GPS they stole. GPS is of little use when you don't control the means of transport. The bus driver ain't gonna go where you want. And if it's too far to walk, you don't need GPS in your pocket. There are always exceptions. Indeed there are. If you're in an unfamiliar place, especially outside the U.S., a GPS is extremely useful for knowing where you are; paper maps can't provide this information. Downloaded maps will show things like subway stations. You can download Google Maps in advance so you don't need 3G. With Google Maps you can't do navigation without a 3G connection, but often it's sufficient just to know where you are. When we were in China earlier this year a tablet with GPS would have been very useful, but I was waiting for the Google Nexus 7 to come out and it was delayed from May to July, which was too late. Another thing to consider when traveling and choosing a phone or tablet, is to be sure it has a USB OTG port so you can use a USB to Ethernet adapter. Many hotels still have only wired Ethernet, and iPad users were very upset at not being able to connect. Or bring a travel wireless router. |
#23
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On Thu, 30 Aug 2012 05:12:47 -0700, mike wrote:
On 8/29/2012 10:16 PM, Metspitzer wrote: On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:57:33 -0400, wrote: After looking at countless phones, the only thing I have managed to do is eliminate Page Plus. I am told that, although it does do Georgia, the service is poor. It is a shame too. I was sold on the 12 package that does 250 min and 10M data. I was going to go with an expensive phone so I would be able to use all the features of a smart phone, but since I don't use them often, I was hoping to get a cheap package. Do any of the prepaid packages offer limited smart phone features? One of the Page Plus phones I looked at said GPS. Would GPS be considered part of a data plan? Ok............I was ready to go with this: http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/dev...id=pk8R8DDCHt1 I did a chat with ATT (Amber). Amber said this phone does GPS navigation. It is something that I probably won't use, but I would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. She said that to use the GPS I had to get a 5$ per month data package, but I only had to do that on the months I use the GPS. She also said that I could get a 15 dollar card and use it in a month. I don't think that is true. The ATT says the package that comes with this phone is 25 bucks. This may be a deal breaker. I was ready to go with 15 a month. At a dime a min, 150 min would have been plenty. Still 30 buck per month for a smart phone is as low as I have found. Have you read my post yet? I can see how the plan may not be what you want, but it is certainly less than 30 a month for a smart phone. I started with a pre-paid GoPhone and, before they stopped selling them, was paying $10 a month for 3 months. Now the minimum amount might be $25 for 3 months, but it's a lot simplier to spend $100 for a year -- less than a year actually because if you don't renew in time you lose what is in there, so let's say 11 months. That's a lot less than 360 a year. And you can do this with a smart phone, probably the same smart phone you are looking at, if you buy the phone separately and insert a Sim from another prepaid GoPhone. This might work with non-ATT plans and phones too. The phone either has to be locked for the provider you plan to use, or unlocked and able to use any provider. How you can get a prepaid gophone plan without any phone (so you can buy the phone separately) I don't know if it's possible. But you can get the really cheap phone that they provide. The one I started with not only didnt' take pictures, it didn't accept downloaded ringtones. It was just a phone. Taking the sim out of it and putting it in the better phone took two minutes, and the new phone worked immediately. They have three rates to use up that money. I'm paying $2/day that I use the phone and nothing after that. I suppose I can't call beyond Canada, but I make international calls rarely and from home anyhow. This means I can only use the phone 50 days during the 11 months or less and then I have to put more money in, which I think one can do over the phone, even when no money is left. Another might be 20cents a minute for every call, all day long. Another plan might be a dollar a day that the phone is used and 10 cents a minute. I decided that on days I use the phone, I'd likelly talk more than 10 minutes and that would cost more than the first 2 dollar plan. .. While anything's possible, I wouldn't take Amber's word for it. Why not? She sounds very intelli... She sounds very competent to