SDA calls from UK to US and vice versa

[mickshone]

Hi Guys,

I'm still toying with the idea of MDA v Blackberry but, another option is just to replace my damaged SDA with a new one.

If I do that, or for that matter go with the MDA, does anyone have any bright ideas to minimize the cost of calls made from the UK back to the US??

I live in the US, my contract is with t-mobile, but I will be back in the UK for 10 days in September. My 19 year old son will have the chance to go wild and demolish things in my abscence, so the chance to call back frequently for a damage report would be cool :D

I have vonage for my home service, any good ideas on what I might do???

Thanks all,

Mick

[Sven Johannsen]

Be close to WiFi in England? Skype comes to mind. Free is always good to a PC at home, but a call to a landline is pretty darned cheap. I haven't kept up if they have it working on Smartphones like the SDA yet, but it certainly works on the MDA.

[mickshone]

Be close to WiFi in England? Skype comes to mind. Free is always good to a PC at home, but a call to a landline is pretty darned cheap. I haven't kept up if they have it working on Smartphones like the SDA yet, but it certainly works on the MDA.

Hi Sven,

Excuse my ignorance, but I know nothing about Skype. I am presuming, please correct me if I'm wrong, that I set up an account online, and then access it through the web on my phone? I dial in or out from a web page on my phone?

I've no idea what the web limitations are of an SDA v MDA, but I am toying with the idea of replacing my damaged SDA with the MDA. Any experience you can share on the MD, is it practical as a phone as well, ease of use etc?

Thanks and I apologise for being a pain!!

Mick

[Sven Johannsen]

Thanks and I apologise for being a pain!!

Mick
Absolutely no need. Skype is a very popular Voice over IP (VoIP) application. What that means is it digitizes your voice (just like your cell phone would) and transmits the digitized voice over the internet, and reconstructs it at the other end. You have contacts set up very much like you do in Instant Messaging apps like MSN Messenger to talk to. Since transmission on the internet worldwide is free, VoIP is free, except of course for your access to the internet. If you already have internet at home, that's half the battle. If you can find a free access point when you are out, that is the other half.

With Vonage you are kind of doing this same thing from your home.

Digitizing voice needs a pretty decent processor, and that is why Smartphones haven't been supported much. That is changing. It also requires some decent throughput, so GPRS doesn't do it. You pretty much need WiFi. The SDA has that right? The MDA does. The algorythms are getting better so processor isn't as big a deal, but bandwidth and throughput still is.

The drawback to straight Skype (or VoIP in general) is like IM. If your buddy isn't logged in, there is no real way to ring him. Skype however has a feature called Skype Out, which lets you transfer out to the regular phone network and talk to a regular phone from your internet connected PPC (which doesn't even have to be a phone). Since the drop in to the regular network is normally done close to the phone, in the US, rather than the PPC, in the UK, the cost for the relatively local call is minimal. May even be free right now. They are having free Skype Out in the US till the end of the year, but i am not sure if that has to originate in the US. I would guess not.

Anyway, you can get more info at www.skype.com. Check it out and come back if you have moe questions. The applications (or clients) for your desktop and PPC are free. In either case you are going to want to use some sort of headset, as I've found any feedback, like from a desk mic and speakers really causes problems.

Test this out thouroghly before relying on it BTW. But even having it as a backup is a good thing. If you call T-Mobile they can actually get you some pretty good international rates by addiing a plan for a month too.

I use a K-Jam as my daily device, essentially an MDA. I also have an SP5, essentially an SDA. The MDA is considerably bigger, but has considerably more capability or functionality (IMHO). I am more of a PDA sort of guy. I use my PPC probably 90% of the time and the phone 10%. I must admit that when I had two devices phone and PPC, I would not leave the house without my phone, but there is a good chance it would never leave my pocket. With the converged device, if I get it out, it is likely for PPC functions, not phone functions, but the phone is always there. If you are a phone person, and don't have, or wouldn't miss your PPC, I would think twice about an MDA. You don't have the choice of taking the slim phone and leaving the PPC behind.

