Random cellphone babbling thread #1

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Which provider are you with, reepnorp? What you describe sounds eerily like the issues I am facing with Bell Stupidity.

There are two little tidbits of wisdom that I can pass your way that might help... some phones, like my Kyocera, lets you choose the network you want your phone to use. My own phone kicks into analog more often than I'd like to admit... so I setted mine on "Digital only", and the phone ignores nearby analog towers and searches for a digital signal when signal is lost.

The second thing that might ease the pain is this reception booster. You just have to stick this thing on the back of your phone, under the battery, with the upside of the booster pointing towards the antenna (works just as good with an internal antenna). The allegations on the website are clearly exaggerated, but this little gizmo allows me to to get a bar or two more than usual, and I can keep signal where it would usually drop. It's ridiculously overpriced on the website, but I have a tip for you: check out eBay, sometimes some sellers will include one as a bonus with an order... iTrimming is one such seller - I bought a battery for my old Nokia 5165 and it came with a free booster.

Hope this can help ya.

 

3.5GSM. Wheee, I guess.

 

Rejoice, fellow Canadians... starting on march 14th, we will be FINALLY able to switch carriers and keep our old phone number.

It's about freaking time. I mean, it's been available for YEARS in the US, and it's STILL FIVE months away. Of course carriers would take their sweet time - it's more beneficial for them if we don't have number portability.

A bittersweet announcement, I guess.

 

Hey, DotW, I need some help on my phone. I read the entire manual (imagine that) looking for the answer, and searched T-Mo's website but came up empty handed.

I've got the program 'ToneThis' that takes music files on your computer and reduces them in length, size, and changes file type; then uploads the file to their server, and sends a txt message to your phone with a link to download your ring tone. The problem is, each time I tried it, I got different errors from my phone. First it said the file was too long. Great...so I made another ring tone from the same original file that was 10 seconds shorter, and uploaded it. This time my phone said the file type was not allowed. IIRC, the only output file format 'ToneThis' supports is .wma. I kept trying different ways of getting it to work, but in the end I gave up and decided to use Audacity. I made a short audio clip and encoded it at 96kHz mp3, then transferred it to my microSD card...which I wasn't able to do before I went out and bought a memory card.

Also, I put some .jpg photos on my phone hoping to use on as my wallpaper and use the others as caller ID photos. When I tried to open them on my phone it gave me the 'not allowed' error again. The only thing I did to the photos was crop them so they would be displayed correctly on my phone's stretched out screen. I tried again with the original, untouched photo, and it worked fine, but the photo is a landscape, so it's really squished and has large white bars on top and bottom.

So my question is, what file types are allowed on my phone, and why won't a cropped .jpg work? If you forgot, my phone is the Samsung T629.

 

Hmm... this IS a good question, Kit, as 'inside' phone customization isn't one of my strong points. If the original JPEG work, one could assume it's some matter of copyright issue. I haven't worked with the T629, so I'm not sure about the formats the phone will accept without any trouble. Have you tried a regular dumb MIDI file? You have 64 chords tones, so it should have no problem sounding decent. As for your backgroung problems, try another format, like .gif or .tif or .bmp - some phones are capricious when it comes to background images.

You DO know your phone has Bluetooth, and that you can transfer files via Bluetooth, do you? You just need a small Bluetooth dongle for your comp and you can fire up files without passing by ToneThis.

 

I just bought an LG U400 and it was HORRIBLE. Really nasty little phone. It's shape is horrible, the 'iPod' style navigator is actually nothing like and is a pain in the arse to use. The camera is really poo when compared to other 2.0 mega pixel ones. It's not to much storage space and doesn't come with a memory stick. It also came with no games! No games! Can you believe that, what a rip-off. Its music player is a nightmare too. It's really difficult to browse through your songs.

I took that bloody thing straight back. I've now got a Sony Eriksson W850i which is a lot better. It's a really cool phone actually. I think it's really a cheaper version of the K800i to be honest, but it's still pretty nice. Almost a direct upgrade from my 2 year old Samsung D500.

