Cellphone Help

[OSUKid7]

I just got out of my verizon contract early due to major problems with coverage...that's a different story though.

Anyway, I need help in chosing a new provider, plan and phones. There will be 4 phones on this plan. A family plan would be great, if anyone knows of any good ones. The only major restriction is for my phone - I need a bluetooth phone. I'm not too picky. Cheaper is better. I don't even need color if there are any B&W BT phones. I'd like to keep it in the $50-100 range...maybe $150 max. I'd like to be able to pair it with my iPaq (currently 3870, but am planning on getting the 4700 series) so I can surf the net, etc.

I'm leaning towards T-Mobile or AT&TW, although I haven't researched it a ton. The main thing is price. I want a BT plan for my phone, but it's g2 be cheap. I probably wouldn't need an unlimited plan as I'm usually around WiFi. The plan(s) will need free long distance, and most likely the lowest allocation of minutes.

Lastly, I'm leaving for CA next Monday, so I'd like to see if it's possible to get this done before then. I know it's soon and I'll prolly end up just waiting until I get back, but I can always hope.

So what do you guys suggest? Thanks!

[ntractv]

Wow, that's something I've never heard before, "major problems with coverage", when it comes to Verizon. I swear by their coverage, but, then again, that's just me. I have never been without a full signal with them no matter where I travel.

Any way, my 2cents says go with T-Mobile over AT&T.

[Janak Parekh]

Wow, that's something I've never heard before, "major problems with coverage", when it comes to Verizon. I swear by their coverage, but, then again, that's just me. I have never been without a full signal with them no matter where I travel.
Everyone has its strengths and weaknesses. I find Verizon to be the best for me, too, but there are several places where my phone doesn't work and T-Mobile or Sprint does.

Anyway, OSUKid7, the three vendors you should probably focus on for BT support are the GSM ones (Cingular, AT&T and T-Mobile). T-Mobile has the cheapest GPRS, I believe, so that may be an interesting twist, and they've rated very good in customer service. However, as to which will work best for you... I can't say. You need to get a phone and test it out at the places where you're likely to use it. There's no "one answer".

--janak

[Vidge]

I'd say T-Mobile. One of the advantages of T-M is that you can get free GPRS, unless you need to access secure sites. If you need to access secure sites, the unlimited GPRS plan is only $20/mo (at least in my area).

One thing to look at is the coverage maps. In my area, Sprint has the best coverage and T-Mobile is a relative newcomer, so I can get to the outskirts of some areas and not get coverage. For the most part, though, I'm in town and this is not an issue for me.

Oh - and when it comes to phones, I have the T610 and I've been quite happy with it. It can handle more than one pairing at a time so I can have my PDA dial the phone (via BT) and have the call transferred to my BT headset. Some phones (Nokias, I think) don't do this.

[OSUKid7]

Where are the T-Mobile bluetooth phones? I'm not seeing them anywhere on their site. :|

Anyway, the problem with Verizon coverage is that there is very poor coverage in and around my house. Everwhere else is fine - usually full reception. But many of our calls are made from our house, and it's rare that any of the people in my family make it through a call without at least one drop. Just not accepatble. I can hope the next carrier we go with is better than this.

[Ryan Joseph]

I'm using the T-Mobile family plan rigt now. We have four phones on the plan with free calling between phones. It works perfectly for us.

And I'm posting this right now using T-Mobile's free GPRS. Very sweet.

[OSUKid7]

Alright, back from CA, and we may sign a contract tomorrow. I am leaning towards T-Mobile, especially after reading the Free, All Ports GPRS Access Through T-Mobile? (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/index.php?topic_id=30838) news item.

Just to confirm, since I'm not a T-Mobile customer, with this change, I will be able to use both my phone and Pocket PC (via Bluetooth) to use any Internet application such as web browsing, IM, IRC, and email, all for free? That sounds like a great deal.

[dean_shan]

The only major restriction is for my phone - I need a bluetooth phone. I'm not too picky. Cheaper is better. I don't even need color if there are any B&W BT phones. I'd like to keep it in the $50-100 range...maybe $150 max.

Be glad you're no living in Alaska, I'm about to buy a cell phone and the only one that has built-in bluetooth cost $250 with a contract. So I'm going to get the Motorola v400 and buy the bluetooth ad-on dongle for it. There is no way I'm going to pay $250 for a phone.

