| Page 2 of 2 | 1 | 2 |
|
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
And I just know what's going to happen when I approach The
Link or Carphone Whorehouse. The little oiks at these emporiums all look like they only learned yesterday how to wash behind their ears. In all fairness, i`ve bought 3 phones from the Carphone Warehouse over the years, and have found them very approachable, professional, and happy to help. They *will* be getting more trade off me. As for The Link, AVOID. I once had a "new" mobile from the outlet in the Trafford Centre which had been cloned. Its a *little* harder to clone a GSM phone compared analogue, but perfectly possible. -- Please add "[newsgroup]" in the subject of any personal replies via email * old email address "btiruseless" abandoned due to worm-generated spam * --- My new email address has "ngspamtrap" & @btinternet.com in it ;-) --- |
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 20:05:44 +0000, Andy Hall
wrote: On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 15:32:18 +0000, Mike Mitchell wrote: On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 12:31:59 +0000, Andy Hall wrote: In the context of the various costs of the property sale it is not a lot...... Absolutely. While I detest moble phones, it would be daft not to be contactable when that magic buyer with a suitcash full of cash turns up at the estate agent's door and I am out buying T-shirts at ASDA or something. MM That's not as far fetched as it sounds. In the 70s when I was selling my first house for about £30k, a young couple came along to view and liked the property. They came back later with her father, who had just arrived from a middle eastern country, clutching a large briefcase. This was duly opened, and contained the asking price in £50 notes. It was difficult to explain to them that this wasn't how houses were bought and sold here and that there various legal processes that had to happen and would take a little time. I had a hard job convincing the father that I wasn't being stand-offish - he was thinking that the offer wasn't enough and I was offended. Fortunately, the prospective son-in-law had been here for a while and knew a bit about what happens and explained the situation to the father, who was quite happy after that. Our solicitor was amused by all of this but the sale went through without a hitch. Goodness, if something like that happened to me, I'd think all the hard work was worth it! Well, I know I'll sell the house, but it would be nice to sell it really quickly. It's been in the paper all day and not a squeak from anyone... MM |
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 22:01:34 -0000, Colin Wilson
wrote: And I just know what's going to happen when I approach The Link or Carphone Whorehouse. The little oiks at these emporiums all look like they only learned yesterday how to wash behind their ears. In all fairness, i`ve bought 3 phones from the Carphone Warehouse over the years, and have found them very approachable, professional, and happy to help. I was kidding. I do expect they do a reasonable job. Not the Dixons mob, though. They *will* be getting more trade off me. As for The Link, AVOID. All part of the Dixons mob! I once had a "new" mobile from the outlet in the Trafford Centre which had been cloned. Its a *little* harder to clone a GSM phone compared analogue, but perfectly possible. Actually, the lady in the Vodaphone shop was quite helpful, although everyone assumes one already knows the lingo, e.g. what the rubber duck's a SIM for and do I need one? MM |
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 20:13:12 +0000, John Rumm
wrote: PoP wrote: I hate mobile phones. You are not alone. I bought one 4 years ago (Siemens S25). The day after I bought it Virgin Recordstores reduced the price by £60. I complained, they added £60 to my call credits. I am *still* on that original £60, having used less than £40 worth of calls in 4 years. I am aware many people get thru £40 worth and up each month. I always have to smile when people say "can I have your mobile number?" and I tell them they can, but it won't help them much because the phone is usually switched off. I then get the lecture about "what is the point of having a mobile if it is always switched off....". They seem to find it hard to understand I carry it for my benefit - not theirs! Oh, people get really funny when I tell 'em I haven't got one! They kind of take it as a personal slight that I should feel able to live my life without being at the behest of a mobile phone 24/7, like they have convinced themselves so to be. It's an addiction. How many *genuinely* necessary calls are made each day from the millions made? MM |
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice (expiry time?)