me. If it's not on her script, she don't know jack. Vendors play fast and loose with the term GPS. If the mapping program is on the server, even if you do have a real GPS receiver, what happens on a 1 hour trip? How much data gets transferred back and forth? And what does that cost on your data plan? That's the primary reason I don't have cell service. It's far too easy for something you didn't want, didn't know was running, ended up roaming or wasn't explained to you to rack up an astronomical phone bill. Don't remember the carrier, but they advertise unlimited data. If you go to the store, that's what they tell you. But if you read the fine print that's buried in the fine print, you get a very limited amount of 4G data, then it drops back to 2G speeds. At 2G, you can drive over and ask your buddy faster than you can send and receive a text. ;-) My $5 garage sale smart phone has GPS and the navigation program runs on the phone. Only thing I can't do is make a call ;-) |
#24
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On Thu, 30 Aug 2012 07:24:31 -0700, SMS
wrote: Another thing to consider when traveling and choosing a phone or tablet, is to be sure it has a USB OTG port so you can use a USB to Ethernet adapter. Many hotels still have only wired Ethernet, and iPad users were very upset at not being able to connect. Or bring a travel wireless router. Good advice. Although sometimes they only have wired in the room and wireless in the lobby/lounge/restaurant. Because my plane was late and I missed the connection, they gave me an a day, 10AM to 5PM, at the Heathrow Hilton and I requested Internet in my room for the laptop, which was no problem and no charge, except it meant the room had a shower and no bathtub! And iirc somehow, and now I can't imagine how, it took me more time to use the wired than the wireless downstairs would have taken. . I'd never used wired with this laptop before, so maybe that had something to do with it. |
#25
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On Thu, 30 Aug 2012 12:26:45 -0400, micky
wrote: On Thu, 30 Aug 2012 05:12:47 -0700, mike wrote: On 8/29/2012 10:16 PM, Metspitzer wrote: On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:57:33 -0400, wrote: After looking at countless phones, the only thing I have managed to do is eliminate Page Plus. I am told that, although it does do Georgia, the service is poor. It is a shame too. I was sold on the 12 package that does 250 min and 10M data. I was going to go with an expensive phone so I would be able to use all the features of a smart phone, but since I don't use them often, I was hoping to get a cheap package. Do any of the prepaid packages offer limited smart phone features? One of the Page Plus phones I looked at said GPS. Would GPS be considered part of a data plan? Ok............I was ready to go with this: http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/dev...id=pk8R8DDCHt1 I did a chat with ATT (Amber). Amber said this phone does GPS navigation. It is something that I probably won't use, but I would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. I did read your post. Your post was what made me zero in on a Gophone and call ATT. I also went by an ATT store today. I was told that with the smart phone, I would not be able to use the 15 data package because the smart phone used the Internet all the time. I explained to the guy that I only wanted an expensive phone so I could use the features if I needed them. I did not plan on using them. I also explained to him that I wanted an expensive phone so I could take quality photos and listen to mp3s. (free stuff after the cost of the phone) I also have several health related text files that I wanted to be able to display on the phone. I use Gmail and Google Drive. While I also do not plan on using either from the phone, I would like to display the information and store it on the phone. I had money in hand and was ready to buy the phone, but he said that I would not be able to use a smartphone without a 25 per month package. I then had to pay extra to actually use the smartphone features. I still want a good quality phone, but I was trying to get it for 15 bucks per month. (reserving the right to add data when needed) I asked him if he had any prepaid phones that would take quality photos and a good quality mp3s without using a data package and he said no. The prepaid phones had a 1Mpix camera and poor mp3 player. I would be pleased to hear if I am incorrect, and I may be, but I am repeating info I got from ATT. She said that to use the GPS I had to get a 5$ per month data package, but I only had to do that on the months I use the GPS. She also said that I could get a 15 dollar card and use