[Mark Kenepp]

I travel to the North of Ireland for a few weeks every year. I have a Pay & Go SIM from O2 (http://shop.o2.co.uk/shop/o2uk/jsp/tariffs/selectSimOnlyTariff.do?tariffPageView=SIMO&pageTab=SIMOPayAndGo&hideTab=true) I use in an unlocked 900/1800/1900 GSM phone. I payed a one time fee for an International Talk & Text Bolt On (http://www.o2.co.uk/productsservices/boltons/international) which gave me reduced International calling rates.

It may not be the cheapest option for you if you are only going to be there for 10 days but it sure is convenient.

Every mobile carrier offer Pay as you go plans so I recommend shopping around, if you decide to go that route.

When I got mine, about four years ago, O2 had the best options for calling to the US.

[mickshone]

[/quote]
Skype is a very popular Voice over IP.[/quote]

Hi Sven,

Can't thank you enough for your comprehensive desription of the Skype system and I'm going to pursue that and see what I can do in that direction.

In addition, I valued the balanced opinion on SDA v MDA, in the end I came down in favour of the MDA, principally because it does a little more, the 'office suite', and also because on the rare occasion I need to reply to e-mail, the only practical way to do this with the SDA is to send a voice attachment within the mail, its just too small to send out even the briefest of notes, well for me.

So, we'll see how I fare with the MDA, I saw the post about a new ROM on the tmobile site, so when it arrives, I guess thats the first thing I should do, before I sync with outlook.

When I'm all set up with the MDA, I'll start the Skype exercise, again MANY thanks!!!

Mick

[mickshone]

I travel to the North of Ireland for a few weeks every year. I have a Pay & Go SIM from O2 (http://shop.o2.co.uk/shop/o2uk/jsp/tariffs/selectSimOnlyTariff.do?tariffPageView=SIMO&pageTab=SIMOPayAndGo&hideTab=true) I use in an unlocked 900/1800/1900 GSM phone. I payed a one time fee for an International Talk & Text Bolt On (http://www.o2.co.uk/productsservices/boltons/international) which gave me reduced International calling rates.

It may not be the cheapest option for you if you are only going to be there for 10 days but it sure is convenient.

Every mobile carrier offer Pay as you go plans so I recommend shopping around, if you decide to go that route.

When I got mine, about four years ago, O2 had the best options for calling to the US.

Hi Mark,

I'll also look in to this, although I have just ordered an MDA to replace my damaged SDA and I'm not very sure of how to unlock it, no doubt research would give me the answer.

In addition, I see trips back increasing, since ultimately I will be returning home to the UK.

I'm going to look in to that now, so thank you for the advice!

Mick

[Mark Kenepp]

I'll also look in to this, although I have just ordered an MDA to replace my damaged SDA and I'm not very sure of how to unlock it, no doubt research would give me the answer.

In addition, I see trips back increasing, since ultimately I will be returning home to the UK.

Since you opted for the MDA, it is important to know that O2 Pay & Go does not allow data connections over GPRS. When I am there, I use standard GSM Data (9,600 bps) which is adequate for simple email collection.

GPRS is only available for WAP when using the Pay & Go service so you won't be able to send / receive email using the email client in your MDA.

Maybe things have changed since I got my service. Maybe other mobile service providers allow data over GPRS.

As far as unlocking your MDA, just contact T-Mobile and tell them that you are traveling to the UK and would like your device unlocked. From what I have heard, T-Mobile is pretty accommodating in this regard. If not, there are unlocking services that are available but I have never used them.

Since you intend to make several return trips, be sure to check out the plan you choose (if you choose the mobile pay-as-you-go route) to see what time frame they have for disabling inactive accounts.

With my O2 plan, it will be closed if inactive for six months. I need to use the account within the six month period in order to keep it active. I do this by just sending myself a text message which is the least expensive way to do it, so I have been told.

[mickshone]

[quote=mickshone]Since you opted for the MDA, it is important to know that O2 Pay & Go does not allow data connections over GPRS. When I am there, I use standard GSM Data (9,600 bps) which is adequate for simple email collection.

GPRS is only available for WAP when using the Pay & Go service so you won't be able to send / receive email using the email client in your MDA.

As far as unlocking your MDA, just contact T-Mobile and tell them that you are traveling to the UK and would like your device unlocked. .

Thanks Mark,

Now I come to think of it, I think I once had tmobile unlock a Razr for me, as I recall it took about 2 weeks while I waited for an e-mail with the unlock code. I could ask them from the overseas angle and see if they can hurry that along a bit.