Andy Hall wrote in
: Thanks, Grant and Andy. I'll have to set up a schedule on my puter for a 5 monthly call home. (my answering machine is the only number in my little black book... Aaaah mike r |
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
Colin Wilson wrote in
t: In all fairness, i`ve bought 3 phones from the Carphone Warehouse over the years, and have found them very approachable, professional, and happy to help. They *will* be getting more trade off me. As for The Link, AVOID. Absolutely - they screwed me senseless for my first one, a Philips Fisio that could not be turned off or keypad locked, both functions overridden by a bit of general pressure through my clothing, and it also rang out and used nearly a fiver talking to my answerphone while I was biking home!! Nice Carphone warehouse gave me a tenner for it, which saved it being chucked under a bus - (incidentally, when it comes to mobile phones insurance covers NOTHING) also Link had sold me an insurance policy without even asking, the b****s; which cost nearly as much as the phone. They also took more off if I signed up to Talk Talk, and I've never regretted that, either mike r |
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 22:26:53 +0000, Mike Mitchell
wrote: On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 22:01:34 -0000, Colin Wilson wrote: And I just know what's going to happen when I approach The Link or Carphone Whorehouse. The little oiks at these emporiums all look like they only learned yesterday how to wash behind their ears. In all fairness, i`ve bought 3 phones from the Carphone Warehouse over the years, and have found them very approachable, professional, and happy to help. I was kidding. I do expect they do a reasonable job. Not the Dixons mob, though. They *will* be getting more trade off me. As for The Link, AVOID. All part of the Dixons mob! I once had a "new" mobile from the outlet in the Trafford Centre which had been cloned. Its a *little* harder to clone a GSM phone compared analogue, but perfectly possible. Actually, the lady in the Vodaphone shop was quite helpful, although everyone assumes one already knows the lingo, e.g. what the rubber duck's a SIM for and do I need one? MM Subscriber Identity Module. It's a little chipcard about the size of a thumbnail which fits inside the phone. When you sign a contract or buy a pay-as-you-go pack it comes inside, normally in a plastic card like a credit card. You pop it out and into the back of the phone. The SIM has various other encrypted numbers which are used to identify the phone to the service provider and network. In some cases, phones are locked electronically to only accept the SIMs of a given service provider - since they are subsidising phone purchase, you can see why - they don't want you to switch to other providers too easily. Locking isn;t always done, though. If you buy everything together it's OK, but take care if you buy a phone separately - it needs to be unlocked. You can of course buy SIMs separately if you like- service providers are only too pleased to sell those if it means that they gain a customer from another network without having to subsidise a phone. The SIM is also used as a data store on some phones to store phone numbers etc. ..andy To email, substitute .nospam with .gl |
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
Mike Mitchell wrote:
Oh, people get really funny when I tell 'em I haven't got one! They kind of take it as a personal slight that I should feel able to live my life without being at the behest of a mobile phone 24/7, like they Keep it turned off most of the time and then it is at your behest and not the other way round... have convinced themselves so to be. It's an addiction. How many *genuinely* necessary calls are made each day from the millions made? The same question could be asked of any phone call - or even - any conversation I would have thought. There is no need for calls to be essential anymore (given the cost and complexity of making them) - they could just be for recreation, bonding, timewasting and so on. Even the days of people posing because they have a mobile are long gone... -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 23:52:28 +0000, John Rumm
wrote: Mike Mitchell wrote: Oh, people get really funny when I tell 'em I haven't got one! They kind of take it as a personal slight that I should feel able to live my life without being at the behest of a mobile phone 24/7, like they Keep it turned off most of the time and then it is at your behest and not the other way round... have convinced themselves so to be. It's an addiction. How many *genuinely* necessary calls are made each day from the millions made? The same question could be asked of any phone call - or even - any conversation I would have thought. There is no need for calls to be essential anymore (given the cost and complexity of making them) - they could just be for recreation, bonding, timewasting and so on. Even the days of people posing because they have a mobile are long gone... Although it is well recognised that part of Nokia's huge success in the market came from their realisation early on of a mobile phone as a fashion statement. Hence all the whizzy features that appeal to the kids. Their competitors focussed more on pushing technology. ..andy To email, substitute .nospam with .gl |
