Advice on phone for daughter needed

Hi
my daughter is going to Australia for a year and I want to get her a new
phone and contract that will provide for economical communication between
the UK and Down-Under. A non-flashy phone with email capabilities is the
basis I'm searching on at the moment. Please can anyone offer some advice?

Kind regards,

--
Lila Duncan

Check out 3, they have dropped their international roaming charges for any
country they have a 3 network in (They've called in HOME). I'm sure they
have a 3 Australia, so go to www.three.co.uk and have a look.

--
Gerry (The MOTH)

"Lila Duncan" <LilaDuncan@XSPAMhotmail.co.uk> wrote in message
newsn38u29kestofbn5htner6he4j890nkdsg@4ax.com...
> Hi
> my daughter is going to Australia for a year and I want to get her a new
> phone and contract that will provide for economical communication between
> the UK and Down-Under. A non-flashy phone with email capabilities is the
> basis I'm searching on at the moment. Please can anyone offer some advice?
>
> Kind regards,
>
> --
> Lila Duncan

On Tue, 27 Feb 2007 11:51:49 -0000, "Gerry \(The MOTH\)" <Gerry (TheMOTH)>
wrote:

>Check out 3, they have dropped their international roaming charges for any
>country they have a 3 network in (They've called in HOME). I'm sure they
>have a 3 Australia, so go to www.three.co.uk and have a look.

Thanks, 3 looks impressive at first glance. I'll have to do some sums.

Kind regards,
--
Lila Duncan

Check about, don't know if there are any cashback deals going around. I
remember last year seeing a K610 refurb on 3 for 12mths FREE with cashback.

Try www.reestitmutton.co.uk or www.onestopphoneshop.co.uk or
www.mobileshop.com for latest deals.

--
Gerry (The MOTH)

"Lila Duncan" <LilaDuncan@XSPAMhotmail.co.uk> wrote in message
news:jkd8u21mb2k5qiepmlnntht2rq1e8ddtpt@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 27 Feb 2007 11:51:49 -0000, "Gerry \(The MOTH\)" <Gerry (TheMOTH)>
> wrote:
>
>>Check out 3, they have dropped their international roaming charges for any
>>country they have a 3 network in (They've called in HOME). I'm sure they
>>have a 3 Australia, so go to www.three.co.uk and have a look.
>
> Thanks, 3 looks impressive at first glance. I'll have to do some sums.
>
> Kind regards,
> --
> Lila Duncan

> Hi
> my daughter is going to Australia for a year and I want to get her a new
> phone and contract that will provide for economical communication between
> the UK and Down-Under. A non-flashy phone with email capabilities is the
> basis I'm searching on at the moment. Please can anyone offer some advice?
>
> Kind regards,
>
> --
> Lila Duncan

I've recently returned from a month in Oz and, due to the enormous size of
the place, the advice I'd give is different than for other countries.
Elsewhere, I'd suggest taking a normal (GSM) phone - remembering to get it
unlocked first - and buy a local SIM card to put in it; there's no sense in
your daughter using a UK contract abroad, because of the unbelievably
expensive roaming rates *.

But in Australia, a standard GSM phone will not work outside the major towns
and tourist destinations. She will be effectively out of touch whilst
travelling by road, or if she goes beyond the east coast tourist trail to
visit the outback, the Northern Territory, or Western Australia.

I drove up the west coast, and had practically no GSM signal once I left
Perth. On the way back down, I picked up some hitchhikers who were delighted
when their phones started beeping with text messages - they hadn't had any
signal for four months!

The good news is that the national operator Telstra have an old-fashioned
CDMA network that covers almost every small town and settlement in
Australia. This was upgraded last October to a brand new 3G network they
call NextG (for the techies, it's HSDPA on 850MHz W-CDMA). Coverage maps are
here:
http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile/net...erage/maps.cfm

There are several phones available that work on this NextG network, there's
a list here:
www.telstra.com.au/nextgnetwork/mobiles.cfm

I used the Imate Jasjam which worked well, especially for email. This phone
is widely available in the UK as the Orange m3100, the HTC Tytn, the
T-mobile Vario 2 etc - they're all the same thing. You can buy one at
Expansys or on eBay, they're not cheap but it's the only way to stay in
contact in more remote destinations.

The only snag is that Telstra may want to credit check her before handing
out a NextG SIM card. I was able to get credit checked at my hostel address,
and got a one-month rolling 'contract' with no ties. I've emailed them to
find out if they can supply NextG SIM cards on a pay as you go basis, and
I'll let the group know what they say.

Hope this helps!

Benedict.

*
Two exceptions are Vodafone and Three, who have deals with their Australian
sister networks - links below. However, the coverage - especially for
Three - is limited to larger towns and cities.