[OSUKid7]

Alright, I just got my new plan through T-Mobile this morning. I have an Ericsson T610 now, and can't seem to get much working through bluetooth. I did not sign up for the data plan since supposedly you can get the same for free now. However, how do I do that?

I also can't figure out how to sync my iPaq with the T610. Any pointers??

I'm going on a day trip tomorrow and would love to be able to get online. Thanks for the help!

[Vidge]

First you have to pair the 2 devices. Then you can follow the instructions in the other thread on free GPRS.

AFAIK, you can't sync the 2 devices.

[OSUKid7]

First you have to pair the 2 devices.Did that...that works fine, and I can transfer files between the two devices.

Then you can follow the instructions in the other thread on free GPRS.I'm reading through that thread now...haven't seen anything about that yet...or is that the wap.voicestream.net thing?

AFAIK, you can't sync the 2 devices.Darn...guess that's another reason to get a bluetooth dongle for my PC and/or tablet.

[OSUKid7]

ok, I followed Pat's advice, and connected successfully...however, I can't do anything online. It says it's sending/receiving data (not very much), but websites never load and I can't get on AIM or MSN.

[Pat Logsdon]

ok, I followed Pat's advice, and connected successfully...however, I can't do anything online. It says it's sending/receiving data (not very much), but websites never load and I can't get on AIM or MSN.
Is there a world icon on the phone when you're connected? Did you do a soft reset after you paired the devices? You may also want to turn off bluetooth on the phone, then shut it down, then start it back up again.

[OSUKid7]

Is there a world icon on the phone when you're connected?Yes, I see the world icon.

Did you do a soft reset after you paired the devices?Tried that...still the same problem.

You may also want to turn off bluetooth on the phone, then shut it down, then start it back up again.Tried that as well...still nothing. :( :cry:

[Pat Logsdon]

Hmmm. When you tap and hold the dialup networking icon and tap properties, are any of the security boxes checked? Have you tried creating a new connection? I say that because the connection "profile" I'd been using just stopped working one day. Creating a new one (with the same settings) fixed the problem. No idea why.

One other thing you can try is in Settings>Connection Manager. There should be a "Manage existing connections" link under Bluetooth Settings. Under the Proxy Settings tab, there's a box labelled "This network connects to the Internet". Is that checked?

[OSUKid7]

Hmmm. When you tap and hold the dialup networking icon and tap properties, are any of the security boxes checked? Have you tried creating a new connection? I say that because the connection "profile" I'd been using just stopped working one day. Creating a new one (with the same settings) fixed the problem. No idea why.Authentication and Encryption are enabled on DUN and all other shortcuts in Bluetooth Manager, and the others work fine, but not DUN. When I cleared both of those, it wouldn't even connect to the T610, but just gave the error "No path could be found to destination" and "Unable to establish a connection. Please make sure the device is enabled and in range. Also verify that the requested service is available." :(. I also deleted the profile and created a new one...same problem.

One other thing you can try is in Settings>Connection Manager. There should be a "Manage existing connections" link under Bluetooth Settings. Under the Proxy Settings tab, there's a box labelled "This network connects to the Internet". Is that checked?Yep, it was checked...still the same problem.

:(

[Pat Logsdon]

Under the Connections Manager, on the Advanced tab, tap the Select Networks button. Are both of the dropdown boxes set to "Bluetooth Settings"?

[OSUKid7]

Under the Connections Manager, on the Advanced tab, tap the Select Networks button. Are both of the dropdown boxes set to "Bluetooth Settings"?Yes. :( For a minute I thought you were on to something. :( Keep trying if you can think of anything. Thanks.

[Pat Logsdon]

Do you have any other bluetooth devices that might be tagging com 1? If you select Bluetooth Settings from the BT icon on the Today screen and then tap the Dial-Up Networking tab, you should see that the service is enabled, authorization is required, com port is 1, baud rate is 57600 and flow control is hardware. Is that the case?

[OSUKid7]

Do you have any other bluetooth devices that might be tagging com 1?Nope, almost never use Bluetooth. Only have once before when exchanging business cards.

If you select Bluetooth Settings from the BT icon on the Today screen and then tap the Dial-Up Networking tab, you should see that the service is enabled, authorization is required, com port is 1, baud rate is 57600 and flow control is hardware. Is that the case?Yes, those are the current settings. :|

[Pat Logsdon]

Ok, time for screenshots! :D

Here's what I see when I go to Connection Manager>Manage my Existing Connection>Modem Tab:

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/media/users/5229/capture1.gif

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/media/users/5229/capture2.gif

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/media/users/5229/capture3.gif

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/media/users/5229/capture4.gif

Do you see the same thing?