it in a month. I don't think that is true. The ATT says the package that comes with this phone is 25 bucks. This may be a deal breaker. I was ready to go with 15 a month. At a dime a min, 150 min would have been plenty. Still 30 buck per month for a smart phone is as low as I have found. Have you read my post yet? I can see how the plan may not be what you want, but it is certainly less than 30 a month for a smart phone. I started with a pre-paid GoPhone and, before they stopped selling them, was paying $10 a month for 3 months. Now the minimum amount might be $25 for 3 months, but it's a lot simplier to spend $100 for a year -- less than a year actually because if you don't renew in time you lose what is in there, so let's say 11 months. That's a lot less than 360 a year. And you can do this with a smart phone, probably the same smart phone you are looking at, if you buy the phone separately and insert a Sim from another prepaid GoPhone. This might work with non-ATT plans and phones too. The phone either has to be locked for the provider you plan to use, or unlocked and able to use any provider. How you can get a prepaid gophone plan without any phone (so you can buy the phone separately) I don't know if it's possible. But you can get the really cheap phone that they provide. The one I started with not only didnt' take pictures, it didn't accept downloaded ringtones. It was just a phone. Taking the sim out of it and putting it in the better phone took two minutes, and the new phone worked immediately. They have three rates to use up that money. I'm paying $2/day that I use the phone and nothing after that. I suppose I can't call beyond Canada, but I make international calls rarely and from home anyhow. This means I can only use the phone 50 days during the 11 months or less and then I have to put more money in, which I think one can do over the phone, even when no money is left. Another might be 20cents a minute for every call, all day long. Another plan might be a dollar a day that the phone is used and 10 cents a minute. I decided that on days I use the phone, I'd likelly talk more than 10 minutes and that would cost more than the first 2 dollar plan. . While anything's possible, I wouldn't take Amber's word for it. Why not? She sounds very intelli... She sounds very competent to me. If it's not on her script, she don't know jack. Vendors play fast and loose with the term GPS. If the mapping program is on the server, even if you do have a real GPS receiver, what happens on a 1 hour trip? How much data gets transferred back and forth? And what does that cost on your data plan? That's the primary reason I don't have cell service. It's far too easy for something you didn't want, didn't know was running, ended up roaming or wasn't explained to you to rack up an astronomical phone bill. Don't remember the carrier, but they advertise unlimited data. If you go to the store, that's what they tell you. But if you read the fine print that's buried in the fine print, you get a very limited amount of 4G data, then it drops back to 2G speeds. At 2G, you can drive over and ask your buddy faster than you can send and receive a text. ;-) My $5 garage sale smart phone has GPS and the navigation program runs on the phone. Only thing I can't do is make a call ;-) |
#26
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On 8/30/2012 10:33 AM, Metspitzer wrote:
I did read your post. Your post was what made me zero in on a Gophone and call ATT. I also went by an ATT store today. I was told that with the smart phone, I would not be able to use the 15 data package because the smart phone used the Internet all the time. I explained to the guy that I only wanted an expensive phone so I could use the features if I needed them. I did not plan on using them. I also explained to him that I wanted an expensive phone so I could take quality photos and listen to mp3s. (free stuff after the cost of the phone) I also have several health related text files that I wanted to be able to display on the phone. I use Gmail and Google Drive. While I also do not plan on using either from the phone, I would like to display the information and store it on the phone. I had money in hand and was ready to buy the phone, but he said that I would not be able to use a smartphone without a 25 per month package. I then had to pay extra to actually use the smartphone features. I still want a good quality phone, but I was trying to get it for 15 bucks per month. (reserving the right to add data when needed) I asked him if he had any prepaid phones that would take quality photos and a good quality mp3s without using a data package and he said no. The prepaid phones had a 1Mpix camera and poor mp3 player. I would be pleased to hear if I am incorrect, and I may be, but I am repeating info I got from ATT. You're certainly allowed to want what you want. I've never had cell service, but I do have more smart phones and PDA's than I can count on my fingers and toes. I do have some opinions. 