Random cellphone babbling thread #1

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So, DotW, I've been hearing a little talk about phones that can go from standard cell frequencies to WiFi (depending on which signal is better) seamlessly. My question is, what phones can do this, and are they going to be tied to any particular carrier? Also, if your cell can use WiFi to make a call, does that also mean that the phone can also make use of WiFi for other things...like Mp3 transfer from a networked drive?

Also, just to poke fun of lousy old Apple...I heard they are getting sued big time for using the name "iPhone", which is owned by Cisco. I'm sick of companies naming all their s***y products with an "i" to seem as trendy as Apple. I hope Cisco wins the lawsuit and prohibits Apple from using the "iPhone" name!

 

Kit, the service you are refering to is named UMA (for Unlicensed Mobile Access), and it's tied to T-Mobile (since at&t are running their precious W-CDMA network), and as for which phones are UMA-capable, the T-Mobile SDA is, and a model of Nokia of the 6100 series is, I can't remember which one.

Using UMA requires a special T-Mo router which relays your WiFi signal to regular cellular towers. IIRC, WiFi enabled phones can also do websurfing in hot spots, but I'm not sure about the other possiblities open to you. I can look some more into it, though.

As for the "iPhone"... gads, what a ****ing piece of trash. This thing has NOTHING special except 8GB of memory and Mac OS X (and it's a bitter irony that Mac OS was built on Unix). WiFi, 2 MP cam, EDGE? ZOMG!!! HOW ORIGINAL!!!

Seriously, the iPhone is overrated trash. I too hope to see Cisco win the lawsuit. But when you think about it... regardless of how it's named, it's still gonna suck, because it's Apple trash.

 

A Random Babbling Thread about cellphones? I don't know how this has escaped my notice for 10 months. Who knows, next we'll be getting a random babbling thread about relationships or sports or something silly like that.

But anyway, cellphones and I have never got along well. No, that's not exactly true. We do get along fine, until we introduce water into the picture, then the cellphone usually tries to kill itself by jumping into the nearest water supply (or in the latest case of cellphone death, the washing machine).

So, Death #1. My first ever cellphone (think about 6 years ago now) died by jumping into a stream. Well, to be more precise, by been thrown in a stream along with a backpack when I tripped. It was a really nice walk - decided to go to the beach the long way, through some river which wound its way through some thick forest. For some strange reason the brick of a cell phone didn't take kindly to swimming. After sitting in the hot water cupboard for a month, it was offically decleared dead.

Death #2. This one wasn't quite so adventerous. This cellphone did decide to be different from the last one, though, and opted for salt water. After that I learnt it was not a good idea to take cellphones for a ride in the kayak.

Which brings us to number Death #3. Here I decided to be smart. I put the cellphone inside once of those sealupable plastic bags, thinking it would keep the water out! But once again, it turns out that cellphones do not enjoy kayaking. And so drowns number three.

Death #4 is slightly different. This one had its last few minutes in a wheelbarrow with a pair of jandals (for you uneducated people, this is what a jandal is - a good old kiwi invention... sorta). So, running through the streets with a wheelbarrow, carrying a cellphone, a wallet and a pair of jandals, three water balloons happen, by some remote chance, to land in the wheelbarrow. Instead of stopping to take the cellphone out of the water like any sensible person would do, we isntead jumped inside the wheelbarrow ourselves, each with an egg in our hands. And so drowned the forth.

Death #5 is very simple compared with the rest. Although it did last a while. It ended its days in the washing machine.

And so now #6. I asked for a waterproof phone, but the guy wasn't a native english speaker so wasn't quite sure what I was saying - espcially when my friend started laughing. But anyway, let us hope that this phone does not follow in the footsteps of its predecessors.

 

A phone killer, eh?

If you want a good phone that will take punishment that would kill any other phone without flinching, you want Motorola's iDEN serie of phones.

Those are simply unkillable. I put mine through cellphone hell, and it STILL WORKS. It was dropped from 60 feet, ricocheted on a steel beam, hit a windshield and drowned in a puddle of mud, and came through unscathed. It also fell out of the company truck at 70 MPH and jut shrugged it off and kept on working. I still have it laying somewhere...

iDEN are phones that simply refuse to die. I have yet to see a broken iDEN phone.

 

Ok, ROTKU...I've got some stuff for you, so we'll start with the top of your post, and work down.

Geeze, where *have* you been?

Well...first off, Wiki calls them "Flip-Flops", and the article only mentions them as 'Jandals' 22 times, while calling them "flip-flops" 34 times. Therefore, regardless of where they originated, they shall be hence-forth be known as Flip-Flops ...just like the rest of the *normal* countries call them. Wikipedia is never wrong.