Vodafone Passport:
http://www.abroad.vodafone.co.uk/ind...=cost.passport

Three Like Home:
http://three.co.uk/personal/coverage...me_details.omp

On Tue, 27 Feb 2007 14:58:58 GMT, "Benedict Addis" <news@theale.uk> wrote:

>> Hi
>> my daughter is going to Australia for a year and I want to get her a new
>> phone and contract that will provide for economical communication between
>> the UK and Down-Under. A non-flashy phone with email capabilities is the
>> basis I'm searching on at the moment. Please can anyone offer some advice?
>>
>> Kind regards,
>>
>> --
>> Lila Duncan
>
>I've recently returned from a month in Oz and, due to the enormous size of
>the place, the advice I'd give is different than for other countries.
>Elsewhere, I'd suggest taking a normal (GSM) phone - remembering to get it
>unlocked first - and buy a local SIM card to put in it; there's no sense in
>your daughter using a UK contract abroad, because of the unbelievably
>expensive roaming rates *.
>
>But in Australia, a standard GSM phone will not work outside the major towns
>and tourist destinations. She will be effectively out of touch whilst
>travelling by road, or if she goes beyond the east coast tourist trail to
>visit the outback, the Northern Territory, or Western Australia.
>
>I drove up the west coast, and had practically no GSM signal once I left
>Perth. On the way back down, I picked up some hitchhikers who were delighted
>when their phones started beeping with text messages - they hadn't had any
>signal for four months!
>
>The good news is that the national operator Telstra have an old-fashioned
>CDMA network that covers almost every small town and settlement in
>Australia. This was upgraded last October to a brand new 3G network they
>call NextG (for the techies, it's HSDPA on 850MHz W-CDMA). Coverage maps are
>here:
>http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile/net...erage/maps.cfm
>
>There are several phones available that work on this NextG network, there's
>a list here:
>www.telstra.com.au/nextgnetwork/mobiles.cfm
>
>I used the Imate Jasjam which worked well, especially for email. This phone
>is widely available in the UK as the Orange m3100, the HTC Tytn, the
>T-mobile Vario 2 etc - they're all the same thing. You can buy one at
>Expansys or on eBay, they're not cheap but it's the only way to stay in
>contact in more remote destinations.
>
>The only snag is that Telstra may want to credit check her before handing
>out a NextG SIM card. I was able to get credit checked at my hostel address,
>and got a one-month rolling 'contract' with no ties. I've emailed them to
>find out if they can supply NextG SIM cards on a pay as you go basis, and
>I'll let the group know what they say.
>
>Hope this helps!
>
>Benedict.
>
>*
>Two exceptions are Vodafone and Three, who have deals with their Australian
>sister networks - links below. However, the coverage - especially for
>Three - is limited to larger towns and cities.
>
>Vodafone Passport:
>http://www.abroad.vodafone.co.uk/ind...=cost.passport
>
>Three Like Home:
>http://three.co.uk/personal/coverage...me_details.omp
>

That's tremendously helpful information. It's certainly narrowed the field
significantly. I'm off to ebay now, looking for an Imate Jasjam or
equivalent, since NextG seems the obvious choice for our circumstances.

Thanks a lot,
--
Lila Duncan

"Lila Duncan" <LilaDuncan@XSPAMhotmail.co.uk> wrote in message
news:2tk8u21rc0mmaosv79h1i5sfeuq8as6q3u@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 27 Feb 2007 14:58:58 GMT, "Benedict Addis" <news@theale.uk> wrote:
>
>>> Hi
>>> my daughter is going to Australia for a year and I want to get her a new
>>> phone and contract that will provide for economical communication
>>> between
>>> the UK and Down-Under. A non-flashy phone with email capabilities is the
>>> basis I'm searching on at the moment. Please can anyone offer some
>>> advice?
>>>
>>> Kind regards,
>>>
>>> --
>>> Lila Duncan
>>
>>I've recently returned from a month in Oz and, due to the enormous size of
>>the place, the advice I'd give is different than for other countries.
>>Elsewhere, I'd suggest taking a normal (GSM) phone - remembering to get it
>>unlocked first - and buy a local SIM card to put in it; there's no sense
>>in
>>your daughter using a UK contract abroad, because of the unbelievably
>>expensive roaming rates *.
>>
>>But in Australia, a standard GSM phone will not work outside the major
>>towns
>>and tourist destinations. She will be effectively out of touch whilst
>>travelling by road, or if she goes beyond the east coast tourist trail to
>>visit the outback, the Northern Territory, or Western Australia.
>>
>>I drove up the west coast, and had practically no GSM signal once I left
>>Perth. On the way back down, I picked up some hitchhikers who were
>>delighted
>>when their phones started beeping with text messages - they hadn't had any
>>signal for four months!
>>
>>The good news is that the national operator Telstra have an old-fashioned
>>CDMA network that covers almost every small town and settlement in
>>Australia. This was upgraded last October to a brand new 3G network they
>>call NextG (for the techies, it's HSDPA on 850MHz W-CDMA). Coverage maps
>>are
>>here:
>>http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile/net...erage/maps.cfm
>>
>>There are several phones available that work on this NextG network,
>>there's
>>a list here:
>>www.telstra.com.au/nextgnetwork/mobiles.cfm
>>
>>I used the Imate Jasjam which worked well, especially for email. This
>>phone
>>is widely available in the UK as the Orange m3100, the HTC Tytn, the
>>T-mobile Vario 2 etc - they're all the same thing. You can buy one at
>>Expansys or on eBay, they're not cheap but it's the only way to stay in
>>contact in more remote destinations.
>>
>>The only snag is that Telstra may want to credit check her before handing
>>out a NextG SIM card. I was able to get credit checked at my hostel
>>address,
>>and got a one-month rolling 'contract' with no ties. I've emailed them to
>>find out if they can supply NextG SIM cards on a pay as you go basis, and
>>I'll let the group know what they say.
>>
>>Hope this helps!
>>
>>Benedict.
>>
>>*
>>Two exceptions are Vodafone and Three, who have deals with their
>>Australian
>>sister networks - links below. However, the coverage - especially for
>>Three - is limited to larger towns and cities.
>>
>>Vodafone Passport:
>>http://www.abroad.vodafone.co.uk/ind...=cost.passport
>>
>>Three Like Home:
>>http://three.co.uk/personal/coverage...me_details.omp
>>
>
> That's tremendously helpful information. It's certainly narrowed the field
> significantly. I'm off to ebay now, looking for an Imate Jasjam or
> equivalent, since NextG seems the obvious choice for our circumstances.
>
> Thanks a lot,
> --
> Lila Duncan