1) you want more than you're gonna get for what you're willing to pay. People with lots of $$$ seem to swear by the iPhone. 2) NEVER assume anything about a phone from the specs. Cameras are one such area. The range of focus is often dismal. Closeups can be problematic. I have a Treo 650. It takes wonderful 640x480 pictures. I also have a Treo 850. Much higher resolution camera. Outside, on a day that's not too dim or too bright, it does indeed take pictures that take up much more space, but the quality is lower than the 650. Indoors, there's no comparison. The 850 pictures are worse than horrible. The 650 is very competent in low light. I've had discussions with others who expressed the same opinion. Megapixels sells phones, but doesn't necessarily mean better pictures. Mp3's are another disaster area. I have a drawer full of mp3 players about the size of a bic lighter that run off one AAA cell. Plays all day on a rechargeable cell. Takes 10 seconds to swap it out and keep going. I can operate it with one hand thru my shirt pocket. I experimented with Smart Phones for mp3. I dropped them on the floor. I couldn't operate 'em without ripping them out of the case on my belt and using both hands to navigate menus. PITA. GPS is another issue. Depending on where the satellites are at the moment, a smart phone on your belt in the car may not work well. A Bluetooth GPS on the dash can work much better and still talk to your phone or Pda. But you can buy a whole GPS appliance for less than the cost of a bluetooth GPS these days. And both are cheaper than a typical cell plan. If you do find something that meets your goals, report back. I'd like one too. |
#27
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On 8/30/2012 12:27 PM, mike wrote:
GPS is another issue. Depending on where the satellites are at the moment, a smart phone on your belt in the car may not work well. A Bluetooth GPS on the dash can work much better and still talk to your phone or Pda. But you can buy a whole GPS appliance for less than the cost of a bluetooth GPS these days. And both are cheaper than a typical cell plan. There are window-mounts for many popular smart phones that allow for good GPS reception, and of course when using a smart phone as a GPS you probably don't want in on your belt where you can't see the maps. The bigger issue is that the screen on most phones is too small to make it a good GPS, and the screens on larger phones make the phone too big to make it a good phone. A 7" tablet makes a good GPS though. |
#28
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On 8/30/2012 9:32 AM, micky wrote:
Although sometimes they only have wired in the room and wireless in the lobby/lounge/restaurant. I also find that if there's both wired and wireless that the wired is faster because so few people are using it. When we bought a tablet we at first were going to buy an iPad to support the local economy, but it had too many drawbacks as something to take on trips, the biggest ones being the lack of a USB port or memory card slot. Not a problem when you're at home, or when you have another computer to dock with, but a big problem when traveling with only the tablet. |
#29
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On Thu, 30 Aug 2012 13:33:03 -0400, Metspitzer
wrote: On Thu, 30 Aug 2012 12:26:45 -0400, micky wrote: On Thu, 30 Aug 2012 05:12:47 -0700, mike wrote: On 8/29/2012 10:16 PM, Metspitzer wrote: On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:57:33 -0400, wrote: After looking at countless phones, the only thing I have managed to do is eliminate Page Plus. I am told that, although it does do Georgia, the service is poor. It is a shame too. I was sold on the 12 package that does 250 min and 10M data. I was going to go with an expensive phone so I would be able to use all the features of a smart phone, but since I don't use them often, I was hoping to get a cheap package. Do any of the prepaid packages offer limited smart phone features? One of the Page Plus phones I looked at said GPS. Would GPS be considered part of a data plan? Ok............I was ready to go with this: http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/dev...id=pk8R8DDCHt1 I did a chat with ATT (Amber). Amber said this phone does GPS navigation. It is something that I probably won't use, but I would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. I did read your post. Your post was what made