FYI: The password field in the last shot is automatically filled in - I didn't enter anything when I was setting up the connection.

[OSUKid7]

Yes, all the same. :( :|

[Pat Logsdon]

Can you connect to T-Zones on your phone?

Have you tried *99***# as suggested by ekkie? (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=272295#272295)

If you can't access T-Zones, the problem is most likely the phone. If the other dial string doesn't work, I'd backup the PPC, hard reset, and try connecting with a clean device. If it works, the problem is with a setting on the PPC.

Unfortunately, that's about all I've got. :(

[OSUKid7]

Can you connect to T-Zones on your phone?Well, I'm new to T-Mobile (very new...today lol), but when I open t-zones, and select "Download Fun," it loads fine, but "Unlimited t-zones" says "Your plan does not support this feature" :(.

Have you tried *99***# as suggested by ekkie? (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=272295#272295)Just tried that, and it does the same thing. :(

If you can't access T-Zones, the problem is most likely the phone. If the other dial string doesn't work, I'd backup the PPC, hard reset, and try connecting with a clean device. If it works, the problem is with a setting on the PPC.Well, I'm not gonna hard reset my PPC now...do you think T-Mobile would give any support for my PPC? I wouldn't exactly have to tell them I don't have a data plan...and if they ask me, I can just sign up for one. Hmm...anyway.

Unfortunately, that's about all I've got. :(Well, thanks for all of your help! I'll post if I figure anything out.

[Pat Logsdon]

Can you connect to T-Zones on your phone?Well, I'm new to T-Mobile (very new...today lol), but when I open t-zones, and select "Download Fun," it loads fine, but "Unlimited t-zones" says "Your plan does not support this feature" :(.
The fact that you can open and connect to t-zones means that the phone is fine.

Well, I'm not gonna hard reset my PPC now...do you think T-Mobile would give any support for my PPC?
Frankly, I'd be suprised if T-Mobile could support the phone much less your PPC. :roll:

[OSUKid7]

hmm...well, I'll be on the road tomorrow so I'll try it when I (hopefully) get a stronger signal. Thanks again for the help. Hopefully I'll figure it out one of these days.

[Vidge]

The phone number I use is *99***1# You may want to try that one. (Note I copied that phone number from the settings in my T3. It's the same number I entered into my hp4155 but for some reason, I cannot locate where I entered the phone number :( I do know that it works!)

[ctmagnus]

Dunno about the T610 but if the T68 is at all similar, I went into Settings -> Connect -> Data Comm -> Data Accounts -> Add Account? -> GPRS Data, gave it a name and set the APN to internet.com with userid wapuser1 and password wap.

I did a search on www.HowardForums.com for the settings when I was setting it up seven meonths ago and just did another search to refreash my memory. I got


Description: <insert name here>
Access point: internet.com
User name: wapuser1
Password: wap
Primary DNS: 207.181.101.4*
Secondary DNS: 207.181.101.5*
IP address: (blank)

In data connections
Internet Connection: <same as Description above>


* I left the primary and secondary DNSs blank.

[OSUKid7]

The phone number I use is *99***1# You may want to try that one. (Note I copied that phone number from the settings in my T3. It's the same number I entered into my hp4155 but for some reason, I cannot locate where I entered the phone number :( I do know that it works!)Thanks for another number to try, but that didn't seem to work either. :(

Dunno about the T610 but if the T68 is at all similar, I went into Settings -> Connect -> Data Comm -> Data Accounts -> Add Account? -> GPRS Data, gave it a name and set the APN to internet.com with userid wapuser1 and password wap.

I did a search on www.HowardForums.com for the settings when I was setting it up seven meonths ago and just did another search to refreash my memory. I got


Description: <insert name here>
Access point: internet.com
User name: wapuser1
Password: wap
Primary DNS: 207.181.101.4*
Secondary DNS: 207.181.101.5*
IP address: (blank)

In data connections
Internet Connection: <same as Description above>


* I left the primary and secondary DNSs blank.Didn't seem to work. I added all of that info, but is there a way to select which Data Comm to use? Not sure if that's realated at all.

[ctmagnus]

Do you mean com port? I had to do nothing related to that.

Something you may want to check out is The Geekzone Bluetooth Guides (http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?contentid=449). They've helped me many, many times. :)

[Magic Speller]

OSUKid,

Hate to say this since you just signed up, but....