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
Andy Hall wrote:
Although it is well recognised that part of Nokia's huge success in the market came from their realisation early on of a mobile phone as a fashion statement. Hence all the whizzy features that appeal to the kids. Certainly - not denying that. Much of the latest set of "capabilities" are there as eye candy to appeal to the gadget freaks. So "Wow man, I can play Quake IV with dolby digital 5.1 surround sound on this phone" might impress your peer group, while the "Hello darling, yes I am on the mobile, yes I got the 6:18 from Paddington - should be arriving in 40 minutes..." call is not going to make the whole carriage listen in and think "yuppy" any more ;-) -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 14:29:18 +0000, in uk.d-i-y John Rumm
strung together this: Grant Mason wrote: ?29.99 for a pay-as-you-go Trium Eclipse on Virgin Mobile from Carphone Warehouse. You'll will need to buy top-up cards to make calls. Standard UK calls cost 15p/min for the first 5 minutes each day then 5p/min thereafter. Last time I checked Virgin were the only ones that would let you have a PAYG phone on direct debit - hence no need to buy top ups. I've got one of my mobiles on a PAYG contract sort of thing, paid by direct debit. It's on Orange but they do a pricematch tarriff for most competitors popular tarriffs and this one is the same as Virgins, but on Orange. If I don't use the phone it costs nothing, if I do it does. Not sure how much off the top of my head though. -- SJW A.C.S. Ltd. |
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 16:35:26 +0000, in uk.d-i-y PoP
strung together this: On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 10:17:14 +0000, Mike Mitchell wrote: I hate mobile phones. You are not alone. I bought one 4 years ago (Siemens S25). The day after I bought it Virgin Recordstores reduced the price by £60. I complained, they added £60 to my call credits. I am *still* on that original £60, having used less than £40 worth of calls in 4 years. I am aware many people get thru £40 worth and up each month. I wish I was you, my mobile bill has been known to top £200 a month and regularly steps over the £100 mark. The contract, with the GPRS, inclusive minutes, text bundle and whatever else I've signed up to costs £45 a month before I even make a call! -- SJW A.C.S. Ltd. |
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice (expiry time?)
What happens to all the "old" phones when contract users get upgraded for free? I recently intercepted a Nokia 5210 on its way to my son's dustbin. A £10 sim card was all I needed. Not an expert on all this but, after a Philips and a Siemens, I found the Nokia an absolute dream to use. I don't think their success is only based on fashion. |
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Sat, 27 Mar 2004 00:57:59 +0000, wrote:
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 19:51:02 +0000, Mike Mitchell wrote: [...] Well you won't mind if I start asking Destroy-It-Yourself questions here will you ;) I am new to this DIY stuff. It is always easy when you know how, most of the time I don't. Fire away with your first free fifteen minutes! Well just lurking is giving me answers to more jobs than I want to do. I will save those 15 minutes for later. [...] I've just refurbished my 3-bed semi: [...] WOW! That is far more than I would attempt. I just want to tidy up the house a bit to sell it. The things I am OK living with but don't look good when selling. If you are new to the DIY lark, TAKE CARE! Very many novices injure themselves very severely. I am well aware of danger. I used to work with registrars of deaths. Out of public view we had a good laugh at some coroners reports. I know it was bad taste but it happened. Today I risked fitting a doorbell, it works! I can use a paint brush and a screw driver and last year I replaced a broken pane of glass. I bet the staff in the hardware store had a laugh at me as I tried to buy what I needed. It seems that I need to learn a new language! Well, here's my "MM" tip of the day (there'll be another one along shortly). And that is, place your furniture and "stuff" into self-storage at the start of a big job. If only I had done this at the start of the job and not at the end, I would have been finished much sooner. The sheer hell of doing up a whole house with beds, wardrobes, tables, chairs and all the other mountains of clutter we collect being in the way all the time just slows everything down and it can quickly become demoralising. I pay currently £79 a month for 35 sq ft and have 95% of my stuff in it. You could give yourself six weeks, say, to paint all the rooms and maybe put down new carpet or laminate and you'd not have to worry about having to cover all the furniture and suchlike. A bloody good investment, in my opinion. MM |