me zero in on a Gophone and call ATT. I also went by an ATT store today. I was told that with the smart phone, I would not be able to use the 15 data package because the smart phone used the Internet all the time. I explained to the guy that I only wanted an expensive phone so I could use the features if I needed them. I did not plan on using them. I also explained to him that I wanted an expensive phone so I could take quality photos and listen to mp3s. (free stuff after the cost of the phone) I also have several health related text files that I wanted to be able to display on the phone. I use Gmail and Google Drive. While I also do not plan on using either from the phone, I would like to display the information and store it on the phone. I had money in hand and was ready to buy the phone, but he said that I would not be able to use a smartphone without a 25 per month package. I then had to pay extra to actually use the smartphone features. I still want a good quality phone, but I was trying to get it for 15 bucks per month. (reserving the right to add data when needed) I asked him if he had any prepaid phones that would take quality photos and a good quality mp3s without using a data package and he said no. The prepaid phones had a 1Mpix camera and poor mp3 player. I would be pleased to hear if I am incorrect, and I may be, but I am repeating info I got from ATT. I understand, and the employees there only know what they know. and they only know what they're told. . I have no doubt he believed what he was telling you, but he's wrong. . In fact I found it hard to believe too, as you can see if you read my thread reffed below. Because I figured if it was true, I'd have heard of it before. In fact I fell into it sort of by accident. My ex-gf told me her new phone had wifi. I'd never heard of a cell phone with wifi before, and it sounded free. What with work and home, I'm near wifi almost all the time except when i'm in the car. Someone on the att newsgroup gave me an ATT webpage where I could buy a recon smartphone (although they only had one model) to be used as a gophone, but there was no way on that page to buy it with the same plan I already had -- $100 for 11 months or until I used it all up, whichever came first, at $2 a day. I thought that all gophones were prepaid (isn't that what makes them "go".) so I was confused. I even had to chat with the chat girl on that page, and she told me pretty much what the clerk at ATT told you, that I had to buy one of the two plans on that page. But I went back to the ng and they insisted, so I looked for the same phone elsewhere, and found it at walmart, but when I got there it was in ATT gophone packaging and mentoined on the outside someting about a data plan, and I gradually realized it was just an in person version of the webpage, with new phones instead of both new and reconditioned. For some reason, I looked on the web and found the phone in Ebay http://www.ebay.com/itm/190705299563... 4.m1439.l2649 The features are listed here, and for other phones, go to www.gsmarena.com where they have oodles of information. Like I say, I don't know the phone well enough yet, so I'm not recommending this model. I chose it because it was listed as ATT and it had all the features I wanted, especially FM Radio (real radio, from radio stations with antennas, not webradio or podcasts). It works fairly well, especially if I didn't insist on listening to a comparitively weak public radio station. But there are definitely apps that won't run on it. The phone has only been out since December, or February. Is that so little time that the apps haven't been accomodated to it yet? OTOH, I don't need every app to run on it as long as some app will do what I want. 1 I lost out on a previous auction, but for this onet I only paid $46 plus 10 dollars shipping. , and it was in excellent condition. Things like car chargers are available very cheap on the web. Like 5 dollars. Vinyl screen protectors are like 4 or 5 dollars for 3, instead of 21 dollars for one at Best Buy. And all I had to do was take the Sim from my el cheapo go phone with the 100 plan and put it in this phone. So my total cost was $56 dollars plus whatever it cost to get the first gophone. Not much iirc and most of the money went to minutes. Maybe that's because the cheapest phone could not use data. It is just a phone. I can't even download ringtones, and I can't connect it to my computer. It has no jack except the charging jack and the earphone jack. No data jack and it has no bluetooth. . It has 20 built in ringtones and that's all you can have. It has no camera. So whatever service they sell with it has no data, because it has no use for data. (Someone gave me a