Hi Lila,

Thanks for your kind words. If the Jasjam / Tytn / m3100 or whatever is
locked, it can now be unlocked for free. Info here:
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index...ame=HTC_Hermes

Also, I've just found my own NextG SIM card which I'm unlikely to use in the
near future. If I can get it reactivated, would you be interested in it?
Email me off-group: news at theale dot co dot uk.

Yours,
Benedict.

On Tue, 27 Feb 2007 18:27:55 GMT, "Benedict Addis" <news@theale.uk> wrote:


>Hi Lila,
>
>Thanks for your kind words. If the Jasjam / Tytn / m3100 or whatever is
>locked, it can now be unlocked for free. Info here:
>http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index...ame=HTC_Hermes
>
>Also, I've just found my own NextG SIM card which I'm unlikely to use in the
>near future. If I can get it reactivated, would you be interested in it?
>Email me off-group: news at theale dot co dot uk.

Thanks for the offer. I'll ask my daughter what she thinks about the idea,
then I'll email you.

Kind regards,

--
Lila Duncan

LilaDuncan@XSPAMhotmail.co.uk declared for all the world to hear...
> Hi
> my daughter is going to Australia for a year and I want to get her a new
> phone and contract that will provide for economical communication between
> the UK and Down-Under.

There aren't any.

> A non-flashy phone with email capabilities is the
> basis I'm searching on at the moment. Please can anyone offer some advice?

Let her get a phone wile she's out there. That way she won't have to pay
for incoming calls.
--
Regards
Jon

> I've recently returned from a month in Oz and...

May I just say that post would be worthy of the most useful post of the
year award, if we had one :-)

I'm not going there any time soon, but thanks for the info on behalf of
anyone else who happens to come across it and find it useful !

>> Hi
>> my daughter is going to Australia for a year and I want to get her a new
>> phone and contract that will provide for economical communication between
>> the UK and Down-Under. A non-flashy phone with email capabilities is the
>> basis I'm searching on at the moment. Please can anyone offer some
>> advice?
>>
>> Kind regards,
>>
>> --
>> Lila Duncan
>

[snip]

>
> The good news is that the national operator Telstra have an old-fashioned
> CDMA network that covers almost every small town and settlement in
> Australia. This was upgraded last October to a brand new 3G network they
> call NextG (for the techies, it's HSDPA on 850MHz W-CDMA). Coverage maps
> are here:
> http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile/net...erage/maps.cfm

[snip]

> The only snag is that Telstra may want to credit check her before handing
> out a NextG SIM card. I was able to get credit checked at my hostel
> address, and got a one-month rolling 'contract' with no ties. I've emailed
> them to find out if they can supply NextG SIM cards on a pay as you go
> basis, and I'll let the group know what they say.

Bad news from Telstra. Looks like she'll have to get credit checked to get
NextG:

"Dear Ben

Thank you for your email dated 27/2/07, regarding your service.

Ben currently the Next G services is not available as a Pre-Paid option.
Telstra Pre Paid
operates on the GSM network.

Please follow the link for details of Telstra Pre-Paid Plus:
http://www.telstra.com.au/telstraprepaidplus/index.htm

Please follow the link for details of Telstra Pre-Paid Call Rates:
http://www.telstra.com.au/telstrapre...ates/index.htm

Please follow the link for details of Telstra Pre-Paid International Call
Rates:
http://www.telstra.com.au/telstraprepaidplus/callrates/international.htm"

Benedict.