 

*shrugs* I hate SE. Enough said.

 

Yeah...I know it has BlueTooth, but when I went to CircuitCity, I had $25 on me, and it was a decision between a BT adapeter or a memory card. I already had a 11-in-1 memory card reader, so I bought the memory card. One of these days I'll get a BT adapter along with a BT headset.

This weekend I'm planning on testing all sorts of different file formats for ringtones and walpapers...so we'll see what works and what doesn't.

 

Does that foretells the end of SIM locks, I wonder?

If it does, then this is a victory. I always found handset locking to be pretty stupid. I guess it can be understandable in the cases of se(r)vice terms, where the provider has to make up for the losses of selling (or giving away) a handset for a reduced price... but for month-to-month and prepaid customers, the handset should be unlocked upon full payment of it. It would make the market MUCH more competitive, and you can also waive suffocating roaming fees simply by getting a local activation.

GSM's greatest advantage is it's unmatched freedom of choice and no-roaming. Why have crippled it in the first place?

About handset locking, here's a FYI for GSM users here present:

GSM phones are controlled by their SIM cards and the SIM card will not work in another company's SP-locked phone without the SP unlocking code. There is, however, North American GSM policy that states that a GSM provider will, on request, release the SP-locking codes after 6 months of service. This does not necessarily mean that they will release the codes to you, but they will release the codes to another GSM provider that will be providing your new service.

So, folks, you have the right to a freedom of choice. The providers probably will dish out the argument that they have never heard of the said policy... but don't give in if they do. The most powerful argument you can dish at them as customer is threaten to cancel. They'll offer you a couple boons to try to keep you as customer... but stay firm about the unlocking codes.

*EDIT* I looked deeper into that issue, and here is what my friend says:

As for getting the said codes:

- T-Mo will release the codes to you after 90 days of continuous service if you are an current customer, or six months if you are a new customer.

- Cingular: Heard it is also six months, unsure about that, will look deeper into the issue.

- Rogers: Six months continuous service with a monthly package plus 200$.

- Fido: Same thing, since they belong to Rogers.

I'll add more info as I get it.

[ November 26, 2006, 05:41: Message edited by: Disciple of The Watch ]

 

@DotW: This is pretty much the only place to throw it, but I've had an idea brewing in my head.

A mobile with streaming ogg/mp3/aacPlus playback. Combining a di.fm / sky.fm aacPlus 24k stream, the mobile's playback ability, and a Saunalahti 3G 128/128 mobile broadband, I could have a 'net radio compatible media player with me anywhere.

Now I only need a mobile that can play streaming aacPlus. Maybe I should just go visit the Nokia office nearby... or get a E70 (eek! 530e!) and learn to code to get a player.

Rather expensive anyway - a mobile able to do that plus the ten-twenty euro for an unlimited 128k mobile broadband a month...

 

Taza: The speed limit in that Saunalahti mobile broadband is usually not working (for me at least), so I get a decent 50 kB/s

As for the player, here is one that plays ogg media: http://symbianoggplay.sourceforge.net/
I am not sure if you can stream with it though, I have to test it out.

 

I'm planning moving to Tampere, but the network where I live now is poor, so at the moment, it has to wait anyway. And really, aacPlus is more important than ogg - ogg is for Kohina, while aacPlus is for di.fm and sky.fm... and in any case, my current phone is Series 40, so it's quite a bit in the future.

 

Taza, the N75 plays eAAC+, though I'm not sure if this is the same thing you're looking for. Failing that, the N91 plays AAC+ and has FM radio as well.

Nokia doesen't have a huge batch of 3G phones out, so that kinda limits your options.

For poor reception issues, a reception booster might help a little - with this thing I can keep a bar or two of signal where I usually would have no signal. Living in a poor coverage zone is a source of frustration though. I live in between two Bell towers and have abysmal reception.