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Sat, 27 Mar 2004 00:08:52 +0000, Andy Hall
wrote: On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 23:52:28 +0000, John Rumm wrote: Mike Mitchell wrote: Oh, people get really funny when I tell 'em I haven't got one! They kind of take it as a personal slight that I should feel able to live my life without being at the behest of a mobile phone 24/7, like they Keep it turned off most of the time and then it is at your behest and not the other way round... have convinced themselves so to be. It's an addiction. How many *genuinely* necessary calls are made each day from the millions made? The same question could be asked of any phone call - or even - any conversation I would have thought. There is no need for calls to be essential anymore (given the cost and complexity of making them) - they could just be for recreation, bonding, timewasting and so on. Even the days of people posing because they have a mobile are long gone... Although it is well recognised that part of Nokia's huge success in the market came from their realisation early on of a mobile phone as a fashion statement. Hence all the whizzy features that appeal to the kids. Yes, it was that kind of thing I was thinking of when I read John's comment about posing. The phones are obviously sold on looks as a sexy accessory to increase one's street cred. Their competitors focussed more on pushing technology. The manufacturers will keep trying to get these gadgets to do more and more, and yet most people surely just want to phone someone? All these add-on bits and pieces and other gimcrackery are surely just ways of making the product appear more desirable? I had to laugh when a former employer used to whip out his Psion and, with big chunky fingers, proceed to type on the incy-wincy "keyboard"! Meanwhile I whipped mine out - a 50 pence notebook from W H Smith. Lots of technology is total overkill and we spend a fortune on it, and most of it is completely wasted. Think of all the Big Macs one could eat instead. Imagine you've fallen under a bus and are finding it difficult to talk, since you're dead. In your pocket, a 50 pence notebook from W H Smith with your name and address in it. Alternatively, a Psion. Anyone is going to find out your details a darn sight quicker from the notebook, I reckon. It's why I love Rolodex. MM |
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Sat, 27 Mar 2004 00:21:40 +0000, John Rumm
wrote: Andy Hall wrote: Although it is well recognised that part of Nokia's huge success in the market came from their realisation early on of a mobile phone as a fashion statement. Hence all the whizzy features that appeal to the kids. Certainly - not denying that. Much of the latest set of "capabilities" are there as eye candy to appeal to the gadget freaks. So "Wow man, I can play Quake IV with dolby digital 5.1 surround sound on this phone" might impress your peer group, while the "Hello darling, yes I am on the mobile, yes I got the 6:18 from Paddington - should be arriving in 40 minutes..." call is not going to make the whole carriage listen in and think "yuppy" any more ;-) Wouldn't it be fun to strike up a pretend conversation with the wife: "Hello, darling. Yes, I'm going to be late again, but this time it's not an excuse. I'm leaving you, you see. I'm currently sat next to this amazing woman who is fifteen years younger and she has offered to take me back to her place. So, darling, sorry and all that, but it's not me, it's you. Make sure the kids are fed and watered and put to bed on time. See ya l8r! Oh, sorry, scrub that last bit." Now look around the carriage with a confident air and stare down anyone who is glaring daggers at you! MM |
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
"Mike Mitchell" wrote
| I just want to be contactable locally for when I am out shopping | or on the internet (no broadband here, so when I'm connected via | dialup, no one can call) in case the estate agent gets a sudden | prospect who shows interest. If you want calls to your home number to divert to your mobile when you're on line, you'll have to budget money for BT's Call Diversion service, and watch out for the cost of calling the mobile (you pay for the diverted part of the call). Owain |
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice (expiry time?)
