Videocalling - Galaxy S I9000 General

How does the video calling on the Galaxy S phones work? I mean, for example, who exactly can I video call? Is it restricted to other galaxy S phones, or does it operate off of a certain protocol across a line of devices? If there is a certain protocol, what is it called, who/what entity designed it, and what devices does it apply to? Whether that be a certain line of phones, or all devices that are GSM, or something like that, I don't know.
For reference My device is a Galaxy I-9000m on Bell mobility in Canada, Though I doubt that would affect much.

any body else with a phone capable of video calling will work (HTC/Nokia/Samsung and very few LG models)
when you call press the green button to the right side of the screen
instead of the left side
then it will enable 3G / H for video calling

zeco said:
How does the video calling on the Galaxy S phones work? I mean, for example, who exactly can I video call? Is it restricted to other galaxy S phones, or does it operate off of a certain protocol across a line of devices? If there is a certain protocol, what is it called, who/what entity designed it, and what devices does it apply to? Whether that be a certain line of phones, or all devices that are GSM, or something like that, I don't know.
For reference My device is a Galaxy I-9000m on Bell mobility in Canada, Though I doubt that would affect much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Galaxy S video calling works over 3G using UMTS, so if the phone and network you're calling supports UMTS then you should be able to call them using video

bigdave196 said:
Galaxy S video calling works over 3G using UMTS, so if the phone and network you're calling supports UMTS then you should be able to call them using video
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Click to collapse
Ok, So basically video calling is in the specifications for UMTS. That makes sense, Just the answer I was looking for, thanks.

Does the Video Call cost more money than the Calls?

Video calling will cost more than voice calls yes.
The cost is dependant on your network provider so check and see how much your network charges.
Ofcourse it may not be that big a deal either depending on what sort of phone plan you're on.

I know that for bell you have to pay 5$ a month for the video call feature.
Sent from my GT-I9000M using XDA App

gulmat said:
I know that for bell you have to pay 5$ a month for the video call feature.
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Click to collapse
Really? So thats on top of the video call rate then?

=Oberon= said:
Really? So thats on top of the video call rate then?
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Click to collapse
From what i can understand it's 5 buck a month + whatever the number of minute you use like a regular call
Sent from my GT-I9000M using XDA App

gulmat said:
From what i can understand it's 5 buck a month + whatever the number of minute you use like a regular call
Sent from my GT-I9000M using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So i've checked on the facebook page of the bell video call feature and for the facebook to phone video calls it doesnt use data and neither airtime from your plan, but i still don't know for phone to phone video call
Sent from my GT-I9000M using XDA App

So even with a data plan, you still need to pay $5 to enable video calling? That's silly. I'm with bell too.
Sent from my GT-I9000M using XDA App

It could be worse, the U.S. carriers will charge $20-$30/mth for things like tethering (on top of the data used that you already pay for) so I wouldn't be surprised if they charged special for video calls. I'm going to try this on a SIP call but it sounds like the video function is limited to 3G but is worth a try. And it might not be compatible with the SIP video I've had for years.

Bell is just a rip off
if you have a unlimited data plan or 6GB data plan, you can make as many video call as you want
the $5 charge extra is just an extra $5 for them, you are still using your $45 data plan, not like you get any extra data with the $5 extra you pay them.

has anyone tried Fring? I understand you can do voicechat using fring and not pay the $5 a month. If this is the case it may allow for cross platform too, Androd ->iphone, as much as such a intermingling makes me cringe...ew.

doublepost

you don't need to pay the $5 if you already have a data plan
yes fring works
fring is a voice over ip + video
which means you still needs a data plan
which also means having a data plan already voids the need to pay the $5 because the video call uses 3G / H data anyways
which means Bell is cheating people of an extra $5 that is not necessary

AllGamer said:
you don't need to pay the $5 if you already have a data plan
yes fring works
fring is a voice over ip + video
which means you still needs a data plan
which also means having a data plan already voids the need to pay the $5 because the video call uses 3G / H data anyways
which means Bell is cheating people of an extra $5 that is not necessary
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i wouldn't say that bell is cheating people just for an extra $5. Since that $5 make the video call unlimited, so it doesnt use a single bit of our precious data plan. For someone like me with a 500mb data plan, it's pretty fun.

i have trouble with fring...........the audio is always very very poor. i've even tried it with both phones on a wifi connection to see if it would help, but it's the same..........video is ok though.

