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Archive through November 26, 2008

Reality TVClubHouse Discussions: General Discussions ARCHIVES: Jan ~ Apr 2009: All Things Technical: The Help Desk: The Brief Q & A Thread : Archive through November 26, 2008 users admin

Author Message
Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - 7:03 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
Mame, every single software application (especially for consumers) has a Help menu option. The online help may have replaced printed user's guides, but the user assistance is there. So the fact that hubby did NOT receive something printed is no excuse. I don't have iTunes up, but in iTunes, the right-most menu in the toolbar should have a Help menu option.

As far as DECT 6 phones, I was trying to remember what the NG was in phones and knew it wasn't 5.8 but couldn't remember. Anyways, like I said before, go buy a phone and try it out. If you don't like it, return it. (As a general rule, next generations usually improve on previous versions. While early adopters may find problems with some items -- can you say iPhone? -- after the technology has been out for a bit, most kinks have been worked out.)

Mameblanche
Member

08-24-2002

Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - 8:44 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mameblanche a private message Print Post    
Thx Costa. Stupid Question time: What's the difference between a Blackberry, an Iphone, and the Samsung Instint? My best guess is that they are all basically the same. But I find the whole thing QUITE confusing... and our cellphone contract is up in November... so not sure WHAT we should get. Ideally the most bells and whistles for the least amount of money!

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - 9:27 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
The Samsung and iPhones have touchscreens; the Blackberry does not. The Blackberry will require that you pay extra for data services (to check email and all). But if you want email and browsing, you'd have to pay for data services for the iPhone or Samsung.

The iPhone is only available on the AT&T network, I think. And I think the Samsung is only available on Sprint. Blackberries are available on any network (I'm about to get a new phone and am trying to decide between the Curve and Pearl).

But really, what you should get depends on what you WANT. Do you want to be able to browse email or the 'net? Do you just want a phone that talks? What about a camera or GPS? Or a music player? Pretty much all phones have these features now, and it depends on if you think you want or need them (for example, I'll use GPS but I don't want a music player).

Touchscreens are nice but can be difficult to get used to type on. The iPhone doesn't provide feedback (no way to tell you've pressed a letter till it displays).

But I think if you are comparing, you'd need to wait till the new Blackberry Storm comes out. That phone (which will be available only on Verizon) is intended to be competitive with the iPhone. Same as the Samsung.

So are you thinking about a new phone or a new carrier?

Mameblanche
Member

08-24-2002

Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - 9:47 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mameblanche a private message Print Post    
So are you thinking about a new phone or a new carrier?

Both! We are fed up with our exorbitant bills. But I am leaning towards the Samsung Instinct, (Oprah gave it away to her entire audience so I figure it must be good! LOL) which is provided by our current cellphone company. I want a phone that has the Internet, games/music, definitely a camera. TV programs if at all possible or has that not been invented yet? LOL I guess I want all the bells and whistles for the least amount I can get 'em. LOL

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - 10:03 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
Then I suggest you go in to your local carrier's store and look at the phones there. You can compare the Samsung and Blackberry, and compare options and prices. Make them help you. Or go to Sprint's web site and see if you can select and compare phones (you can on Verizon's but I dunno about other carriers).

For what you want, while the phone may be cheap, your bills may not be.

Mameblanche
Member

08-24-2002

Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - 10:19 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mameblanche a private message Print Post    
For what you want, while the phone may be cheap, your bills may not be.

No kidding... sigh. That was just my wish list. Reality may be quite different. Although our current cells have a lot of those bells and whistles already. LOL

DH is a big one for comparison shopping... so we should be okay.

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - 10:36 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
What I think I tried or meant to say was... go into Sprint's office. Talk to a sales person. Tell 'em what you want. Make that sales person do his or her job and help YOU make a decision. The sales person should be able to go thru the features of each phone (or other phones that may be better suited to you), the additional costs required to activate and/or use any new features, and so on. Have the Sprint folks help DH with his comnparison shopping. It sounds like you already have a short list of things you want and phones that may work, so then sales should help you finalize your decision.

The only reason why *I've* not swapped my phone yet is I can't decide if I want a phone with a single letter per key (Curve) or two letters per key (Pearl). The Pearl is a slightly smaller phone and is smart enough to "learn" words you type and to suggest as you type, but using a BB for email is just so much easier with one key per letter. For me, cost isn't an issue since it's a business deduction anyways. :-)

Landileigh
Member

07-29-2002

Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - 10:37 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Landileigh a private message Print Post    
if you want to cut down on your phone bill, don't get any of those phones. to access the features that those phones are famous for will cost you quite a bit.

