PAYG dataplan can work.

[rajdude]

Part 3. Getting an unlocked phone on the Network.

I only have experience on this with AT&T in VA. I assume it is the same for AT&T everywhere in the US, but I don't know for sure. Here, they have no problem giving you a Gophone SIM for any unlocked GSM smartphone (I would suspect one already branded for AT&T would be ok too). They didn't even charge me for the SIM. I just told them how much I wanted to load on it initially and they actually took my Nokia and installed the SIM for me. And Bob's your uncle.

I suspect outside the US, this may not be so unusual an approach, but as I say, it was odd enough that I had trouble finding information from anyone else doing it that I had trouble knowing for sure if it would work. It does.

If your usage needs are light, you have good reception on AT&T and are going to pay for an unlocked Smartphone anyway (I bought it as a PDA without regard to whether I could use data on it, which is why I am not figuring in the cost of the phone into this scheme), this might be a way to go for you too.

I was personally surprised to find it was nice to occasionally have the option of cell data. This makes it a reasonable luxury (I can drop it if money is tight), rather than deal-killing enslavement to the carriers.

Hope this information is helpful

Wow ! You got lucky man!
They charged me $25 for the gophone SIM!

and I am in Virginia too.

[Hook]

Hi Hook, Thanks for the update.

My update:
So I finally used up my t-mobile minutes and went ahead and bought a ATT PAYG SIM card from a local ATT wireless store. The there guy told me to activate it on the phone since if he activates it in the store....he will charge me $25 for activation....whereas online/on phone is free.

I suspect this is the sort of thing that can vary depending on who you get. My clerk was very friedly and loved Nokias. I was also putting $50 on the SIM. I have no idea if any of these things affected my getting the SIM activated for free or if they just weren't paying attention.

Question:
Since I have a [really old] HP H6315 iPaq should I use its IMIE to activate this SIM on a PAYG or use a dumb phone's IMIE?

I ask because I read on ATT's website that smartphones/PDAs must have a data plan.

Maybe this is a dumb question since the whole point of this thread is to be able to use a PAYG account on a PDA/Smartphone, right?

I just wanna play it safe

Activate it on the Smartphone. The Smartphone rules don't apply to Gophone SIMs with the exception of the iPhone which is not allowed to be a gophone.

Wow ! You got lucky man!
They charged me $25 for the gophone SIM!

and I am in Virginia too.

As I said, I am not suprised this isn't consistent. Yes, I probably got a break.

[JRakes]

My PAYG plan was originally a Cingular "Pick Your Plan," which became an AT&T plan when they "merged." But when I first got my cheap, basic dumbphone a few years ago, I didn't pay for the SIM, I didn't pay an activation fee, and the guy there at the (then) Cingular store got it all set up for me. He even set something on my account to allow me a couple of hours of "no-cost" use to try it out!

Last week when I got my new Touch Pro 2, I simply called AT&T to make sure I was good to go by swapping the SIM from the old phone to the new toy. The lady asked for the IMEI # on the new device to make sure it would be recognized on / function with their network / my account. That was it - No activation or other fees. I swapped the SIM, charged the battery, and all was functional.

Perhaps I, too, was just "lucky" with all of this and got good reps. I could certainly be wrong, but I've gotten the impression they don't gouge GoPhone Customers quite as much as contract Customers. Maybe, just maybe, they recognize that folks doing the GoPhone thing are doing so because they don't WANT to be paying out the nose all the time for services they don't need. And perhaps folks willing to sign up for a perpetual $100/mo yakking / texting habit probably aren't quite as bothered by an extra $25-50 here and there...

[Girt]

I have an unlimited data plan for $70/month. It's slow, but it's a connection.

Firstly, God bless you, serving us over in Iraq!

About the phone - I wonder if there is something you could do with Skype?
For sure you can call home with it from your PC, to save money, when possible. But there is Skype mobile for some phones, too. I have it on a Windows Mobile smartphone. If you have a Data Plan, I would think people could call Skype and your smartphone would ring? Haven't tried it, but it's a thought. At the least, they could call your regular cell number and you could call them right back on Skype.

LOTS of different phones (but I don't think yours, sorry)(next time?).

http://www.skype.com/mobile/

[Sorry for the late response, I don't always get notified of new posts.]

[rajdude]

You are right.....a few years back I got my Cingular prepaid in Fredricksburg, VA. They did not charge me anything....nothing for the SIM, no activation, but I think I paid $29 [or maybe $19] for a dumb phone. Also the phone came with a $25 worth minutes.

