...is not so easy with these service providers. I already have a quad band GSM phone, and want everyday local and occasional international service. What I want to determine with Cingular are answers to the following questions: 1. If I go month to month without a contract, how will my coverage compare with those who are on a contract? (With T-Mobile my coverage area is reduced.) 2. How does a 1-year contract compare to a 2-year in terms of service and benefits? Also, can I add my girlfriend to a 1-year contract plan? I can't find this info easily in their stores or websites. All the salespeople are super busy with new and renewing customers buying into expensive planes and don't seem to have much time or interest for a cost-sensative consumer. And most know nothing of international roaming service. 3. Using my unlocked Sony Ericsson W810i with a Cingular sim, what additional downloads will I need to have a fully functional phone? 4. Will my use of their sim automatically lock my phone? TIA Any help would be appreciated... DC
as far as i know you can't activate with month to month.....you have to activate with a contract.....the benefits shouldn't be any different except that the phones will cost more for a yr contract and for 1 yr extensions. When your contract runs out and you go month-to-month......your coverage should not be reduced.....its the phone that is locked down....not the SIM.......so the cingular SIM should work fine in your Sony......and they should let you put you and your girlfriend on one plan with 1 yr contract extensions EDIT: Im actually not too sure about the coverage becoming smaller with the end of the contract transitioning into month-to-month
No, the coverage does not decrease once the contract expires. This is what I suggest though. Sign a contract, and take the free phone. Either keep it as a spare, or sell it on Ebay. -Jay
sorry about my mistyping.....i meant to say that phones will be cheaper with a 2 yr contract than with a 1 yr
Thanks for all the help. I think what SmArTeStChIlD421 was refering to was activating International Roaming. I finally did get answers to these questions by making an appointment with a knowledgeable saleswoman at my local store. She indicated that a contract was required for this service. So I signed up for a 1-year agreement, and did not take away any hardware in the deal. I'm now using Cingular on their 39.99/mo. individual plan with their sim in my unlocked SE W810i. So far everything is good: great coverage area, clear call quality, no dropped calls. The SE phone is a major upgrade over my 4-year old Sprint phones, so I'm very satisfied. It'll take me a while to learn to use all of the enhanced capabilities of this phone. Are there any forums dedicated to Sony Ericcson cell phones? My manual is a bit cryptic, and is already falling apart, so it would be nice to connect with a user group familiar wth their technology... DC
for the bluetooth aspects of your phone (not just a SE) they can be cryptic at the best of times...I have found that http://www.bluetooth.com/bluetooth/ very informative for pairing devices and maximizing functions
There are catagories here, and at howardforums, for SE phones. There is also a forum which specializes in SE phones, here : http://www.esato.com/board/
http://forums.wirelessadvisor.com/sony-ericsson/ thats the wireless advisor forum.....but i don't know how much attention it will get considering there is that its under "other" as a subforum.......there has been only one post there
