Okay, amid the time when I should be doing other things I was surfing Pocket's website...and they are not only coming out with service in the Rio Grande valley in less than a week but they now have roaming! Granted, it's expensive and still rather limited (Verizon's own network outside of Pocket's service area is the only coverage) but hey, it means that your phone will now work wherever you are as long as you're on Pocket or Verizon's towers.
The disadvantage? Well, first off you're using a credit card (or an American Roaming Network prepaid card) off of Verizon's own towers anyway, and you can't receive calls that way, and on Verizon's towers you're limited to calling, including I think call waiting and 3-way calling, and contacting 611 or paying up your account via phone. And receiving calls. And yes, it's expensive: 59 cents a minute.
Granted, this is cheaper than MetroPCS's more expensive rate, but I'm thinking that MetroPCS's roaming-on-Verizon rate is 49 cents a minute...:(
So the really great thing here is being able to make calls using the American Roaming Network with s imple PRL update and an airtime card purchase...at $30 you can get 25 cent per minute calling, at $20 you get 33.3 cents, and at $10 you get $1 a minute (ech). But refills after the first one are 25 cents a minute flat, so that's good. And ARN has people on it like Alltel so you're bound to get coverage that way...
So I'd say that it's a good thing that Pocket got roaming, if only becuase the phones, with a simple call to *228, are now open to other networks. Hopefully though roaming rates will decrease and real fun will begin ;)
Friday, May 18, 2007
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Sorry...
Yeah, this seems to be shut down for awhile. Dunno but there isnt a whole lot of activity in the unlimited cellular market right now, and I just got rid of my unimited line a few weeks ago though I may have to pick it back up if I keep talking like I do ;). Anyhow, at least until summer (a month away) this project is on hold; it'll be a pleasant surprise if you find anything new on here.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Cricket Coming Soon To Rochester
CricKet just posted on their website that they're coming soon to Rochester, NY. Nice to see unlimite doverage expanding every month or so...
Another interesting thing is that they are doing some sort of scratch-off with the Samsung Siren (their newest phone) with prizes being stuff like big-screen TVs. Something to check out at least...
Another interesting thing is that they are doing some sort of scratch-off with the Samsung Siren (their newest phone) with prizes being stuff like big-screen TVs. Something to check out at least...
Monday, April 30, 2007
$30 Back from Pocket and v120e stuff
I visited a Pocket store today and found out a few things:
1. Bring in any Verizon, CricKet or Sprint phone that can call customer service and you get a $30 discount on a new Pocket phone with new service.
2. The $40 rebate on the Motorola v120e (old phone) is actually only redeemed after you've paid for three months of service (four counting the first "free" month) of Pocket service. Not too horrible, but it's not an instant deal, and it may not be worth waiting that long for a truly free phone.
1. Bring in any Verizon, CricKet or Sprint phone that can call customer service and you get a $30 discount on a new Pocket phone with new service.
2. The $40 rebate on the Motorola v120e (old phone) is actually only redeemed after you've paid for three months of service (four counting the first "free" month) of Pocket service. Not too horrible, but it's not an instant deal, and it may not be worth waiting that long for a truly free phone.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Info: Epic PCS
Okay, starting up with the carrier info blurbs again...
Epic PCS is a small carrier that has a netowrk in southwest Kansas and the Oklahoma panhandle. Plus they roam for free off of Westlink's network up there (whoever Westlink is) which is probably why their coverage is that big (their own network is quite small). Online, they're at www.epicpcs.com.
They have two unlimited plans to choose from. Their "A" plan includes all the nromal calling features and free incoming, local and mobile-to-mobile calling. Long distance is 10 cents a minute and roaming is 39 cents a minute. The plan itself is $39, taxes and fees included.
The "BE" plan doesn't mention any calling features or roaming. Long distance isn't even built into the service...you have to use a calling card. But that means the price of the service will always be $29.99 a month.
Unlimited texting is available for an additional $3.95 per month, and wireless email over GPRS is $2 a month. MMS is also available. Not bad...
And yes, they are a GSM carrier, and they do have an EDGE network actually. Their own phone selection is relatively poor, with the highest-end phones being the Nokia 3220 and the Motorola v400. And they're VERY expensive (the Nokia 6010 is $90 with a new activation). But since we're talking about GSM here you can just bring your own phone, and Epic will probably give you a IM for cheap.
All in all, their service looks good, albeit small, for people in the area they serve. If you wanted to put a Razr on their service it would work well and unlimited everything would be available at a good price. That's always nice.
Epic PCS is a small carrier that has a netowrk in southwest Kansas and the Oklahoma panhandle. Plus they roam for free off of Westlink's network up there (whoever Westlink is) which is probably why their coverage is that big (their own network is quite small). Online, they're at www.epicpcs.com.