Fring doesn't work so well. I tried it and the camera that uses it is the normal camera on the back of the phone, so you cannot see your phone and be seen. Also, the voice doesn't work, I can ear the other person but he/she cannot listen me.besides that it messed up my volumes.i had to soft reset the phone.that I tried with jm5, don't know if its different with other roms.
Sent from my... you know!

AllGamer said:
Bell is just a rip off
if you have a unlimited data plan or 6GB data plan, you can make as many video call as you want
the $5 charge extra is just an extra $5 for them, you are still using your $45 data plan, not like you get any extra data with the $5 extra you pay them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The 5$ charge is to do video calls using the callers phone number. Its a cross phone GSM stabdard thing and is pretty different than fring; though you are right that it does use your data.
Sent from my GT-I9000M using XDA App

Related

The Galaxy Tab cut my phone bill in half!

The galaxy tab has replaced my tmo G2. With the 3G version of skype I get unlimited phonecalls-call and recieve for $40 mo at tmo and 2.99 mo for skype. The g2 costed me $90 mo. I lowered my tmo bill by $47 to 39.99mo for unlimited data and text. The skype calls are crystal clear on speaker, headphones, or bluetooth on 3G. Cost of ownership per year: G2: $1,080, the Galaxy Tab: $546 including skype with internet number. I love this thing...
Sent from my SGH-T849 using XDA App
Congrats!
So far mine's been higher. I don't pay for unlimited data, and every net access only gets added to my monthly bill. The plans here in the Philippines suck because of greedy Telco's. If I don't get unlimited data, I pay $0.22 per 30minutes (consumable for 2 hours) -- but I find myself connecting around 3-5 times a day now depending on the need, so that's around a dollar a day. Then again even if the signal is HSDPA, the speed is still very slow. It still feels like EDGE.
cellwarrior6 said:
The galaxy tab has replaced my tmo G2. With the 3G version of skype I get unlimited phonecalls-call and recieve for $40 mo at tmo and 2.99 mo for skype. The g2 costed me $90 mo. I lowered my tmo bill by $47 to 39.99mo for unlimited data and text. The skype calls are crystal clear on speaker, headphones, or bluetooth on 3G. Cost of ownership per year: G2: $1,080, the Galaxy Tab: $546 including skype with internet number. I love this thing...
Sent from my SGH-T849 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good news.
May i know how much bandwidth you get there over 3g. I am in Uk and i get only max 370kbps which might not be good enough to make skype calls
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA App
I didn't know skype works with bluetooth. Are you sure you're not Tmob employee?
Also, i'm sure i will get flame for this...you can't dial 911 with skype, right? Granted for the last 19 years I've only dial 911 on my cell phone once but then you never know when you're gonna need it, right?
cellwarrior6 said:
The galaxy tab has replaced my tmo G2. With the 3G version of skype I get unlimited phonecalls-call and recieve for $40 mo at tmo and 2.99 mo for skype. The g2 costed me $90 mo. I lowered my tmo bill by $47 to 39.99mo for unlimited data and text. The skype calls are crystal clear on speaker, headphones, or bluetooth on 3G. Cost of ownership per year: G2: $1,080, the Galaxy Tab: $546 including skype with internet number. I love this thing...
Sent from my SGH-T849 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you post the 3G version of Skype you're using? The latest Skype update in the Market does not allow calls over 3G, only WiFi.
Right now I get 4532 kbps down and 1342 up on t-mobile in Los Angeles county. And don't have any latency issues.
As for my bluetooth head piece, the mic doesn't work on the headpeice. It was using the g-tab mic.
Here is a link to some info about where to get the modified version of skype for 3g for the Us. http://bit.ly/e6Wg7c at engadget.
Sent from my SGH-T849 using XDA App
cellwarrior6 said:
The galaxy tab has replaced my tmo G2. With the 3G version of skype I get unlimited phonecalls-call and recieve for $40 mo at tmo and 2.99 mo for skype. The g2 costed me $90 mo. I lowered my tmo bill by $47 to 39.99mo for unlimited data and text. The skype calls are crystal clear on speaker, headphones, or bluetooth on 3G. Cost of ownership per year: G2: $1,080, the Galaxy Tab: $546 including skype with internet number. I love this thing...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've done the same thing, but how does anyone get Skype to stay "active" so that I can be alerted to incoming calls??
It seems like the Skype app (and most of the SIP apps) sort of "go to sleep" after an extended period of inactivity. Even though the Skype app shows that its still active in the menu bar.
Anyone know how to keep it from doing that?? This is really the only hangup keeping me from using this as a full time phone.

