The Unofficial 7-Eleven Speak Out Wireless Canada Consumer Page 
Facebook
Twitter
Email this
Log In
Register
Home
Topic RSS
1:57 pm
March 31, 2007
Offline
For regular visitors to the forum, what are some recurring questions that you see (and answer -- thanks to everybody who visits and answers questions!)?
Here's a couple that I've noticed
-how to tell whether your phone is unlocked
-what you need to know about bands
4:23 pm
- where to buy compatible phones and accessories cheaply
- where to find reviews of the phones that 7-11 sells, i.e. external sites like
http://www.mobile-review.com/r.....0-en.shtml
http://www.arcx.com/sites/Noki.....201600.htm
http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_.....0-1975.php
- options for using SpeakOut phones in the US, e.g. SpeakOut US, T-mobile and AT&T pay-as-you-go plans
- options for using SpeakOut phones overseas, i.e. the need for tri/quad band phones, SIMs, etc.
4:31 pm
BTW Peter, this forum has grown and posting volume has increased to the point that you really ought to consider upgrading to more functional forum software like phpBB2. The software is free. It takes only about an hour to install. I don't know, however, if there's any way to migrate WordPress forum data to it.
1:09 am
March 31, 2007
Offline
Add another to the list:
-international phone calls
I like the current forum because it's simple. I could also allow people to register but prefer the quick "post now" way of things. However, I will definitely be giving some thought to having a proper forum... it might take more convincing though.
7:49 am
I like the current forum because it's simple. I could also allow people to register but prefer the quick "post now" way of things.
The problem with this forum is that it's buggy. I've seen all kinds of bizarre behaviour, including being unable to edit something I just posted, navigation that takes me to strange places and just inconsistent things that work one way here and another way there.
phpBB is simple too and it's been around for many years. It's rock solid. It also has features like being able to preview what you post and far better ways to see what's new. For instance forums are organized with the most recently-changed threads floating to the top of the list. You can get to the last post you saw in a thread with a single click, etc.
As for registration, without it you open yourself up to spammers and troublemakers. (Even with registration some will get through but at least you'll have better tools to deal with it.)
Etc., etc., etc.
But it's just a suggestion. I have no idea how much experience you have with this sort of stuff or how much time you have to devote to it.
However, I will definitely be giving some thought to having a proper forum... it might take more convincing though.
12:27 pm
Peter, re your new FAQ about using a phone in Europe.
29. Can I use the phones from 7-Eleven when I travel in Europe?
It all depends on which bands the phone can run on. To use a phone in Europe, it has to be at least a tri-band phone. Ideally it should run on the 900 and 1800 bands, making it a quad-band phone. 900 / 1800 are the European bands, while 850 / 1900 are the North American bands. The Nokia 1600 phone is a dual-band phone on the 850 and 1900 bands, which means that it does not work in Europe. However, other phones might work depending on their technical specifications.
Note:
1. You could substitute "most overseas countries" for "Europe." Here's a handy page that shows what you'll need and where you'll need it.
2. Even if you have a 3 or 4 band phone, you'll also need to get a SIM that works in the country(ies) you'll be visiting. You can get either country-specific SIMs or so-called "Global" SIMs like Mobal or UM+. Country-specific SIMs usually offer the cheapest airtime but they're a hassle to use if you visit several countries because of roaming charges. Global SIMs are more convenient but usually charge more for airtime.
3. In any case, the short answer to your FAQ question is, "No. None of the phones that 7-11 sells for use with SpeakOut have the bands needed to work outside of North America (regardless of what SIM(s) you put in them.)