Nickovtyme
Member

07-29-2004

Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - 11:57 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Nickovtyme a private message Print Post    

quote:

TV programs if at all possible or has that not been invented yet? LOL I guess I want all the bells and whistles for the least amount I can get 'em. LOL




Well, technically yes....but and there's always a but...You can get MobiTV to watch TV shows but most of them are pre-recorded and there's not alot of channels to choose from. ATT offers Cellular Video which is basically the same thing. Sprint and Verizon has their own versions...its all basically the same thing.

You also need a High Speed data connection or as ATT calls it 3G for streaming Video...such as the "TV" or YouTube.

It's all gonna cost you data, not minutes...so, probably the best thing to do is get an Unlimited Data Plan, that way you won't have to worry about charges or going over your limit. ATT's Unlimited Data Plan is 30 bucks a month (I don't know about Canada rates, or if Unlimited Data is even offered).

I use the Unlimited Data Plan + 1500 Text Messages....I think Sprint has an All in One plan for $99 a month..which is about what I pay.

I have a Treo 750 which is a Smart Phone, Full Keyboard, Touch Screen and running the Windows Mobile 6.0 platform.

The next phone I get will be the Blackberry Bold.

Mameblanche
Member

08-24-2002

Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - 12:49 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mameblanche a private message Print Post    
Wow thx Nick, landi & Costa! Great info here. Much appreciated. :-)

Costa, we always grill the sales people before we buy. So no worries. The 1 letter per key sounds right up my alley, it's less crazy-making for my poor brain.

landi, if finances get much tighter, we may just have to do that (go with the basics).

Nickiebaybee, The TV stuff is pie in the sky... at least for me. It's right up there with winning the lottery. LOL.

I love the idea of the touch-screen... can't wait to try it out in the store...

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - 12:50 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
A data plan is not cheap, no matter which carrier you go with. So buying a sleek phone without the data plan is like buying an HDTV without having HD network programming. Nice but you're not gonna get what you paid for or want. (And I did mention data rates in my first post.)

Honestly, if you are not willing to pay the additional data rates, then don't get a smartphone (either touchscreen or non-touchscreen) at all. You'd be paying for options you'll never use. There are some nice, sleek phones out there that are just that... phones.

Mameblanche
Member

08-24-2002

Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - 12:52 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mameblanche a private message Print Post    
Costa, I'm already paying for an unlimited comprehensive data plan as Nick referred to it, for my cellphone! I have it, dh doesn't use it.

Truthfully what kills me are our overtime talking minutes. Sigh. And I already have a plan for an extra hundred minutes on top of our regular minutes. Ack! I'm hoping for a better, more comprehensive plan with MORE minutes that won't break the bank. We're with Bell mobility. We might switch to Rogers... but it's really 6 of 1 and 1/2 dozen of the other. sigh.

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - 1:54 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
I don't know anything about Bell or Rogers (are they Canadian companies?). I'd suggest you look at your calling patterns and then investigate other carriers. If your calls are all to each other, or to others in the same network, then a carrier who offers unlimited in-network calls may be best. On that, you should be able to call customer service, have them look at your call history, and recommend a plan that would work best for you. Seriously, make the company do the work for you.

Mameblanche
Member

08-24-2002

Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - 1:58 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mameblanche a private message Print Post    
Bell is the main phone company in Canada. Rogers is the main cable company. Both have home phone, cellphone and Internet services. They are each others major competitors.

Oldtex
Member

03-06-2006

Wednesday, October 01, 2008 - 7:47 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Oldtex a private message Print Post    
This question may belong in the "Dumb Question..." thread, because I'm a real dummy when it comes to anything techinical.

Out here in the boonies where we live, we just now found out that DSL is available to us and dh is anxious to sign up for it (AT&T).It's cheaper than our current aol and dh has it at work and get's so po'd at how slow dial-up is.

Question is...once we get it installed, do we need anything "special" added to watch videos (like on UTube) or the TV shows that some networks repeat on the Web? I'm particularly interested in the TV shows.

Anyone's help is greatly appreciated.

Twinkie
Member

09-24-2002

Wednesday, October 01, 2008 - 7:57 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Twinkie a private message Print Post    
Just one warning: Once you have it you'll never go back to dialup.