nicer phone,, into which I put the sim card, but I lost that phone at home somewhere. So I went to ATT and they gave me anotehr Sim card for free and put it in the first phone. So I was using the first, simplest, cheapest phone when I bought the smart phone. This ng is not very busy, so it's easy to find my three threads. The first one probably is not interesting to you but this one is. I didn't cover everything it says. You should read it. There are probalby other threads there that will int erest you, especially if you have decided to go with AT&T. Newsgroups: alt.cellular.attws Subject: Wifi reception that doesn't use AT&T data Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2012 18:47:38 -0400 And read this one too. It has info beyone the question. : Newsgroups: alt.cellular.attws Subject: If I do get a data plan, does it roll over like minutes? Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2012 05:14:07 -0400 And the answer to the question is No. Every month you lose whatever is left in your data plan, unless there is some exception to that that they didn't know about. I would hate that. Also read this. http://www.att.com/esupport/article....id=LJOsLsEqWRX It's hard to understand. This paragraph "Data Services for Smartphones To use data services, smartphone users must be on a monthly rate plan and purchase a data feature package. Data Pay Per Use is not available with smartphones on any GoPhone rate plan." seems to mean that someone like me who is not on a monthly plan but on a 100 dollar plan, can't buy a data package even if he wants to. (though I think I could hcange to a monthly plan if I tried. ) The rest of it should also interest you, and if you don't understant, ask on alt.cellular.attws BTW, not every cellerar provider or manufacturer ng is active. Camera: 3.2 MP Family Line: AT&T Fusion Cellular Band: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 HSPA/WCDMA (UMTS) 850/1900/2100 Carrier: AT&T Model: At&t Fusion U8652 Storage Capacity: 512 MB Features: 3G Data Capable, Bluetooth Enabled, GPS, Internet Browser, Music Player, Touch Screen, Wi-Fi Capable, Speakerphone Color: Blue Bundled Items: Wall charger & Usb Charger |
#30
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On 8/31/2012 12:25 AM, micky wrote:
To use data services, smartphone users must be on a monthly rate plan and purchase a data feature package. Data Pay Per Use is not available with smartphones on any GoPhone rate plan." seems to mean that someone like me who is not on a monthly plan but on a 100 dollar plan, can't buy a data package even if he wants to. This is true. This change occurred in April 2012. Prior to that, data packages could be purchased even without a monthly voice and text plan, and pay-as-you-go data was also available. This change upset a lot of people that didn't use many voice minutes or do much texting, but that did use a moderate amount of data. What the carriers fear is that smart phone user will decide that much of their data usage can be shifted to Wi-Fi, or even wait until other web access is available. You can wait to upload photos, download videos, or check Facebook. Even though average data usage among smart phone owners has been increasing, the mean average is still around 500MB/month, while the mode average is even lower. |
#31
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On Fri, 31 Aug 2012 03:25:50 -0400, micky
wrote: On Thu, 30 Aug 2012 13:33:03 -0400, Metspitzer wrote: On Thu, 30 Aug 2012 12:26:45 -0400, micky wrote: On Thu, 30 Aug 2012 05:12:47 -0700, mike wrote: On 8/29/2012 10:16 PM, Metspitzer wrote: On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:57:33 -0400, wrote: After looking at countless phones, the only thing I have managed to do is eliminate Page Plus. I am told that, although it does do Georgia, the service is poor. It is a shame too. I was sold on the 12 package that does 250 min and 10M data. I was going to go with an expensive phone so I would be able to use all the features of a smart phone, but since I don't use them often, I was hoping to get a cheap package. Do any of the prepaid packages offer limited smart phone features? One of the Page Plus phones I looked at said GPS. Would GPS be considered part of a data plan? Ok............I was ready to go with this: http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/dev...id=pk8R8DDCHt1 I did a chat with ATT (Amber). Amber said this phone does GPS navigation. It is something that I probably won't use, but I would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. I did read your post. Your post was what made me zero in on a Gophone and call ATT. I also went by an ATT store today. I was told that with the smart phone, I would not