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Can you believe this?; ipod vs ipad vs iphone
Topic Started: Dec 30 2012, 05:27 PM (377 Views)
Daniel
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http://ipod.about.com/od/ipadcomparisons/a/ipad-iphone-3gs-ipod-touch.htm

I scrolled down to the price and the iphone 4s is only $99. That means I can avoid paying for cell phone service by loading skype and making sure I'm in a free wi-fi hotspot.
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Delphi51
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You can, but an iPhone 4S will cost hundreds of dollars. The reviewer must have seen one of the cell phone companies lies. They usually insist the phone is free so they can charge just as much when you already have a phone, or make you pay for the free one again if you wish to keep it after paying thousands of dollars over a 3 year contract.

Why not get an iTouch - it is an iPhone without the phone chip and works great on wifi.

Used iPhones on eBay are a little less than Apple charges, but the ones direct from Apple are not locked to a particular cell phone service. Do not believe the ads for unlocking an iPhone for a few dollars - they are lies. It is possible to unlock an iPhone but it is risky. I bought an older unlocked one and the unlocking had disabled the GPS in it. Some phones are totally disabled.
http://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=iPhone+4s&_sacat=0&_from=R40
Edited by Delphi51, Dec 30 2012, 06:46 PM.
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heatseeker
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I may be the only person over the age of 12 in the developed world who does not have a smart phone. And I only use my basic cell phone while I'm in Montreal, where we do not have a land line.
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Darcie
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I do too heatseeker, but I have a touch pad, touch ereader etc. I find I use my basic phone the most.
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lilal
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Heatseeker - you aren't alone. My husband has a 10 year old cell phone that is ONLY a phone - no pictures, no GPS - just there in
the car in case we need help when on the road.
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Deleted User
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No fancy IPhone for me nor even a cell phone. Use a land line only. If I have an emergency when travelling I have OnStar in my vehicle which I can use.
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Daniel
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heatseaker - me too. That's why I'm doing this investigation. My last cell phone under my name was in 1992 with Fido pay as you go. Back then I started with $5 cards. Then they changed to $10. And then when Rogers took over it was $10 per 30days no carry over. I never continued it under Rogers.

In November as I walked out of Best Buy to investigate why my netbook had crashed, a student of marketing stopped me for an on-camera interview. She asked me what the word "smart" meant to me. I replied "nothing". Then she asked me if I had a smart phone, then a cell phone and both answers were "no".

I explained I thought all of this was basically a big rip off. For $25 or $20per month do I really need to carry internet everywhere I go or do I really need to be constantly connected? I said $10per month was my limit.
Delphi51
Dec 30 2012, 06:41 PM
You can, but an iPhone 4S will cost hundreds of dollars. The reviewer must have seen one of the cell phone companies lies. They usually insist the phone is free so they can charge just as much when you already have a phone, or make you pay for the free one again if you wish to keep it after paying thousands of dollars over a 3 year contract.

Why not get an iTouch - it is an iPhone without the phone chip and works great on wifi.

Used iPhones on eBay are a little less than Apple charges, but the ones direct from Apple are not locked to a particular cell phone service. Do not believe the ads for unlocking an iPhone for a few dollars - they are lies. It is possible to unlock an iPhone but it is risky. I bought an older unlocked one and the unlocking had disabled the GPS in it. Some phones are totally disabled.
http://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=iPhone+4s&_sacat=0&_from=R40
Are you saying it's not $99? The reviewer got caught not reading the fine print?

The iTouch is also listed in this table. But for that price, you might as well get the iphone5 for the GPS feature.
Edited by Daniel, Dec 31 2012, 11:27 AM.
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Delphi51
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iPhone 4S starts at $599 at the Apple online store.
http://store.apple.com/ca/browse/home/shop_iphone/family/iphone4s
I see Tim Cook announced the $99 price but that must have been the price with a phoneco contract.

I have an old iPhone 3G that I bought on eBay last Christmas for $225. I use the Canadian 7/11 store Speakout cell service. It is pay as you go 25 cents per minute, minimum $10 per year. I also pay $10 a month, in the summer anyway, for unlimited internet service. I mostly use the iPhone for texting, which is incredibly better than texting on a dumb phone, and for reading the web when waiting in line or in the car. The GPS turned out to be not very useful. Nowhere near as good for driving as a $100 car GPS that has the maps built in. And it usually doesn't have cell Internet service when hiking in the bush.
Edited by Delphi51, Dec 31 2012, 12:35 PM.
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wildie
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Toodles
Dec 31 2012, 10:33 AM
No fancy IPhone for me nor even a cell phone. Use a land line only. If I have an emergency when travelling I have OnStar in my vehicle which I can use.
Are you aware that OnStar voice communication works over the local cell phone network? My van is OnStar equipped but I don't subscribe.

As my van has a built in cell phone, I would like to be able to subscribe to any carrier that suits me, but its locked to Bell and their cohorts.
I'm wondering if it can be hacked to allow unlocked service. After all I paid for it, already.
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wildie
Dec 31 2012, 01:06 PM
Toodles
Dec 31 2012, 10:33 AM
No fancy IPhone for me nor even a cell phone. Use a land line only. If I have an emergency when travelling I have OnStar in my vehicle which I can use.
Are you aware that OnStar voice communication works over the local cell phone network? My van is OnStar equipped but I don't subscribe.

As my van has a built in cell phone, I would like to be able to subscribe to any carrier that suits me, but its locked to Bell and their cohorts.
I'm wondering if it can be hacked to allow unlocked service. After all I paid for it, already.
There is no charge using OnStar for a 911 call or reporting an accident to dispatch police & ambulance so I was told.

