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Showing posts with label phone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label phone. Show all posts

Friday, January 15, 2010





How does Skype to Go Work? I was a little confused about this so I had to do a little research. I wanted to make international calls from my mobile as I have a growing need to talk to overseas contacts. I tried calling using normal Skype and although it was cheap and convenient, at times my microphone has managed to cut out at inopportune moments. This can make it difficult to carry on a trans-Atlantic conversation without worrying about the quality of the line.

I wanted the freedom to call internationally from my mobile, and it just so happens Skype to Go does just that.

I found Skype to Go on the main Skype website and decided to give it a try - I used my existing account with Skype (it's free to sign up) and I decided since I was going to be calling overseas frequently, I would buy around $16 credit. I have called the US around 10 times using this service and the calls are ridiculously cheap. My balance has hardly budged at all and it will probably take me a few years to fully run it down.

How it works:

You are assigned your own Skype to Go number - I have mine programmed into my mobile phone.

On the Skype site you can set up a kind of speed dial phonebook - the great thing about setting up the numbers through Skype is that it automatically puts in the country code - all you need to do is nominate the country you are calling.

From your mobile, you can now call your Skype to Go number and the menu gives you the option of calling a number manually or selecting any one of your speed dial contacts.

Skype to Go will now put you through to the international number and you pay around 9c per call, which is an amazing deal considering most mobile phone rates for international calls.

The brilliant thing is that with $16 credit, I can call Australia to the US over 150 times before I even need to think about recharging.






Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Has this ever happened to you? You're about to sit down to dinner or settle in to watch a TV program and the phone rings. But it's not friends or family. It's one of THOSE calls. The faceless, survey taking, dinner interrupting sources of constant annoyance. Sometimes you wish you could find out who they are. You're left asking Who Called Me? But there is no answer.

You may have even gone to the trouble to put yourself on a No Call List. Still, some callers persist and you can't find them. Some people receive prank calls, which can be disturbing. Especially if they are invisible, anonymous. You have no recourse. Or do you?

Wouldn't it be great if you could strengthen your privacy against these calls? "Who Just Called Here" has a reverse phone lookup service, which is especially useful for businesses that can't afford to miss one call from a client. As a further measure, it also offers privacy protection to block your private details from data collection services.


This post brought to you by WhoJustCalledHere?



Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Okay, maybe that's overstating it a bit. I have been waiting over 15 days for my unlock code from Telstra. I paid them up front, as I mentioned in my previous posts on this subject:

Telstra Must Die and Telstra: Overofficious and Not Very Efficient

These posts detail my long waits on hold, the clueless manner in which I was passed around from operator to operator, do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars.

Well strike me lucky if I wasn't blown off my feet by this one.

"Hello Telstra, how can I help you?"

"Hi, I'm calling to find out my unlock code. I spoke to (employee number, name) and he hasn't called me back with the code. It was supposed to be 3-4 working days but it has been 15."

(friendly, nice voice)"Okay, I'll just put you on hold."

This was promising. She sounded nice. But I'm on hold again.

"Hi, sorry about the wait. Here's your code, do you have a pen?"

(stunned silence)

"Hello?"

"Ah, yes. Sorry go ahead."

"Okay, your code is *#number number etc"

"I'll just try it now."

(punches in code)

*sproing!* goes the phone. It is unlocked.

"That's amazing! Thanks!"

"No problem, you have a nice day."

I sat and stared at the wall in shock. It was done. That was too easy. Where's the catch? Is it really over? Pinch me!!










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Monday, April 21, 2008

I must begin by detailing this wonderful purchase on Ebay. A Samsung SGH-C300.























$16 for a phone that cost $100 new. Not bad at all. I have only been watching items for what seems like 2 years but I finally got one. Now, the phone was locked to Telstra so I decided that the price of unlocking (around$30) added to the price of the phone did not make the cost prohibitive.

So, it was simple. I go to the Telstra shop at a local shopping centre. The wait was excruciating and for anyone who has dealt with Telstra over the phone, you will know what I am talking about. So I waited, and waited.

Suddenly a strange man appeared. He was gnarled with yellow teeth and a strange hangnail growth of some sort. I am not joking. He looked quite a bit like this guy:

















Although similar in looks to Lo-Pan from "Big Trouble In Little China" the similarity ended here. He was not all-seeing, powerful, flame throwing or supernaturally gifted in any way.

In fact, he couldn't even unlock my phone.

"Can I help you?"
He seemed to appear from nowhere and was suddenly standing to my left.

"Oh, yes. I want to get this phone unlocked. It's locked to Telstra and I have another type of SIM card." I showed him the phone.

"How long have you had it?"

"Uh, just got it."

"FIFTY DOLLARS."

"Excuse me? I thought it was around thirty dollars."

"FIFTY DOLLARS." The room seemed to shake with the force of his words.

"But...this isn't a new phone. It's quite old. Look." I showed him the phone again, scratches all over the face of the screen indicated a very used phone.

"It might be new."

"How?" I was growing tired of him.

"I can't tell if it's new. You can't tell if a phone is new by looking at it."

"Well I can." I'd had it now. What did he think I had, a custom scratching machine for scratching new phones so I could save twenty bucks?

"Hmmmm." He looked at me suspiciously.

My cortisol levels were rising and he seemed to be enjoying it. What he didn't seem to realise was that I was two seconds and bad judgement away from grabbing his neck and throttling him over the desk.

"This phone ok? If not, I unlock it and it doesn't work, you just wasted your money." He cackled at me.