be able to use the 15 data package because the smart phone used the Internet all the time. I explained to the guy that I only wanted an expensive phone so I could use the features if I needed them. I did not plan on using them. I also explained to him that I wanted an expensive phone so I could take quality photos and listen to mp3s. (free stuff after the cost of the phone) I also have several health related text files that I wanted to be able to display on the phone. I use Gmail and Google Drive. While I also do not plan on using either from the phone, I would like to display the information and store it on the phone. I had money in hand and was ready to buy the phone, but he said that I would not be able to use a smartphone without a 25 per month package. I then had to pay extra to actually use the smartphone features. I still want a good quality phone, but I was trying to get it for 15 bucks per month. (reserving the right to add data when needed) I asked him if he had any prepaid phones that would take quality photos and a good quality mp3s without using a data package and he said no. The prepaid phones had a 1Mpix camera and poor mp3 player. I would be pleased to hear if I am incorrect, and I may be, but I am repeating info I got from ATT. I understand, and the employees there only know what they know. and they only know what they're told. . I have no doubt he believed what he was telling you, but he's wrong. . In fact I found it hard to believe too, as you can see if you read my thread reffed below. Because I figured if it was true, I'd have heard of it before. In fact I fell into it sort of by accident. My ex-gf told me her new phone had wifi. I'd never heard of a cell phone with wifi before, and it sounded free. What with work and home, I'm near wifi almost all the time except when i'm in the car. Someone on the att newsgroup gave me an ATT webpage where I could buy a recon smartphone (although they only had one model) to be used as a gophone, but there was no way on that page to buy it with the same plan I already had -- $100 for 11 months or until I used it all up, whichever came first, at $2 a day. I thought that all gophones were prepaid (isn't that what makes them "go".) so I was confused. I even had to chat with the chat girl on that page, and she told me pretty much what the clerk at ATT told you, that I had to buy one of the two plans on that page. But I went back to the ng and they insisted, so I looked for the same phone elsewhere, and found it at walmart, but when I got there it was in ATT gophone packaging and mentoined on the outside someting about a data plan, and I gradually realized it was just an in person version of the webpage, with new phones instead of both new and reconditioned. For some reason, I looked on the web and found the phone in Ebay http://www.ebay.com/itm/190705299563... 4.m1439.l2649 The features are listed here, and for other phones, go to www.gsmarena.com where they have oodles of information. Like I say, I don't know the phone well enough yet, so I'm not recommending this model. I chose it because it was listed as ATT and it had all the features I wanted, especially FM Radio (real radio, from radio stations with antennas, not webradio or podcasts). It works fairly well, especially if I didn't insist on listening to a comparitively weak public radio station. But there are definitely apps that won't run on it. The phone has only been out since December, or February. Is that so little time that the apps haven't been accomodated to it yet? OTOH, I don't need every app to run on it as long as some app will do what I want. 1 I lost out on a previous auction, but for this onet I only paid $46 plus 10 dollars shipping. , and it was in excellent condition. Things like car chargers are available very cheap on the web. Like 5 dollars. Vinyl screen protectors are like 4 or 5 dollars for 3, instead of 21 dollars for one at Best Buy. And all I had to do was take the Sim from my el cheapo go phone with the 100 plan and put it in this phone. So my total cost was $56 dollars plus whatever it cost to get the first gophone. Not much iirc and most of the money went to minutes. Maybe that's because the cheapest phone could not use data. It is just a phone. I can't even download ringtones, and I can't connect it to my computer. It has no jack except the charging jack and the earphone jack. No data jack and it has no bluetooth. . It has 20 built in ringtones and that's all you can have. It has no camera. So whatever service they sell with it has no data, because it has no use for data. (Someone gave me a nicer phone,, into which I put the sim card, but I lost that phone at home somewhere. So I went to ATT and they gave me anotehr