Quote:
 
The OnStar service relies on CDMA mobile phone voice and data communication, primarily via Verizon Wireless in the United States and Bell Mobility in Canada, as well as location information using GPS technology. Drivers and passengers can use its audio interface to contact OnStar representatives for emergency services, vehicle diagnostics and directions.

The OnStar service allows users to contact OnStar call centers during an emergency. In the event of a collision, detected by airbag deployment or other sensors, Advanced Automatic Collision Notification features can automatically send information about the vehicle's condition and GPS location to OnStar call centers. OnStar has 24-hour emergency call centers in Warren, Michigan, Charlotte, North Carolina and Ontario, Canada, and other call centers in Makati, Philippines and Oshawa, Ontario.[citation needed] This Advanced Automatic Collision Notification service is designed to assist emergency response efforts.

All OnStar equipped vehicles have Stolen Vehicle Tracking, which can provide the police with the vehicle's exact location, speed and direction of movement.

OnStar subscribers may be eligible for anti-theft and low mileage insurance discounts. Since OnStar can help with the recovery of a stolen vehicle, some insurance companies recognize this and offer a discount. Also, with certain insurance companies (for example, GMAC Insurance) and with subscriber permission, OnStar will send the insurance company the vehicle's odometer reading every month. If the subscriber qualifies as a low-mileage driver, they may be eligible for an insurance discount.

Even if the vehicle is OnStar equipped, no OnStar services are available until the system is activated. Vehicle owners can choose between two plans:[6]

Safe & Sound: $18.95/mo ($24.95 in Canada), which includes Advanced Automatic Collision Notification, Stolen Vehicle Assistance, Roadside Assistance, Remote Door Unlock, Remote Horn and Light Flashing, Red Button Emergency Services and OnStar Remote Vehicle Diagnostics
Directions & Connections: $28.90/mo ($39.90 in Canada), includes all services in the Safe & Sound plan, plus turn-by-turn navigation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OnStar


My comment: We subscribe to Safe & Sound feature.
Quote:
 


OnStar Technology[/b]
At its most basic, OnStar consists of four different types of technology: cellular, voice recognition, GPS and vehicle telemetry. All of the services that OnStar provides are a result of one or more of these technologies working together.

OnStar's cellular service is voice-activated and hands-free. The console contains a built-in microphone and uses the car speakers. To make a call, you speak a phone number or a previously stored name associated with a phone number. The console is connected to a Vehicle Comm and Interface Module (VCIM), which uses a cellular antenna on top of the car to transmit signals to OnStar's cellular network. (For more information on cellular technology, see How Cell Phones Work.) OnStar's cellular service has a better range than most cell phones (although you can still lose service in remote areas), with a full three watts instead of a regular cell phone's 0.6 watts. With some OnStar plans, you can also use the cellular service just as you would a regular cell phone plan.

For calls to the advisor, OnStar uses voice recognition software similar to that already used in some hand-held cell phones. However, one of OnStar's unique features is the ability to "surf the Web" using the Virtual Advisor automated system. For this service, OnStar uses text-to-voice technology called VoiceXML. When you ask for information, such as "weather," the software translates your request into XML (Extensible Markup Language) and matches it to settings in your OnStar profile. Then it translates the information into VoiceXML and reads it to you.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/onstar2.htm


You might want to read the discussion on OnStar phone service here:

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r19356589-OnStar-and-Bell-Mobility
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Delphi51
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Any cellphone without a service contract can still be used to call 911.
$28 a month, $350 a year seems like a good deal - for the seller. My cost for a cell is $10 a year, including 40 minutes of air time, which is probably a lot more than I would use the OnStar service for. We've had it in rental cars for weeks and never used it.
The emergency service is unfortunately used as an excuse to not provide a second key for a rental car. Just call us, sir, and we will unlock the car by remote control. Good luck with that in areas where there is no cell service.
Edited by Delphi51, Jan 1 2013, 12:35 PM.
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Deleted User
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Delphi - the only area we encountered no service is around Hope,BC where the mountains are very high and the road hugs close to the mountains. Not a problem over the Coqihalla Hwy. I do not have the phone service activated on On Star but I can use the service for 911 emergency calls for free.
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wildie
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I enjoy my cell phone and its portability and I rarely travel away from home turf. Having two cell services doesn't interest me. I would like to use the hands free feature of Onstar and if Onstar could be extended to use my cell service, I would be interested.
My daughter has a Ford Envoy and it has built in handsfree that automatically connects to her Ipod phone via Blue Tooth.
When I trade my GM van, I may seriously consider the Ford as I would like to use my own cell service.
As for the remote unlock, some vehicles have code locks on the doors, so this would negate a requirement for this feature.
One thing that I would like with OnStar is its 6 watt transmission power. Cell phones have lower tranmission power in order to preserve its small battey, whereas OnStar has the battery capacity of the vehicle.
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Deleted User
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Have you read the link to DSLReports? Some there seem to think you can use your own cell phone connected to OnStar. What year is your Van? My SUV is 2010 [official Olympics vehicle so has every feature] ..so maybe OnStar has been improved in the newer vehicles.
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wildie
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Toodles
Jan 2 2013, 12:06 PM
Have you read the link to DSLReports? Some there seem to think you can use your own cell phone connected to OnStar. What year is your Van? My SUV is 2010 [official Olympics vehicle so has every feature] ..so maybe OnStar has been improved in the newer vehicles.
Mine is a GMC Montana van. I looked into what was available when my OnStar subscription expired.

Technically there should be no reason that i cannot use my cell service, as OnStar uses the same provider.

I'll have a close look at the DSL Reports and see if I can take advantage of the OnStar equipment!
I did check that link out and associating my O/S with my cell could cost $18/month+ $289 annually to activate O/S.
I would not be able to justify this expense for the few times that I would use it.
Edited by wildie, Jan 2 2013, 06:17 PM.
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