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Originally posted by waXology isnt the system in the US still analog?i read once the reason why America still has Analog phone networks and still hasnt converted to the metric system etc.. and Farenhiet rather then celcius etc.. is due to it being such a massive job to convert a country so big, where as somewhere like here in Australia its tiny so was easy? maybe im so wrong or i ddreamt that or something i dunno *sips drink*

Haha...analog died for regular usage about 5-6 years ago. The network is still active, and used for certain specialized purposes, but everyone's definitely on digital for everyday usage.

The confusion is over the data standards. T-Mobile, for example, is a national GSM provider, but all digital providers in the US are not GSM like much of the world. By far, the largest are CDMA providers. There are good and bad things about these networks. CDMA is actually more technologically advanced than GSM (it's a much newer standard, 1990's rather than 1980's) but doesn't have the benefit of the SIM card system. When you buy a service plan, you also get tied to a phone issued by the provider.

Also, because we have networks with multiple formats, things like SMS don't travel easily between providers. Sending text messages between providers is still a pretty big pain in the ass. The way that US providers have gotten around that is by putting internet access on most new phones, so AOL or MSN instant messaging has become the new SMS.

Now, about the metric system...hahaha...we're never gonna change. Much of the US is laid out in a grid system that the federal government developed for a program to help landowners move west in the early 1800's. The whole grid is based on acres, feet, miles, etc. In terms of distance calculation, that actually makes it a waste of time and money to switch 'cause everything is laid out on the english system. As for pounds and ounces...yeah, that's probably won't change either, but we're not the only ones left who use those.

Last edited by imokruok on Dec-15-2003 at 19:57

Stay away from Siemens phones.
I had a Siemens S40 and it was junk would never have service, would take long time to read from SimCard, etc. I then upgraded to a Siemens S56 after given an upgrade special and it isn't much better, have to charge the battery every night before phone dies (and thats not even from excessive usage).

In Europe however, Siemens work flawlessly... probably because they are new to North America, and haven't perfected all the little bugs in the phones working on the different GSM systems used here.

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Originally posted by CynepMeH Buyer be ware: Stay away from Motorola 720i - the biggest piece of crap that I ever owned. Here's why: 1. The phone freezes up on me everyonce in a while 2. Animation is turned off, but icons are still animated and take forever to load 3. The menu response is the worst I've seen. Takes about 3-5 seconds before something happens 4. Bootup of the phone takes longer than my Windows XP running on a Pentium 1 - 75MHz with 16MB of RAM and stoned-hamster-powered power supply 5. The phone just shuts down for no apparent reason, right in the middle of important business cal. (No I didn't drop it or abused it in any way) 6. The ring volume is so low, even a SETI dish would not pick it up 7. The battery takes 8 hours to fully charge! 8. The power plug is useless if not inserted and jiggled like an old whore's nipples (ok, I wouldn't know that but I figure that's what it would be like) 9. The messaging on that phone is terrible! 10. Battery life is shorter than it takes to say "oops, my battery is dying!" The worst celluar provider: AT&T Wireless. terrible coverage on GSM or 1900 band, the worst customer service, bunch of crooks who rip you off and don't tell you about it. Thanks for letting me vent.

on a side note, your sig is great!

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quote:

Originally posted by hexnix Stay away from Siemens phones. I had a Siemens S40 and it was junk would never have service, would take long time to read from SimCard, etc. I then upgraded to a Siemens S56 after given an upgrade special and it isn't much better, have to charge the battery every night before phone dies (and thats not even from excessive usage). In Europe however, Siemens work flawlessly... probably because they are new to North America, and haven't perfected all the little bugs in the phones working on the different GSM systems used here.

It has nothing to do with different GSM systems; in Europe they use 800mhz/1800mhz frequencies and we use 850mhz/1900mhz. 850mhz is used by Rogers only though and they're really pushing manufacturers to modify their NA models to support this frequencey, so most phones have to be specially modified for Rogers. But Fido uses 1900mhz, which means any Tri-Band phone will work no problem.

As for the S40; I just upgraded from it a few days ago. I used it for 2 years and its had its share of problems (sometimes it wouldn't be able to access my Inbox or any Messages for that matter); all was solved though once somebody helped me out with it. And the S40 isn't a real Siemens phone to begin with, since its made by Bosch

Right now I'm using the Siemens M55 and I have very minor, nitpicky complaints about it, but most of it will be fixed once I upgrade the firmware. It holds onto the signal very very well (at 1 bar, it's as clear as with 3-4 even), and the interface is very well designed.

You're one of the first few people taht really complained about Siemens phones, so I think you really just had bad luck with them. But yea, if you don't like them then switch to a Sony-Ericsson phone. They're great as well.

Last edited by infinity HiGH on Dec-15-2003 at 21:11

Panasonic GD67 is a piece of crap. It has slow menues, very few options, horrible message interface, weak battery and a stupid power plug.

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Originally posted by Nadi CynepMeH, I have a motorola 720i too, and with the exception of the charging problem its fine for me. On the other hand, t-mobile is the worst service provider ever, there coverage is so bad its insane.

If anyone has T(errible)-Mobile never sign up for their phone exchange program, they charge you anyway if you have problems with phone....They charged me $70 bucks & the cost of the new phone when I sent mine back to the company & said that the fact that the phone was $h!t was because I messed it up,,,,,If you have their service, never send the phone in, take it to a retail shop,,,I've since sue them & got quite a bit of money for the trouble.

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Originally posted by mxngdotorg If anyone has T(errible)-Mobile never sign up for their phone exchange program, they charge you anyway if you have problems with phone....They charged me $70 bucks & the cost of the new phone when I sent mine back to the company & said that the fact that the phone was $h!t was because I messed it up,,,,,If you have their service, never send the phone in, take it to a retail shop,,,I've since sue them & got quite a bit of money for the trouble.

I have sprint and my skinny phone. Works great- Great Coverage-
Customer Service is shit- but hey- dont call em and pay your bill!


Sanyo SCP6400

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I'd say best in the U.S. have to be Verizon and Sprint... It seems like everyone is behind them in coverage, service and technology.... I have Sprint and it's actually the first cellular company I've never had a problem with... (Don't ever get cingular if you want to actually hear a phone conversation)....

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Sprint's service in my area is horrible (Indianapolis). I randomly will get alerts saying I have a voicemail, even though my phone never rang. The other thing that pisses me off about it, is that you have to get on the Vision Web to get your text messages. Getting on the Vision Web sucks majorly, especially since it's extremely slow and you have to have a good signal. Sprint's customer service...oh gawd...don't get me started on that.

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Originally posted by CynepMeH Hey, I remember when you lost your job and went to work for AT&T... You must miss your burger king fry cook job.. As far as being a n00b who doesn't understand Celluar technology - I design network systems that service over 178 million customers, and helps manage $2.3Trillion dollars in assets, while you're clerking away selling shitty phones and plans in your local AT&T mall shack. So, STFU plz??

I don"t know why people call them cellular anymore being that they use digital CDMA/TDMA/GSM now
unless you are just referring to the fact that they change from site to site (cells)
but it isnt the way cellular used to be

oh .. and as for nextel.. thats its own beast

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ph33r..

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Originally posted by xKaoSx I have sprint and my skinny phone. Works great- Great Coverage- Customer Service is shit- but hey- dont call em and pay your bill! Sanyo SCP6400

AHAHAHA that looks like some kind of sex toy with a built in cellphone!! ROFL

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