There are numerous reports at howardforums.com (and some here, too, I believe) of the free GPRS having been disabled. It's still working for some people, in some areas, but many are getting the same symptoms you're reporting.

I know I am. I subscribed in April and just got around to setting this up--too late. It looks like I'm going to have to subscribe to the $5 T-zones plan, which gives the same access (and more) as the previously free WAP.

[OSUKid7]

Magic Spellier,

I'm a bit afraid of that too. I guess my next step is to ask what data plan I should subscribe to. What exactly are these t-zones? I'd like to use web, email, IM, and IRC on my Pocket PC through the bluetooth connection. What plan should I go with? What exactly is the difference between WAP and GPRS?

BTW, for the most part I'm glad I switched to T-Mobile. Service seems better in my house (still not great, but it's a constant connection). I also have two weeks to turn everything in if it doesn't work well.

[OSUKid7]

It works!!! :D was a stupid setting I must have changed...

Settings > Connectivity > WAP Options > WAP Profiles - I had MMS selected, but I needed t-zones selected. It now works fine with the *99# string. :) Ah, now I can waste even more time online. ;)

[Magic Speller]

Glad you got it working. You're lucky to have it working in your house. Verizon used to work for me, but since I switched to GSM, neither ATT nor T-Mobile has worked at all.

Did you figure out what T-zones are? Did you subscribe? Or are you lucky enough to be using free GPRS?

As far as I can tell, GPRS is the connect protocol you use to access the Internet. WAP refers to access to T-Mobile's WAP server and all its links and services. Here are some links that might help (that is, if you don't already have it all figured out!).

http://discussion.brighthand.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=108419

http://pocketpcthoughts.com/index.php?topic_id=30570
http://pocketpcthoughts.com/index.php?topic_id=30838

http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=421754
http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=349734
http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=426414
http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=420342
http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=428593
http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=428884

http://www.deadleech.com/archives/2004/08/what_i_know_of.html

Good luck!

[OSUKid7]

Glad you got it working. You're lucky to have it working in your house. Verizon used to work for me, but since I switched to GSM, neither ATT nor T-Mobile has worked at all.Yeah, I lose the signal in the middle of my house sometimes, but overall it's a lot better than my Verizon coverage was.

Did you figure out what T-zones are? Did you subscribe? Or are you lucky enough to be using free GPRS?Nope, I didn't subscribe to anything! :) So I guess I'm using free GPRS. Still a little confused on the whole t-zone thing, but I'm thinking they open certain ports for different types of users, right?

I'll take a look at those links sometime. Thx.

[Magic Speller]

I didn't subscribe to anything! :) So I guess I'm using free GPRS.

Right.

Still a little confused on the whole t-zone thing, but I'm thinking they open certain ports for different types of users, right?

What you have with the free GPRS is http and the basic POP3 and IMAP ports for email. AIM can be configured to work with port 80 so that it will work, too. Anything else, including https (secure Web sites), you're out of luck.

If your free GPRS stops working, as it likely will eventually, you'll have to sign up for the $5 T-zones plan. This will give you access to the T-Mobile WAP site as well as everything you have currently.

To get access to https and other ports, you'd have to sign up for the $20 plan.

I'll take a look at those links sometime. Thx.

Okay. Have fun!

[OSUKid7]

If your free GPRS stops working, as it likely will eventually, you'll have to sign up for the $5 T-zones plan. This will give you access to the T-Mobile WAP site as well as everything you have currently.Well, I use IRC now, and I'm guessing the $5 t-zone doesn't open port 6667. Guess I can just hope this free offer lasts forever.

[Pat Logsdon]

Still a little confused on the whole t-zone thing, but I'm thinking they open certain ports for different types of users, right?
All ports should be open. Can you access https sites? Can you sign onto MSN with Pocket MSN Messenger?

[Magic Speller]

Hmmm....

So you're using IRC with free GPRS? You didn't used to be able to....

There have been posts saying that they've recently found all ports open with T-zones. It sound as though this might be the case if you're lucky enough to have the the free version working, as well.

[OSUKid7]

Still a little confused on the whole t-zone thing, but I'm thinking they open certain ports for different types of users, right?
All ports should be open. Can you access https sites? Can you sign onto MSN with Pocket MSN Messenger?Right now, yes, but is the free GPRS I'm using now the same as the $20 unlimited data service, or the same as the $5 t-zones service? That's where I'm confused. What's the difference between the two services?