 

Cell phones never work with me. I have never been able to call someone on a cell the first try (if at all). I don't have that much use for them anyway

 

Um, that sounds a bit wierd. Are you sure you turned it on and dialled a number?

 

@DotW: "Network is poor" == "Getting bandwidth higher than 2kbps is a nightmare, and 'net keeps disconnecting". It's quite a different thing in Finland - here poor network just means poor features. I've yet to run into any place with poor reception within the last year.

 

Ahh, I see... I thought you actually were refering to network coverage and reception, not wireless web.

Actually, it's been aeons since I used any wireless web - IIRC t'was on my 6015i, and speed was roughly 45k/sec, which isn't THAT bad... considering that my TDMA reaches blistering speeds of 8k/seconds.

...and unlike you, I can pinpoint MANY places where I have bad reception. But what's to say, we're lagging behind... hell, we still use analog, though it will be discontinued March 28th, 2007. It will be interesting to see some of the providers struggle with digital-only service - one can expect a drop in service quality... and never mind that folks living in small towns only covered by analog are in deep trouble. But hey, that's what the FCC stated - all carriers are free to discontinue analog service on March 28th 2007 - ironically at the same time we FINALLY get number portability.

*Ahem* Lots of factoids. I'll shut up now.

 

As the discussion above says, I've been considering the e70. I recently did price comparison and asked about features - a bundled e70 will cost from 28 to 44 euro a month (the 44 euro plan comes with 70 minutes of calls, the 28 euro plan is from a different provider, and you cannot upgrade it's connection from 128k for at least a year), and it can play shoutcast.

So, about the E70, opinions? Better/cheaper phones with same features? Planned better phones? I have to wait anyway, and while near perfect, atm it's really expensive.

Required features: Must have a connectivity cable to PC (no bluetooth), must have a camera of at least 2 megapixels, must have a media player, must have 3G (UMTS, IIRC) support for both IRC and shoutcast, must have Symbian and must be able to serve as a modem for a laptop. And of course, the all-essential full-size keyboard.

Suggestions? Atm my plan is to just wait.

 

Considering you're upgrading from a 6822 (or was it 6820?), the E70 is a good choice. Waiting if the way to go, IMO, as the first batches of E70 has a couple of problems, but it's the same thing with all new releases.

Field test: Sanyo SCP-3100, on Solo Mobile

Battery life: Rated for about six days. Delivers the goods as promised.

Signal: Considering I live in a spot in which Bell has notoriously bad reception, the 3100 holds it's own. The phone holds from 1 to 3 bars (out of 6) depending where in my flat I am. Calls tend to be choppy if I'm not near a window or in my own damn living room.

Sound quality: Heads up to this phone because both the earpiece and speakerphone - both are LOUD. At first, I found myself holding the phone a few inches away from my ear because of the loudness. Speaker/earpiece volume is set to 50% and it's loud enough to allow me to hold a conversation in relatively noisy places. The phone also supports walkie-talkie. The walkie-talkie is (much) slower than iDEN Direct Connect, but it's rather impressive for a CDMA PTT.

Form factor: Clamshell

Phone and keyboard feel: Due to the springed hinge, the 3100 requires a bit more effort to open with one-hand, and opening it with one's right hand often will accidently trigger the camera mode.

Screen: A huge 128x160 65,535 colors (16-bit) TFT LCD on the inside, and small 96x48 monochrome screen on the outside for time, exterior caller ID, signal and battery status (This screen has a slick orange backlight). Dead pixels (two BIG spots) on the inside, unfortunately. The green keypad LEDs are a BIG deception, but I just disabled keyboard backlighting.

Camera: Has an 1.3 megapixel VGA cam (640x480) which performs decently, but nothing jaw-dropping. The cam has a decent number of options: night mode, self-timer, economy mode, adjustable picture quality and whatnot.

