Migrating to GSM - Questions

[ags1]

I presently have a Treo 650 (Verizon - CDMA) and my contract expires at the end of May. I do a lot of international travelling and I want to migrate to Cingular GSM with a Treo 680. I have a few questions:

1) I am aware of the potential advantages with an unlocked Treo, especially the ability to use local SIM cards internationally for phone calls. However, it is my impression that a lot of the SIM cards sold are for phone use only and not for data. I need the data coverage as I need the email even more than the phone. Can any one advise?

2) If I get a Cingular locked phone and then use a third party service to unlock it, will I void the Cingular warranty?

3) The ability to get a free or almost free Treo 680 with a 2-year Cingular contract is attractive. If I am going to be paying Cingular for a phone plan and a data plan anyway, why not get the contract (as opposed to getting an unlocked phone to begin with)?

I am a little confused, so any insight would be much appreciated.

Thanks a lot.

[cartogary]

I'm guessin' you've looked around on these forums? If not, definitely read thru the posts on the 680. You'll see that many users have returned/swapped their 680 with Cingular multiple times before getting one that works well. That said, I wouldn't unlock 'til you're totally happy with it's functionality. Unlock WILL void the warranty.

Data Plan - sounds like you're going with the unlimited plan, then to get email abroad, forward your email on to a web based email address and browse with Blazer - of course that means your international SIM needs a data plan. I use Snappermail and seems to me you'd be able to access your mail w/o the Web, as long as you've got a intl data plan. Maybe another frequent flyer can answer that.

But yes, the Cingular 2 yr plan w/data is good, IIIFFF you have good coverage by Cingular in your travels state-side. It works for me, really I'm still running an ATT SIM on an unlocked Cingular 650.

Good Luck!

[bigcatny]

Travel with a data access: I just got back from Thailand where I bought a run of the mill chip and I had no problem accessing email, sms and making calls, even international ones. It's just a matter of putting money in the card. The same for chips in Hong Kong and China and Italy. I've not found restrictions on most of the chips I bought simply because data is going to use up more airtime than speaking anyway so you just pay more. I'm sure they are very happy with that.

Contract no contract: is a very personal decision. For me, I figured out how much MORE it will cost me to be locked into the high price Cingular plan for 2 years no less and decided that I would save alot more money just buying the phone and staying contract free with T-mobile. It' s not like this is a $1000 phone or anything, it's maybe the cost of 2 dinners at best. So for me, I like the unbranded (seemingly more stable) Palm software no contract and the cost difference I make up in a few months by spending much less per month on my plan.

It works for me.......

Cingular will unlock you after you've been a customer for 90 days anyway so unless your in a huge rush, why not just get it for free?

[forgot]

Wheww...where do you eat dinner?

[bigcatny]

Originally Posted by forgot

Wheww...where do you eat dinner?

Just about any restaurant in New York. I'm usually satisfied if the wine wine tab can stay in the $50 to 90 range per bottle (not buying the fancy stuff) and food will normally run $60 to $100 for two. Of course if I'm with the big drinking friends then the bar tab can expand very quickly. We do have the advantage that noone needs to drive home here.

We have restaurants here where it can cost $300 per person for LUNCH before alcohol. I don't go there unless someone else is paying.

The guy who asked the original question is also from New York so his point of reference will be similar to mine.

[ags1]

Thanks to all for the input. I confess I am still a little confused by some of the technical aspects. I presently have my office's IT support team behind me, which I will have for a while, although I am migrating jobs as well and may not have all the support in the future. Right now, I get e-mail pushed to my Treo from the office (we use Good Messaging, which actually makes it at least as efficient as Blackberry). So Bigcatny, if I understand you correctly, you have an unlocked 680 and use T-Mo? Also, I thought that Cingular wouldn't unlock you unless you were at the end of a 2-year contract?

As for now, what I find is that if I go abroad to, say, the UK for a week on business, I spend a lot of time getting emails (and a lot of emails) and maybe 2 hours on the phone over the course of the week - maybe 3/4 of which is back to the US. So I have a lot of international roaming at something like $1 a minute. If I could reduce taht it would be great.

A related issue: I have been having to pay for internet access at teh hotels that I stay in. Is there a way to use the Treo as a modem so that I can get broadband access that way rather than paying the hotel's hook up fees?

[bigcatny]

if you buy a pay as you go chip in the UK the calling will be cheaper than the roaming fee. You can also pickup the email on the same system. If your going to be on for a long time, it might be worth using a calling card so you don't burn through the cellphone minutes so quickly.

Here's an article exactly for you: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/15/te...ref=technology

I use an unlocked 680 on my T-mobile account with T-zones $5.99/mo internet access. While in the UK, Thailand, Hong Kong and many other cities where T-mobile is I can pickup all me email for NO ADDITIONAL CHARGES. If I reply that will cost me but usually I will pickup on the treo and if it's really urgent I'll reply (using my in-country chip) or I'll just wait till I get back to the Hotel to use the broadband there.

You can use the 680 as a modem but the speed will not be what the hotel can provide. If your only doing email then it's OK, but surfing can get tedious. In europe, when I travel if the company is not paying for wifi sometimes I'll just goto McDonalds where wifi is free to get and send mail for the price of a coke. The TREO can be used as a modem through bluetooth, or (with the help of a program Treo USB Modem ) through the USB cable.

[slashalot]

ok so now i am way confused.

your using your 680 ( a palm OS) to access a WIFI hotspot? I thought Palm OS did not offer a WIFI option???

sorry i am new to all things treo. i have a 650. is it different?


also with cingular/att if it makes a difference

[LotusLord]

Welcome Slashalot! Palm OS doesn't support Wifi currently.

at&t will unlock your Treo after 90 days on your contract, but you'll likely have to put up some fight to get them to do it. Legally they do have to unlock it.