Cell Phone Prepaid Plans

Michael Wenyon - 01:05am Jul 24, 2007 PST

I would recommend the Nokia 'Shorty' phone for Virgin Mobile USA (I have also owned the Kyocera model). Both phones have similar functions but the Nokia is just nicer to use because of its evolved user interface, especially for texting.

The Nokia Shorty's phone book has multiple fields. The phone sends and receives short emails from its own email address (telephone number followed by

vmobl.com). The display is monochromatic, visible in sunlight or at night with a white LED backlight which also gives an illuminated keyboard.

Learning the T9 text system is the key to making SMS messages usable and fun, but study the manual or tutorial website first because you'll never work out how it functions by 'trial and error'. Unlike, say, touch typing, however, there is no great skill involved, T9 texting is simply a matter of intellectually understanding the principle and rules.

In the UK, Virgin Mobile uses a completely different phone system and your US-purchased phone won't work. But I just purchased a similar inexpensive Nokia phone from a Virgin Megastore in England for about $30--much less than a short-term cell-phone rental. One difference between the US/UK phones and service: the UK phone has no email address, sadly (if you need an email address in the UK, try T-Mobile's pay as you go service).

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Adam Engst - Jul 30, 2007 9:07 am (#6 Total: 9)

Posts: 8095

Re: Cell Phone Prepaid Plans

At 2:32 AM -0700 7/25/07, Ben Rubinstein wrote:
>I haven't used the Shorty, so don't know anything about it - but I bet it
>can't beat the K10's killer feature - a built in flashlight!

Yeah, I use that flashlight regularly - just helped find a friend's
son's knocked-off glasses during an evening outdoor concert with it
this weekend.

cheers... -Adam

Adam Engst - Jul 30, 2007 9:07 am (#7 Total: 9)

Posts: 8095

Re: Cell Phone Prepaid Plans

>In 'Cell Phone Plans for the Rest of Us', Tom Schmidt says of Virgin
>Mobile that
>
> Coverage is nationwide using the Sprint PCS network with no long
> distance or roaming charges.
>
>What does that mean?

As far as I can tell, it means what it says. The phone works
everywhere it can get a signal, and it never charges you extra if
you've somehow ended up on another provider's network, or if you call
long distance from your local area code. My K10 Royale provides no
feedback as to whether you're on the Sprint network or not, so I have
no idea if it uses other networks regularly or not. Sometimes other
people with different providers have service when I don't, but
there's nothing unusual about that since not all phones will work
with all cell services via roaming.

cheers... -Adam

Michael Wenyon - Aug 4, 2007 1:53 am (#8 Total: 9)

Posts: 3

Re: Cell Phone Prepaid Plans

OK, the Kyocera has a better flashlight. The Nokia Shorty does have a kind of flashlight, using the same white LED as the display, but it's not as good as the Kyocera one.

But I still prefer the Nokia for its overall ease of use. Although the Kyocera has the same list of features (more or less), I never used them after the first week and eventually forgot how to, whereas I actually use those features on the Nokia all the time--because they are simpler to access.

Michael Wenyon - Aug 4, 2007 1:53 am (#9 Total: 9)

Posts: 3

Re: Cell Phone Prepaid Plans

I was under the impression that you only get a Virgin Mobile signal if you are in the direct Sprint PCS coverage area. In other words, it seems that some at least of the roaming agreements that Sprint has with alternative carriers for its own customers are not available for Virgin Mobile customers. In particular, I had the impression that on Virgin, with the phones they offer, you only get 'digital' access, not access to 'analog' networks.

If I am correct, Virgin Mobile might be less attractive for rural customers than urban ones. Does anyone know more about this?

I spend most of my time in urbanity and have not had access problems with my phone.

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