Customization: You can download ringtones and wallpapers from the carrier, and you can also use pictures taken as background. Uses 1xRTT for data transfer, which makes downloading tones and wallpapers a breeze. Hooking the phone to a PC to upload tones/wallpapers is something I'm not sure is doable - BitPim supports read-only.HOWEVER, the phone has a paltry 1MB of memory, which means one has to be frugal with junk-downloading because the phone's easy to fill up quickly (On a side note, the cam has a separate memory which can hold a certain number of pics, the exact number depending on the quality setting - as reference, I'm at high (640x480) resolution and normal picture quality, and the phone can hold 21 pics.). Deleting the built-in screen savers and games (which are frankly boring) clears up some 300k of memory, which is quite a welcome relief. Unfortunatly, the cam cannot do video capture thanks to the ultra-low memory.

Wrap-up: Sanyo surprised me in a favorable way with this phone. If you want a reliable, rugged phone that won't let you down, Sanyo's your answer.

Final score: 8/10

[ May 06, 2007, 21:17: Message edited by: Disciple of The Watch ]

 

Updated - Field test: Nokia 6340i, on Rogers/Fido

Battery life: Up to 14 days in GSM mode, 9 in TDMA mode and 2 in AMPS mode. Now that TDMA and analog are dead (Only Rogers' networks, that is), this phone operates as a pure GSM phone. Battery life is simply jaw-dropping - I've reached 18 days with little use, and around the advertised 14 days with moderate use, and roughly 12 with heavy use.

Signal: Back when Rogers TDMA and Analog were still active, when the phone lost it's GSM signal (I saw it happen only once, and I was pretty much in the middle of nowhere), it rolled back to either the TDMA or Analog network, whichever was stronger, so "No service" was pretty much inexistent.Even as a pure GSM phone, this one litteraly STOMPS my other phones FLAT - it holds a signal where others will fail, and I could easily hold a call in the "Dead Zone".

Sound quality: With the enhanced coded and in GSM mode, great. Good but not great in TDMA mode, and adequate on analog. Surprisingly, static and background noises were nearly absent in analog mode, which is no small feat.

Form factor: Candybar

Phone and keyboard feel: In my opinion, the phone is just the right size. It sits comfortably in my hand. The keyboard is easy to use and certainly not a thumb-buster, and holding the phone to the ear is surprisingly comfortable too. The back faceplate is starting to become a bit loose, which is a minor irritation.

Screen: B&W LCD. I actually prefer B&W because of the absence of dead pixels, which plague color LCDs.

Customization: The faceplate can be changed with the help of a trusty Torx screwdriver, and as for tones and logos, well, I'll try Oxygen Phone Manager as soon as I get a data cable or infrared dongle. (Yes, the phone is IR capable.)

Wrap-up: I'll be honest - I always hated GAIT phones. Usually, none of then worked properly in regards of switching networks, worked better in a perticular mode, searched for a weak signal from another network instead of a strong one from another network (The Siemens S46 would maddeningly ALWAYS use a weak TDMA signal instead of a strong analog signal, or a weak GSM instead of a strong TDMA, you get the idea), and this is EXACTLY where the 6340i shines - it searches for all networks available, compares the strength and uses the strongest one available.

I remember one time where I was out of town, in a place where GSM coverage was rather poor. The phone kept a weak GSM signal for a while, then started to search for a better signal, and jumped on TDMA. A little surprised, I took my old pure TDMA phone and another pure GSM and compared signal strength, and TDMA had full signal, while GSM was pretty weak.

Final score: 9.5/10. This phone could be nailed as a smart GAIT phone (which is no small feat) and an extremely solid and reliable workhorse. Since this one is a prototype, it has a couple of firmware quirks, like randomly shutting off, or randomly rejecting my SIM card, but there are rare occurences. I'm waiting for my friend to bring me the proper box to flash it with a more recent firmware version.

[ June 27, 2007, 09:59: Message edited by: Disciple of The Watch ]