As much as I don't like LG phones, they have a new phone, being touted as the totally waterproof/shockproof phone. I've read several great reviews on it, and Hell...it even has a bumper! Maybe this could be the one phone that can stand to live with you.

 

What? LG are rock-solid phones, and I never had even the shadow of a problem with them. Besides, they have some slick-looking models, like the Chocolate and the upcoming Shine

More seriously, though, LG makes some great phones, and that waterproof one is no exception... even though when it comes to indestructible, you can't beat iDEN Motorola phones.

 

Well, I'll be damned, Robbers Wireless decided to get rid of analog and TDMA customer, and they decided to send me a Nokia 2610 for free?!?

Thanks Uncle Ted for the freebie... I guess.

I knew that remaining on TDMA would bear it's fruits someday...

Field test coming when I receive and test it.

 

I have been looking at the new Nokia Nseries smartphone (or multimedia computer as they call it), the N95 (wiki), which will be out soon. That phone looks like a real monster...

Lots of cool features, Integrated GPS, A2DP, WiFi WPA2 and 160 MB of internal memory (hopefully no more out of memory messages when browsing the 'net), to just name a few. But it is not without downsides unfortunately. First of all, the screen has a smaller resolution than the N80, which means that it is not going to be as great for surfing the 'net and reading/writing e-mails. Another thing is the microSD cards that it uses for mass storage, so far they go only up to 2 GB, whereas I would need 4 GB at a minimum, 8 GB preferred. 4 GB miniSD cards should be out soon, so hopefully we will see 4 GB microSD cards as well. But nevertheless, I am sold out... going to get it as soon as it hits the shelves.

Edit: an old short preview from september

[ January 18, 2007, 20:15: Message edited by: Erod ]

 

Updated: Field test: Nokia 2610 on Robbers Wireless

Battery life: Battery was 1/3 charged when I got the phone, I`m on the fourth day now and it's starting to buzz "Battery low", so battery life is as advertised.

Signal: Like the vast majority of Nokias I've worked with, awesome. I have and maintain full signal with laughable ease.

Sound quality: The headpiece could be louder, but the speakerphone has a pretty decent and clear sound. One major irritant I`ve noticed is a variety of irritating background noises, ranging from a minor buzz to a popping and a hissing noise. Since I make short calls, it`s not THAT bad, but it's *definitively* irritating me, and this phone will NOT be for long-term use.

Form factor: Candybar

Phone and keyboard feel: That sucker is TINY! They sure didn't lied when they said "pocket-size". Despite that, it sits comfortably in my big hand and I could use it for a long time without busting my thumb. Parts of the phone are covered in some kind of anti-slip plastic which is a scratch and dent magnet. The 4-way menu pad is a bit odd and takes some getting used to, though.

Screen: 128x128 LCD, while it could be bigger, it is plenty bright. Some dead pixels, but barely visible thanks to the brightness of the screen and the lack of black backgrounds. The themes included in the phone are garish and none of them suit my tastes, but the default "Rogers" theme is the most bearable of them.

Camera: None - This is a cheap entry-level phone.

Customization: Wallpapers and ringtones can be, as usual, downloaded through carrier. Ringtones can be MIDI or MP3, and MP3 ringtones sounds good, though the preloaded tones frankly suck.

Wrap-up: Honestly, I was surprised at Rogers' immense generosity ( ) by sending me that phone for free. This is a cheap, entry-level phone, and I'm not allowed to forget about it, trust me.

Final score: Forget 10/10. This phone ain`t worth it, so I`ll readjust my aim and give it a final score of 7/10, justified by the irritating background noises. Fortunately I have other GSM phones aplenty, so this one will be quickly forgotten.

I am not impressed by this one, Nokia.

[ January 29, 2007, 01:22: Message edited by: Disciple of The Watch ]

 

No camera and 10/10? What's the memory like on it? Storage wise and message wise? These are important things to.

I'd reserve scores like 10/10 only for the VERY best love machine phones. The kind you could store an iPod's worth of songs on, can compete with a digital camera photo quality wise, has nearly endless message space, looks the dogs bollocks, never fails a signal and has loads of functionality and options. I should start doing some reviews on phones .

 

I agree with the basic premise of Barmy's post. 10/10 should be for the best phone there is. Although for me, that means the lowest price one that still can make and receive calls.

 

This one was a freebie, which is rather unusual for a PAYG customer like me, but Teddy just wanted me off of the AMPS/TDMA network. I once said if they wanted me to move on to GSM, they'd better give me a new phone, and a freebie, otherwise they can stuff their service up their arses, and that's just what they did.