I still have that phone and the SIM. I wonder if it still will work if I put money on it.

But that was a 540 number, I dont want it.



BTW, I too have my eyes on the touch pro 2.
What do you think about it?
Where did you get it and how much $$$ [if I may ask? ]

I have looked at Samsung Omnia.........DOG slooooow!

My PAYG plan was originally a Cingular "Pick Your Plan," which became an AT&T plan when they "merged." But when I first got my cheap, basic dumbphone a few years ago, I didn't pay for the SIM, I didn't pay an activation fee, and the guy there at the (then) Cingular store got it all set up for me. He even set something on my account to allow me a couple of hours of "no-cost" use to try it out!

Last week when I got my new Touch Pro 2, I simply called AT&T to make sure I was good to go by swapping the SIM from the old phone to the new toy. The lady asked for the IMEI # on the new device to make sure it would be recognized on / function with their network / my account. That was it - No activation or other fees. I swapped the SIM, charged the battery, and all was functional.

Perhaps I, too, was just "lucky" with all of this and got good reps. I could certainly be wrong, but I've gotten the impression they don't gouge GoPhone Customers quite as much as contract Customers. Maybe, just maybe, they recognize that folks doing the GoPhone thing are doing so because they don't WANT to be paying out the nose all the time for services they don't need. And perhaps folks willing to sign up for a perpetual $100/mo yakking / texting habit probably aren't quite as bothered by an extra $25-50 here and there...

[rajdude]

OK so I just activated my phone account with go-phone.

It is nice to see cellphone reception where I used to get absolutely nothing from T-Mobile! [same phone]
I get 2-3 bars now!

By the way, I see an option of buying the data plan online too.
Please see screenshot attached here.

[rajdude]

Ok so I got my [dinosaur] HP H6315 up and running on gophone. I had to change some settings as per this page to get the internet working:
https://www.wireless.att.com/support...B/KB72070.html

The iPaq only have GPRS....so it is sloooow. But text based websites like google and my bank's mobile site work OK.

I do have a problem and I hope someone can shed some light on this.

Everytime I try to connect Yahoo messenger I get an error and then I get this SMS message:
4700 Error Invalid Number. Prease re-send using a valid 10 digit mobile number or valid short code.
and then there is some other stuff like my e-mail ID and other blah blah.

and oh yes.....I get charged 20 cents every time this pops up!!!

How do I fix this problem?

[Antoine Wright]

Ok so I got my [dinosaur] HP H6315 up and running on gophone. I had to change some settings as per this page to get the internet working:
https://www.wireless.att.com/support...B/KB72070.html

The iPaq only have GPRS....so it is sloooow. But text based websites like google and my bank's mobile site work OK.

I do have a problem and I hope someone can shed some light on this.

Everytime I try to connect Yahoo messenger I get an error and then I get this SMS message:
4700 Error Invalid Number. Prease re-send using a valid 10 digit mobile number or valid short code.
and then there is some other stuff like my e-mail ID and other blah blah.

and oh yes.....I get charged 20 cents every time this pops up!!!

How do I fix this problem?

Sounds like you are trying to connect using the IM application on your device. That application uses the SMS gateway to facilitate communication to the IM server.

You are getting dinged for the charge because its an SMS that you are processing everytime this comes back to you. You'll want to download another IM application that does Yahoo IM over IP (the internet) rather than the one you are using which uses SMS and IP.

[JRakes]

You are right.....a few years back I got my Cingular prepaid in Fredricksburg, VA. They did not charge me anything....nothing for the SIM, no activation, but I think I paid $29 [or maybe $19] for a dumb phone. Also the phone came with a $25 worth minutes.

That might be the same type account I originally got - Sounds familiar. I just know I walked out with a fully functioning (albeit dumb) phone and not a lot lighter on cash. It's served my needs quite well for a few years now, and the same plan continues to do so.

I still have that phone and the SIM. I wonder if it still will work if I put money on it.

Probably...

BTW, I too have my eyes on the touch pro 2.
What do you think about it?
Where did you get it and how much $$$ [if I may ask? ]

Right HERE.

So far I'm quite happy with it. I'm still in a steep learning curve, jumping from Palm OS to WinMob, and I've a lot of migration / adapting yet to do. But overall it's going well and I do quite like the device!

[Hook]

You are right.....a few years back I got my Cingular prepaid in Fredricksburg, VA. They did not charge me anything....

Heh. That's where I am.