Now, I apologise in advance for my simplistic question, its in relation to this e-mail point that you raise. My MDA, as was my SDA, will be configured to run on tzone here and I *thought* I might just be able to access the mail servers, comcast etc, on the web through a wifi connection? Am I wrong in assuming this?

Mick

[Mark Kenepp]

Now, I apologise in advance for my simplistic question, its in relation to this e-mail point that you raise. My MDA, as was my SDA, will be configured to run on tzone here and I *thought* I might just be able to access the mail servers, comcast etc, on the web through a wifi connection? Am I wrong in assuming this?

A wifi connection would be completely independent of any mobile phone service you have set up. If all you need to do is use wifi to access the web, email or anything else, you don't even need to get a mobile service.

As for tzones, you will need to ask T-Mobile how that would work while roaming. I would be curious to hear their response, I will need to make the same enquire regarding my T-Mobile Total Internet package and if it can be used while I am abroad.

[Sven Johannsen]

I can't stress enough to play with Skype and understand it before you go. That means set up two accounts, yours and your wife's, home, whatever. if you have WiFi at home call yourself from your PPC sitting at home. if not find a free Hotspot, take another cell for coordination and call home. See how it works, or doesn't. Troubleshooting because you missed a setting from 6000 miles away is a bummer.

[Rocco Augusto]

i caught this thread late :)

you might also want to check out woize. http://www.woize.com

it does require the compact .net framework but now that we have the option of installing that framework to a storage card, woize can finally be a contender in the voip ring :)

best part is like skype it is free and i played around with it for a few days and it is not half bad

[mickshone]

I can't stress enough to play with Skype and understand it before you go. That means set up two accounts, yours and your wife's, home, whatever. if you have WiFi at home call yourself from your PPC sitting at home. if not find a free Hotspot, take another cell for coordination and call home. See how it works, or doesn't. Troubleshooting because you missed a setting from 6000 miles away is a bummer.

Sven,

Thanks and it makes perfect sense, I will set it up, and test test test, I do have the benefit of WiFi at home, so, I'll play with that.

I've been a bit slow to react because having received the MDA, I immediately ran in to frustration, most notably because my Outlook became corrupted and would as a result not export, print or anything... A thousand screen prints later, and much manual MDA entry, I'm back, almost, where I started but not happy!

I'm not really at ease with the MDA yet so I'll play a bit more and then see about Skype and so on. The SDA, typically now shows signs of life, so that is available too.

I'm busy recording voice tags for all, since the less I have to fiddle with the screen the better, but I absolutely LOVE, the way I can grab excel files from the office, dump on my storage card and hey presto!! In a rather neat way (though not sure how often I'll use it) the transcriber is a great function.

I'm sure I'll have questions, when it comes to Skype, and or the MDA, so I am warning you of potential nuisance activity!! :D

Thanks again

Mick

[mickshone]

i caught this thread late :)

you might also want to check out woize. http://www.woize.com

it does require the compact .net framework but now that we have the option of installing that framework to a storage card, woize can finally be a contender in the voip ring :)

best part is like skype it is free and i played around with it for a few days and it is not half bad

Hi Rocco,

I'll take a look at this too, and no doubt will have to come back asking for the dummy's guide to "net framework", but, more of that later!

Thanks for the advice!!!

Mick :)

[Sven Johannsen]

BTW, do note that the MDA is a POCKETPC Phone Edition, as opposed to your SDA as a SMARTPHONE. I only mention that because there is a PocketPCThoughts site, that might have other denizens that may have some different insights to your new platform.

[davea0288]

Now, I apologise in advance for my simplistic question, its in relation to this e-mail point that you raise. My MDA, as was my SDA, will be configured to run on tzone here and I *thought* I might just be able to access the mail servers, comcast etc, on the web through a wifi connection? Am I wrong in assuming this?

Mick[/quote]

I have the T-Mobile SDA and use the $4.95 T-zone data access plan (with proxy server). I was in London and Dover in May and was able to access the internet and receive Email during the entire time. I did nothing to the proxy server or any other settings. Those capabilities continued during my stops in a Baltic Sea cruise as well. I was very satisfied with both my phone and access service while roaming in those European capitals.