stuart noble wrote:
Not an expert on all this but, after a Philips and a Siemens, I found the Nokia an absolute dream to use. I don't think their success is only based on fashion. True - in the early days their software was way ahead of the others in useability. They put alot of thought into making the phone work the way you would expect, rather than forcing you to work its way. The competition is far tougher these days. -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
Mike Mitchell wrote:
The manufacturers will keep trying to get these gadgets to do more and more, and yet most people surely just want to phone someone? All these add-on bits and pieces and other gimcrackery are surely just ways of making the product appear more desirable? I had to laugh when a former yup - in fact it's getting harder to find a good "business" phone these days - many of the features are aimed at kids (playing games, using it as an MP3 player etc). Often these capabilities are at the expense of a good phone book or appointment schedule, employer used to whip out his Psion and, with big chunky fingers, proceed to type on the incy-wincy "keyboard"! Meanwhile I whipped mine out - a 50 pence notebook from W H Smith. Lots of technology is total overkill and we spend a fortune on it, and most of it is completely wasted. Think of all the Big Macs one could eat instead. Horses for course really... Your notebook is a good solution in many cases, but does have some limitations that the PDA will get round - especially if you use it to keep appointments, anniversaries, and phone book etc. If you loose your book - you are winning in the sense of only having lost a 50p book. But then again you don't have the option of getting a new one and simply downloading the backup of it you made on your desktop computer. Finding a phone number of a person is easy in a notebook - what about looking up the number shown on a CLI log to see who called? When people rely heavily on the PDA functions built into their phones they can become as dependant on them a someone might be on their diary, rolodex, and filofax - lighter to carry round with you though ;-) -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
Huge wrote:
If you can use your 50 pence notebook from W H Smith as a console for a Cisco router, or for a headless Sun server, as I have done, then I'll be *very* impressed. Or use it to read email sat on the top of the Martello Tower in Aldeburgh (ditto), or played Tetris on the train (ditto) or run "Leather Goddesses of Phobos" (ditto). And you can, of course, restore your 50 pence notebook from W H Smith from backup when you lose it? Or copy the entire contents onto another system, when you want to? Or use it to maintain your telephone N&A book with a decent A good PDA will do all that - and might even let you post a response to usenet in the right place.... -) UI? You can't? Shut the **** up, then. And the discussion was going so well right up til that. So who rattled your cage then? -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Sat, 27 Mar 2004 14:18:27 +0000, John Rumm
wrote: Huge wrote: If you can use your 50 pence notebook from W H Smith as a console for a Cisco router, or for a headless Sun server, as I have done, then I'll be *very* impressed. Or use it to read email sat on the top of the Martello Tower in Aldeburgh (ditto), or played Tetris on the train (ditto) or run "Leather Goddesses of Phobos" (ditto). And you can, of course, restore your 50 pence notebook from W H Smith from backup when you lose it? Or copy the entire contents onto another system, when you want to? Or use it to maintain your telephone N&A book with a decent A good PDA will do all that - and might even let you post a response to usenet in the right place.... -) UI? You can't? Shut the **** up, then. And the discussion was going so well right up til that. So who rattled your cage then? John, in any society there are always a few who don't belong. We just have to grin and bear it, I suppose. MM |
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice (expiry time?)
stuart noble wrote:
Not an expert on all this but, after a Philips and a Siemens, I found the Nokia an absolute dream to use. I don't think their success is only based on fashion. Agreed. I've used other phones (mostly Motorolas), but I've been very happy with my Nokias. The controls, menus, etc on the Motos are nowhere near as user-friendly/intuitive as the Nokias. Sheila |
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
Mike Mitchell wrote:
I am a mobile phone virgin. I do not have a mobile phone. I hate mobile phones. But now that I am selling the house and still want to be reachable, I am resigned to getting one, albeit only for a temporary period. The minute I am in my new house and it's all done and dusted and the sparkling wine has been opened, I shall take great pleasure in removing the mobile phone to a suitable flat surface, whereupon I will take a number 2 sledgehammer to it. I digress. This group, I know, is not the right group to be asking this, but I had a glimpse at the hardcore talk in uk.telecom.mobile and they just frightened me away. So I'm asking the good, faithful uk.diy crowd what is the absolute cheapest phone/package I can buy/rent which (a) allows me to receive incoming calls from landline phones or mobile phones and (b) can make call to BT landline phones? Thanks. Go to Tesco and get a Tesco Mobile phone. You'll get money off if you buy your normal shopping at the same time. Tariff is fairly cheap and easy to understand. The Tesco Mobile service piggy backs onto O2 (formerly BT Cellnet) so the coverage is as good as O2's (ie pretty good in most places). |
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
Huge wrote:
[snip] If you can use your 50 pence notebook from W H Smith as a console for a Cisco router, or for a headless Sun server, as I have done [snip] How did you manage to do that then? :p |
| All times are GMT +1. The time now is 04:37 AM. |
|
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004 - 2014 DIYbanter