New Product Idea

Re: [spiers] Re: New Product Idea

I use T-Mobile because I am able to use the phones internationally.
I have a 3000 minute plan and pay an extra $10 a month for an extra line.

When friends and I were traversing El Camino por Santiago (Spain) it was
cheaper
to text message each other using my two phones. I did have to ask T-Mobile
to place me on "International Roaming" (no extra charge). I paid 15 cents to
send for each message, and .05 cents to recieve. This send/recieve rate is the
same whether I text to/from England, Spain, Canada, New Zealand or Malaysia.

This is using the same SIM card I recieved when I set up the plan.

To use my phone internationally using a different SIM card I was given an
"unlock code" (allowed only after 90 days of plan use) which then enables my
phone to use any SIM card. I purchase and use other SIM cards for Malaysia and
New Zealand.

In China I paid dearly using my original SIM card. Su, my Chinese friend
nagged me to buy a Chinese SIM card, and I foolishly said "No, how expensive
could it be?". My $2,200 T-Mobile bill ensures my next visit to China will
include an immediate purchase of a Chinese SIM card.

In Western Samoa no phones with SIM cards is usable. All handhelds are without
SIM cards and are very expensive due to the existing two companies having
ironclad exclusive agreements with the Western Samoan government. These
agreements were supposed to have ended this past July opening the way for
healthy competition, SIM cards and cheaper rates. I'll be returning next summer
2007 for the Pacific Island games, so I shall see.

These are the only countries I have visited this past year, I don't know about
other countries.

Nurlinda

BTW, I purchased a fancy little pink RZR, and I am not thrilled. I can't read
it outdoors on sunny days, which doesn't work for equatorial countries or any
sunny day here in our beautiful Northwest, the ring is too low to hear in Kuala
Lumpur's busy, noisy chaotic streets, and it is too wide to fit into my wrist
band.

Now there is an import idea...velcro wrist pockets to hold cell phones. My
flowy robes, skirts and kaftans make it impossible to wear a belt clip, and
carrying a large purse or backpack is not always feasible in some countries.

Could anyone else see the advantage to importing wrist pockets for cell
phones?










Malcolm Dell wrote:

> Just read this... does anyone know if phones are designed
> specifically for each network or if they are interchangeble via sim
> card?

FYI, many cell networks do not use sim cards, e.g. our Verizon Wireless does
not. I believe Sprint does. Not sure about Cingular.
Malcolm



Compete on Design!

www.johnspiers.com

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