They have two unlimited plans to choose from. Their "A" plan includes all the nromal calling features and free incoming, local and mobile-to-mobile calling. Long distance is 10 cents a minute and roaming is 39 cents a minute. The plan itself is $39, taxes and fees included.
The "BE" plan doesn't mention any calling features or roaming. Long distance isn't even built into the service...you have to use a calling card. But that means the price of the service will always be $29.99 a month.
Unlimited texting is available for an additional $3.95 per month, and wireless email over GPRS is $2 a month. MMS is also available. Not bad...
And yes, they are a GSM carrier, and they do have an EDGE network actually. Their own phone selection is relatively poor, with the highest-end phones being the Nokia 3220 and the Motorola v400. And they're VERY expensive (the Nokia 6010 is $90 with a new activation). But since we're talking about GSM here you can just bring your own phone, and Epic will probably give you a IM for cheap.
All in all, their service looks good, albeit small, for people in the area they serve. If you wanted to put a Razr on their service it would work well and unlimited everything would be available at a good price. That's always nice.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Cricket Offers Pay-By-Week Service
Hmmm...seems that CricKet is shaking things up on the unlimited front as of late. Their newest foray into the unlimited field is a pay-by-week plan. That's right, you can now buy unlimited cellular in lesss-than-a-month increments. The catch? What would normally cost $50 per month costs $18 a week...so you're paying more for three weeks of service than you'd be paying for a month, if you do choose to do day-by-week. Lucrative, huh?
EDIT: This $18 includes all taxes and fees, which actually makes it a better deal than first thought, what with the $50 plan falling closer to $60 with taxes and fees. Sweet.
As far as features go, as I said you get what's included on the $50 plan. You know, unlimited everything on CricKet's home network and you pay for roaming?
Anyhow, it's at least an interesting development. It'll be even more interesting to see whether any of the other unlimited carriers decide to compete with this, and if so how...
EDIT: This $18 includes all taxes and fees, which actually makes it a better deal than first thought, what with the $50 plan falling closer to $60 with taxes and fees. Sweet.
As far as features go, as I said you get what's included on the $50 plan. You know, unlimited everything on CricKet's home network and you pay for roaming?
Anyhow, it's at least an interesting development. It'll be even more interesting to see whether any of the other unlimited carriers decide to compete with this, and if so how...
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Info: Five Star Wireless
In short (I don't have much time to write this) Five Star Wireless's unlimited plan gies you unlimited minutes in the carrier's crazily signal-rich four-county Texas hill country calling area. It's the best unlimited signal money can buy in this area...and yes I'm implying that the money isue is higher than normal...
Phones start at about $100, including activation and the first month of service, and range from the old Samsung a630 to the Nokia 2125 and 6015. Want better? Pay more (a LOT more) and you can get a really nice phone...to the tune of the KRZR and the Nokia 6265. In between there are some other Motorolas, Nokias and Kyoceras, ranging from the old (relatively) Razr v3c and Kyocera Slider Remix to, as said, the KRZR and the basic Motorola w315.
The service is $30 a month for just the basic local calling package (dunno how far that extends...maybe just to the phone's local service area, maybe not). Unlimited long distance is $15 extra, the steepest I know of for such an addon with unlimited service. Calling features, on the other hand, (Caller ID, Voicemail, Call Waiting), are slightly less horrible, at $10 extra...because they also include unnlimited text messaging (normally a teeny $2 per month, or rather $1.95, on postpaid plans). Taxes are extra.
And yes, these rates are a little high, but hey, it's the best signal on unlimited money can buy...just like Verizon offers the fewest perks of any carrier yet still scores due to huge coverage...except Verizon roams off of these guys, and these guys (except for the unlimited plan, which to my knowledge has no roaming as it has no contract) roam on Verizon.
Phones start at about $100, including activation and the first month of service, and range from the old Samsung a630 to the Nokia 2125 and 6015. Want better? Pay more (a LOT more) and you can get a really nice phone...to the tune of the KRZR and the Nokia 6265. In between there are some other Motorolas, Nokias and Kyoceras, ranging from the old (relatively) Razr v3c and Kyocera Slider Remix to, as said, the KRZR and the basic Motorola w315.
The service is $30 a month for just the basic local calling package (dunno how far that extends...maybe just to the phone's local service area, maybe not). Unlimited long distance is $15 extra, the steepest I know of for such an addon with unlimited service. Calling features, on the other hand, (Caller ID, Voicemail, Call Waiting), are slightly less horrible, at $10 extra...because they also include unnlimited text messaging (normally a teeny $2 per month, or rather $1.95, on postpaid plans). Taxes are extra.
And yes, these rates are a little high, but hey, it's the best signal on unlimited money can buy...just like Verizon offers the fewest perks of any carrier yet still scores due to huge coverage...except Verizon roams off of these guys, and these guys (except for the unlimited plan, which to my knowledge has no roaming as it has no contract) roam on Verizon.
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