This phone is a basic entry-level which does it's job and does it pretty well, and it was a freebie, so who am I to complain?

That shows how different are our respective views on cellphones can be - I don't care about all the gadgets on recent phones, as long as the phone does it's job and does it well, it's good enough for me. Unlike you, for me, a phone isn't a fashion accessory, or a symbol of prestige, it's just a handy commodity.

I have grown up with older and basic phones, though, so I guess that's why I don't really jump in the "all-in-one phone" trend.

I have already gave out 10/10 in the past, such as for the LG VX-3200, for example. This phone wasn't very good looking, but it was everything I wanted in a phone - performance, great sound quality, reliability, form factor. I still choose phones on that criteria - I'd rather have a reliable ugle-arse phone than a slick-looking piece of trash. *cough*RAZR*cough

 

Updated the 2610 review, as I said I would.

Also, a tidbit of info I thought good to pass on, since some of you are concerned:

As I said before, new generation Nokias come equipped with BB5 firmware (Such as my 2610, Faraaz's N80, DS's 6101, Erod's future N95) which introduced many new security features, including a brand-new algorithm in an effort to reduce "illegal" unlocking.

Some people claim they are capable of unlocking BB5 phones - **this is a scam.**

The only way to unlock a BB5 is to obtain the master unlocking code from the carrier who originally sold you the phone.

The same people offer software which they claim will unlock your BB5 - DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, USE THOSE PROGRAMS. THEY WILL DAMAGE YOUR PHONE, AND POSSIBLY RENDER IT USELESS.

Thanks to some folks which have graciously provided their IMEIs and unlock codes (obtained through carrier), we are working to reverse-engineer BB5 slowly but steadily.

Once we have succesfully unlocked BB5 phones using a reverse-engineered calc, if anyone of you wish to have their BB5 unlocked, let me know, and I will see if I can get the calc or the codes - if, of course, unlocking is not illegal, because it is in certain countries.

 

Thanks for the warning, although I never buy locked phones myself .
Maybe I should do some reviewing as well, got a few phones lying around here...

 

Neither do I. I don't like being stuck to one carrier - I mean, GSM was designed with freedom in mind, but of course carriers must find a way to be sure they will regain what they lost by seliing a phone at discount price... I am also amazed to see the stubborness of carriers who are unwilling to unlock phones that the customer actually bought at full retail price. Hell, I bought a brand-new Rogers phone at FULL RETAIL PRICE (being a PAYG customer), and I asked them to unlock it, and they said no, unless I stashed 200$ and switch to a monthly package for minimum 6 months. WTF?!?

I try to buy unlocked most of the time, but if one phone proves to be a sweet deal, I'll get it even if it's locked. Reverse-engineering has made miracles so far.

And as for BB5, the "grand guru" of unlocking says he has a possible solution, but it is still in it's very early stages. I know the guy, and I know he's busting his ass for all of us.

And if you want to review phones, by all means, feel free to. My aim in starting this thread was to make it become a source of information. I post reviews and information whenever I deem it could be of interest, but I certainly would welcome helping hands and reviewers.

 

Kit, unfortunately, Apple and Cisco have settled their differents outside of courts, and they both will be able to use the name "iPhone".

Also, this piece of s*** will be offered in Canada through Rogers Wireless - big surprise. Just like the crappy RAZR, there will come a day where this trash will be the flavor of the month... just like the RAZR-crowd, you'll see an iTrash-crowd.

I have no idea about how Robbers plans to sell this s***, and TBH, I don't care. I'd rather get a Sanyo Katana, a LG Chocolate or a Nok 8801 rather than an iTrash. I wouldn't take it even if it was given to me.

I will continue being an old-school phone guy and getting old phones that would get laughed at today by the vast majority of trendy phone-as-fashion-accessory morons because I prefer old, ugly, reliable phones to the good-looking trash currently being sold.

 

What?!?!? Is Cisco f***ing stupid!?!? They just took a bullet they didn't need to take! Ugh! That just turned my gut.

There are just some companies that you just wish would die and never come back. Apple is at the top of my list.

 

*shrugs* I guess they wanted to avoid a long and costly lawsuit. There was no hint as for which amount of dough the case settled, though, but one can easily guess big bucks - after all Apple isn't poor.

Intel, NVIDIA, Phoney Ericsson, Apple, Sprint (and all it's MVNOs), Bell, Rogers, Fido, Verizon & Telus and their incredibly annoying UI and crippling of features, Motorola and Palm all feature on the "Fcuk off and die" list.

 

I do not think that Cisco would have won if it would have gone to court, since their claim to the "trademark" was quite weak.