Cingular cell phone service

Author

Chucky's back!

GomJabbar

2006-07-21, 10:33 pm

I left Cingular for Verizon about 2 weeks ago. I made the switch
rather quickly, as my phone had died, and I was at the end of my
billing cycle with Cingular. This meant that I didn't research as much
as I normally would have.

I bought a Motorola E815 phone and a Kyocera KPC650 EV-DO PC card. The
phone worked fine, but I disliked that the menus were rearranged from
my Motorola V540 (that died). I don't know if this is Motorola's
doing, or just the fact that Verizon does things different than
Cingular. Also, I was looking into bluetooth features, and I
downloaded a .pdf document from Verizon that showed the supposed
"bluetooth features" by phone model. It turns out the document was
wrong. The pdf said that the E815 supported bluetooth DUN, however
further research after the purchase showed this not to be the case.
Apparently the E815 used to support this, but Verizon changed the
firmware to disable it. Stinkers!

The EV-DO data card did not work as well as I expected. To be fair, I
used it in a stationary location the whole time, so I did not test it
as it should have been tested. The main problem I had was that the
service kept connecting and disconnecting. It seems it kept switching
back and forth between NationalConnect (1XRTT) and BroadbandConnect
(EV-DO). There is no way to lock the software to one or the other, and
I could not find any other software to use with the Kyocera card.
Another cause for pause, is that I have been reading that Verizon is
cancelling data subscribers who use over 10 GB in a month.

So I'm back (no, my name is not Chuck). I bought a Nokia 6102i phone
and a Sierra Wireless 860 Aircard from Cingular. From what I've read,
the Nokia 6102i supports pretty much all bluetooth profiles. The thing
I really like about the Nokia is that I can actually easily read its
display in bright sunlight. I was beginning to think that color
displays were crippled in this regard. I am glad I was mistaken.

For data, I decided to upgrade my Sony Ericsson GC83 to the Sierra
Wireless 860 Aircard so I could access HSDPA when I travel to those
areas, and so I could use the Sierra Wireless software which allows one
to lock on to either HSDPA or EDGE. Also I prefer the flush PC card to
one that sticks out like the Kyocera. Verizon doesn't currently sell
a flush card like the Sierra Wireless 860 Aircard. Unfortunately I
haven't been able to try HSPDA yet, as I am not getting a HSDPA signal
in Staten Island, NY, where I am currently located.

Don't get me started on my experience with the telephone sales people
at Cingular. What a fiasco that turned out to be - again.

Kenster

2006-07-22, 4:33 am

I just got a couple of 6102i's for my wife and I. So far, am very
happy with it, though there are a few issues that I felt were better on
the Moto 557 I traded back. However, I am writing about the aircards.
I did just the opposite. I started with the Sierra card several months
ago. We were moving out to a rural area where I can't get DSL and dial
up is about half normal speed. I bought a Sierra Card through Cingular
and was not very happy with its performance. Plus, the flimsy little
bobby pin antennae made me nervous. I wouldn't put much stock on its
longevity. So, I took it back and order the Kyrocera 650 card with
Verizon Service. While the signal is a bit weak out here, and
therefore a lot slower than what I was getting in Houston before we
moved to the country, overall, I think it's a much better card than the
Sierra. Plus, I have taken it on the road with me many times. I
travel for a living. Whether it's in an airport or a hotel, I get
great service and don't have to worry about paying for wifi useage.

GomJabbar

2006-07-22, 7:33 am

Kenster wrote:
> I just got a couple of 6102i's for my wife and I. So far, am very
> happy with it, though there are a few issues that I felt were better on
> the Moto 557 I traded back.

I am happy with my 6102i, but there are a couple of qwerks that I am
having. I don't know if these are bugs, or if I have a faulty phone.

(1) While on the phone with someone, a second call comes in. If I
press the top of the big square 4-way scroll key, the display goes all
white and I can't get it back unless I turn off the phone, then turn it
back on again. I found out later that I should be pressing the middle
of the 4-way scroll key, but still the phone should not hang like that.

(2) Only while using my bluetooth headset, the volume settings screen
keeps popping up while I am navigating menus and such. I don't know if
it is because I have a partially incompatible bluetooth headset, or if
there is another reason.

Has anyone here experienced either of these issues with the Nokia 6102i?

Elmo P. Shagnasty

2006-07-22, 10:33 am

In article <1153540032.294459.103460@h48g2000cwc.googlegroups.com>,
"Kenster" < kensterfly@sbcglobal
.net> wrote:

> I just got a couple of 6102i's for my wife and I.

"for my wife and me".

John Navas

2006-07-25, 3:33 pm

On 21 Jul 2006 19:22:28 -0700, "GomJabbar" <dkbatson@earthlink.net>
wrote in <1153534948.438965.137640@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com>:

>For data, I decided to upgrade my Sony Ericsson GC83 to the Sierra
>Wireless 860 Aircard so I could access HSDPA when I travel to those
>areas, and so I could use the Sierra Wireless software which allows one
>to lock on to either HSDPA or EDGE. Also I prefer the flush PC card to
>one that sticks out like the Kyocera. Verizon doesn't currently sell
>a flush card like the Sierra Wireless 860 Aircard. Unfortunately I
>haven't been able to try HSPDA yet, as I am not getting a HSDPA signal
>in Staten Island, NY, where I am currently located.

You'll need a "3G SIM" to get HDSPA/UMTS data. Standard SIMs are
limited to EGPRS(EDGE).

--
Best regards, SEE THE FAQ FOR CINGULAR WIRELESS AT
John Navas <http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/ Cingu...less_FA
Q>

GomJabbar

2006-07-25, 10:33 pm

John Navas wrote:
> You'll need a "3G SIM" to get HDSPA/UMTS data. Standard SIMs are
> limited to EGPRS(EDGE).

When I ordered the new card, Cingular sent me a new SIM. I did
eventually get HSDPA service by going to an upper level location where
I had a view of the surrounding areas, and by using an external antenna
(not the one that comes with the card). Still, the signal was very
weak, and I could only sustain it for a few minutes. I expect better
service when I travel to some of my other haunts.

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