Sim card for free and put it in the first phone. So I was using the first, simplest, cheapest phone when I bought the smart phone. This ng is not very busy, so it's easy to find my three threads. The first one probably is not interesting to you but this one is. I didn't cover everything it says. You should read it. There are probalby other threads there that will int erest you, especially if you have decided to go with AT&T. Newsgroups: alt.cellular.attws Subject: Wifi reception that doesn't use AT&T data Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2012 18:47:38 -0400 And read this one too. It has info beyone the question. : Newsgroups: alt.cellular.attws Subject: If I do get a data plan, does it roll over like minutes? Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2012 05:14:07 -0400 And the answer to the question is No. Every month you lose whatever is left in your data plan, unless there is some exception to that that they didn't know about. I would hate that. Also read this. http://www.att.com/esupport/article....id=LJOsLsEqWRX It's hard to understand. This paragraph "Data Services for Smartphones To use data services, smartphone users must be on a monthly rate plan and purchase a data feature package. Data Pay Per Use is not available with smartphones on any GoPhone rate plan." seems to mean that someone like me who is not on a monthly plan but on a 100 dollar plan, can't buy a data package even if he wants to. (though I think I could hcange to a monthly plan if I tried. ) The rest of it should also interest you, and if you don't understant, ask on alt.cellular.attws BTW, not every cellerar provider or manufacturer ng is active. Camera: 3.2 MP Family Line: AT&T Fusion Cellular Band: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 HSPA/WCDMA (UMTS) 850/1900/2100 Carrier: AT&T Model: At&t Fusion U8652 Storage Capacity: 512 MB Features: 3G Data Capable, Bluetooth Enabled, GPS, Internet Browser, Music Player, Touch Screen, Wi-Fi Capable, Speakerphone Color: Blue Bundled Items: Wall charger & Usb Charger I will have a look at the info. Thanks |
#32
Posted to alt.home.repair
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On Thu, 30 Aug 2012 19:30:04 -0700, sms88
wrote: On 8/30/2012 9:32 AM, micky wrote: Although sometimes they only have wired in the room and wireless in the lobby/lounge/restaurant. I also find that if there's both wired and wireless that the wired is faster because so few people are using it. When we bought a tablet we at first were going to buy an iPad to support the local economy, but it had too many drawbacks as something to take on trips, the biggest ones being the lack of a USB port or memory card slot. Not a problem when you're at home, or when you have another computer to dock with, but a big problem when traveling with only the tablet. I travelled to europe with my Blackberry tablet and the limitations convinced me to travel with the laptop from now on. |
#33
Posted to alt.home.repair
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Can you get a prepaid phone with GPS
On Fri, 31 Aug 2012 06:22:46 -0700, SMS
wrote: On 8/31/2012 12:25 AM, micky wrote: To use data services, smartphone users must be on a monthly rate plan and purchase a data feature package. Data Pay Per Use is not available with smartphones on any GoPhone rate plan." seems to mean that someone like me who is not on a monthly plan but on a 100 dollar plan, can't buy a data package even if he wants to. This is true. This change occurred in April 2012. Prior to that, data packages could be purchased even without a monthly voice and text plan, and pay-as-you-go data was also available. This change upset a lot of people that didn't use many voice minutes or do much texting, but that did use a moderate amount of data. What the carriers fear is that smart phone user will decide that much of their data usage can be shifted to Wi-Fi, or even wait until other web access is available. You can wait to upload photos, Yes. download videos, Yes. or check Facebook. Horrors. I don't think so. I know someone who actually totally melted when she couldn't check Facebook. Even though average data usage among smart phone owners has been increasing, the mean average is still around 500MB/month, while the mode average is even lower. It would be nice to get to get whatever $5 a month used to buy, so that on rare occasions when there was no wifi, I could get some data. And it's people who felt like that who got pressured into something last April. But, for me, only if I could roll over the unused part, and that's not going to happen. Maybe in a couple years I'll crack, but I need to get more friends first. |
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