He spent what seemed like hours trying to find the serial number. He absent-mindedly removed the battery and laid his elbow over it.

"Uh, shouldn't you be turning the phone off before pulling the battery out?"

"You have sim card?"

I handed it to him.

He then proceeded to dangle his sleeve and buttons over my sim card and went back to resting his elbow on my battery.

He spent another five minutes looking up a code. I was mortified to find out it was the same code I had seen on the internet this morning. For free. But no, I wanted to be a responsible citizen and do everything properly.

F*&#K!!!!!!!!!!

So, he finally punches in the code he spent five to ten minutes finding in an official Telstra mobile phone shop. This is the same code I spent two point five seconds finding on the internet.

Oh god, I just want to get out of here.

Then he spent another five minutes (that seemed like twenty) scratching his head and tapping the keyboard with the rather disturbing long nail of his. He still wouldn't look at me.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Come over here." He bundled me over to a desk with a computer screen and a phone. He called a number and while he was calling said I'd have to talk to them.

"Can't someone here do it? I mean, unlock my phone. That's what you do isn't it?"

He mumbled something about the code not working and handed me the phone, leaving me in the middle of a noisy shop with an electronic voice for company.

"If you are ready to continue say, 'continue'".

"continue."

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that. Would you mind repeating it?"

Why do computer simulated voices try to sound human? They're not fooling anybody! Even if it said to me "nahwarries mate got a bloody good code ere for ya ang on I'm just gunna get a beer" I still wouldn't believe it.

So I repeat 'continue' and it stops dead. Nothing.

"Hello? Um, 'continue'. Uh, 'repeat'"

Still nothing.

"Shit."

"Hello!"

I called out to the Lo-Pan guy who was off 'helping another customer', his feet on a desk.

"HELLO!"

By now, most of the people in the shop were looking at me. One of Lo-Pan's coworkers got his attention and motioned to me.

"It stopped working." I told him.

He pressed a couple of buttons and now I was back to an earlier menu.

"Here is the code. After you enter the code, wait for further instructions."

I tried it. I was not really astounded to find out it didn't work.

"Did this code work? Say yes or no."

"NO!!!" I yelled into the mouthpiece, causing more people to look in my direction. By now had I access to cigarettes I would have lit one up in the shop, smoking laws be damned.

"Please hold while we put you through to an operator."

Oh now I get to talk to a person. Lucky lucky me.

"Hoiy, what soims to be the problem?" This are not typos, this is her diction.

I took a deep breath.

"I came to this Telstra shop to get my phone unlocked and now the guy hasn't unlocked it and put me on this phone and the code didn't work."

"Orh, right. What's your oymeee?"

"My what?"

"Your OYMEEE!"

"I heard you, I just don't understand what you're talking about."

"When you open your phone there's an oymeee."

I opened the phone, searching around. "Is it some kind of number?"

"Yeah, an oymeee."

Oh for f@%$@k's sake. I spotted something. "Hang on. You mean this? An I-M-E-I number!"

I felt like I had cracked the DaVinci code.

"Yeah, oymeee." she sighed like I was an idiot.

I read it out.

"Okay, hold on...(silence)... I can't get you the code for three to four working days. Can I get your number and someone will call you back."

"Can't you find out now? I'm in the Telstra shop. I have already paid and the guy hasn't done anything. I don't want to leave a shop after paying for something I haven't received. Do you understand this logic?"

"Yeah..."

"So if I leave now and I get a call in a few days and then THAT code doesn't work, what happens then?"

"Um, you get a refund."

"I get a refund"

"Yeah..." she said tentatively.

I gave her the number, left the store and went to buy hardware supplies, possibly for later use when I return to the Telstra shop.



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For a lot of people prepaid phone cards can be a lifeline while travelling. Therichcom.com is a prepaid phone finder site. It will compare deals and look up various phone cards using a search by country function. In design, it seems a little tightly packed but when you get the hang of the format, it is so full of great deals and simple to use. It is so much cheaper and easier to use phone cards than to use the conventional international phone methods. Sometimes you can save hundreds or possibly even thousands, depending on how long you are away and how much you like to talk on the phone! You can find cards for each destination, from France to Indonesia, Egypt to Venezuela. While researching your own prepaid phone cards, make sure you work out where it is you want to call - a lot of the cards are very specific and you need to get the right country, not just continent. You also need to work out where you will be calling from. For example, you may be in Texas, wanting to call relatives in Venezuela. You must have a card that calls Venezuela from the US, or specifically, Texas. Once you get this right, the rest will seem much easier. Some have connection fees, some don't. Make sure you find these details out and compare to find the best deal for your specific needs. You could be saving money straight away. You could find yourself with more spending money on your holiday, or you could find your phone bill at home a lot more manageable. Either way, it's a great way to save money.


Monday, November 05, 2007

If you own a small business it can be difficult to take time out to set up an intranet system, in fact it can often be the thing that sits at the bottom of the "to do" list for time immemorial.

Some business owners prefer to work from home and to set up a system in one step would be a major boost for convenience for small business owners and employees. It would be handy to have secure file-sharing and on-line project collaboration, especially for those (I know!) who wish to spend more time in the country or combine work and various other activities.

Intranet Software UK provides the information necessary to set up an intranet system for your business. The site offers ongoing technical support and the pricing seems to be weighted based on the number of users who will be using the system. If you are interested in setting up this kind of system for your company, this may be an option for you.


This post brought to you by Intranet Software UK.