Christy358
Member

07-10-2007

Wednesday, October 01, 2008 - 8:04 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Christy358 a private message Print Post    
no, nothing special. It all works just the same, but WAY WAY faster. You will love it.

Oldtex
Member

03-06-2006

Wednesday, October 01, 2008 - 8:22 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Oldtex a private message Print Post    
Twinkie, Christy, thank you both for your quick responses!

You have relieved my apprehension to that "old fashioned" quirk of mine...I don't like change. Heck, I'm still upset that our TVs will soon be going digital. My very old Montgomery Ward TV that I watch after dh goes to bed early (he gets up around 3 am) gets all my local channels. The new flat screen (in bedroom) gets "snowy" local channels. Hopefully that will change in February!

Anyway, that's our next challenge.

Twinkie, thanks for your warning!

Thanks guys!

Colordeagua
Member

10-25-2003

Wednesday, October 01, 2008 - 9:07 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Colordeagua a private message Print Post    
Oldtex, I changed from Earthlink dial-up to AT&T DSL just 21 months ago. I was anxious about change too. Love it. All the videos and music I can watch and listen to now!!

And I've never had cable or satellite TV. I have been and am antenna only. I'm in a condo. Analog reception had been poor and unreliable for a number of years on my 2000 Sony Trinitron TV. Earlier this year I got a Sony Bravia 40" HD TV. Great reception with no change to the rooftop antenna. (Well, two UHF channels give me a little problem.) The PBS nature and travel programs are beautiful in HD.

Oldtex
Member

03-06-2006

Wednesday, October 01, 2008 - 9:22 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Oldtex a private message Print Post    
Color - so glad and relieved to hear that you are happy with AT&T DSL.

Living out here in the boonies is great, but there are certain draw-backs. We were told last year that DSL would be available in Jan 08. Can't believe it will finally happen.

Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Wednesday, October 01, 2008 - 10:52 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Juju2bigdog a private message Print Post    
Oldtex, do it in a heartbeat. You will love it.

Just make sure before you make the move that you print out your AOL e-mail address book or figure out a way to convert it to another program.

You can even keep a minimal part of your AOL membership, I think to allow you to still use the AOL e-mail and maybe the browser for a monthly fee.

I would start Googling that part of it now. Something like "convert AOL address book to Yahoo."

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Thursday, October 02, 2008 - 6:58 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
I'm sure AOL is much the same as MSN... I've had this same email address for well over 10 years. When I moved to high-speed Internet, I switched my plan with MSN to something like $10/month (so I could have dial up access when traveling). I just realized that I never use dial up since I have a Verizon broadband card so maybe it's time to switch to the $1/month plan (duh me!).


Color, you do realize that analog signals won't work past Feb next year? And I'm curious... why did you buy a HD definition TV if you are not receiving HD programming?


ETA: It's not necessary to convert from AOL to Yahoo unless you want to. You can keep AOL and your AOL email address and still receive email using a high speed connection.

Colordeagua
Member

10-25-2003

Thursday, October 02, 2008 - 7:30 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Colordeagua a private message Print Post    
Costacat, I am receiving HD programming (all the additional channels ). It is not necessary to change anything about the antenna to switch from analog to digital. (I guess a slight adjustment could be (?) to get better reception on the two UHF channels.) I get great digital / HD reception now. Some antenna-only viewers in the building haven't made any change yet (digital TV or converter box) and are still getting the poor analog reception from the same old antenna from which I am now getting digital signals.

Tishala
Member

08-01-2000

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 - 7:26 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tishala a private message Print Post    
I finally broke down and got an LCD HDTV (well, not really broke down. I was too poor to have one before). It's sitting in the living room right now, unopened because I realized there are some things I need before I can really set it up. I guess I have to get some HDMI cables and a VGA to hook up my laptop to it when I wanna watch DVDs (don't have a separate player and will probably wait until Blue Rays get significantly cheaper). A friend who is a techie insists that it's stupid to get expensive cables because cables either do their job or don't. I can accept that, but has anyone else paid as little as $8 for an HDMI cable? Newegg has tons of them cheap, but if I need to spend $50, I'd rather do that first instead of trying out one that doesn't really meet my needs. If it matters, my TV is a 1080p (again: techie friend insisted I not get a 720).

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 - 7:56 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
FYI; Apple (the only day of the year this will happen) has most of their stuff 10% off this Friday. On-line. Not sure about Apple Stores.