[Q] Video Calling in Dialer

Hi everyone,
Just got my Virgin Galaxy S2 in Canada. Unlocked and ready to go with Rogers. My friend also got the S2 and when we were playing around with it, there was a button called "Video Call" and he called me with it. Now just a question, does this go through the Video Call from the carrier (meaning we will get charged for it) or is it like Facetime where it uses data only?
We tried it for like 20 seconds and then thought that we might get charged so we hung up.
Do you guys know?
Im taking a pot shot and guessing its like facetime and you get charged data wise
Sent from my porn shoot using my GT-I9100.
androidkid311 said:
Im taking a pot shot and guessing its like facetime and you get charged data wise
Sent from my porn shoot using my GT-I9100.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did the same thing with a friend on galaxy s2 (bell) unlocked to use on fido, i turned off wifi AND data, and it still worked.
I am totally lost on how it is working..
Haha yea.. so I wasn't sure how it works. Probably goes through our cell network. I do remember long time ago, Fido/Rogers had something about video calling for x amount of minutes. Not sure what it will show on my bill.
It's just regular video calling, which has been around for years (Facetime is just another "look at this wheel we've invented" Apple fallacy.) It goes through your carrier and is treated like a call, not data.
It charges, unfortunately even higher than normal audio call. At least it is the fact for my carrier.
I used it totally about a hour with my wife...
Denmark's Telmore, btw.
If you're interested in doing video calls, I find that Tango is the best app for it. Larger and smoother videos. Not too sure if it's using data or 3G though.
Do the carriers in Canada actually support video calling over their networks? We can't use video calling through dialer at all in the U.S. because AT&T killed the feature about two years ago.
It will be charged just like voice calls, may be rates will be higher, No Internet
BarryH_GEG said:
Do the carriers in Canada actually support video calling over their networks? We can't use video calling through dialer at all in the U.S. because AT&T killed the feature about two years ago.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will be charged just like voice calls, may be rates will be higher, No Internet DATA will be charged. "Period"
3G calling...
3g video calling if integrated with dialer does not use data, so no data charges. But the charges may be more. In india the charges are same as nornal audio calls.

Lower plan price by dropping texting package in favor of Google Voice?

I currently have Sprint Everything Data which is now $80/mo with the $10 premium data fee. AT&T's plans are priced as $40 for voice with 450 minutes w/rollover, $20 for unlimited texting, and $25 for 2 GB data. If you got JUST the voice and data, that would be $65/mo saving $15/mo over Sprint, and if you port your number to Google Voice first, you can text from that for free and everyone will see the same number you've always used. Other than losing MMS, are there any downsides to this? Is Google Voice reliable enough to trust all your calls and texts to? Considering the very solid speeds on AT&T's 3G and HSPA+ network vs. Sprint's 3G and sparse WiMAX this sounds tempting.
yes, and a lot of people do it. in fact, you can even drop a lot of your minutes and make all your calls through google voice, as long as you have data. it'll even prompt you when you install it if you want to use google voice for all calls, never, on demand, ect. set to all and you'll never touch your carrier minutes.
also, my finger slipped when hitting quick reply, so i thanked your post accidentally. enjoy it
Yep. I do this with Verizon on my thunderbolt. You can just tell people to send the mms to your email. Also I believe you can add your Google voice number to you top 10 or whatever that is called to avoid getting charged when using the callback feature. I added the number to the family plan so the family doesn't complain about using minute to call me.
You can use the app called Groove IP to call directly from your Google voice account or use I voip provider like sipgate to reroute your calls and save some coin. Ibidem sipgate because incoming calls are free (which means using the callback feature with sipgate doesn't use you prepaid minutes) and I have had a solid experience so far with them. Lifehacker has a couple great articles with tips and tricks.
mtmerrick said:
yes, and a lot of people do it. in fact, you can even drop a lot of your minutes and make all your calls through google voice, as long as you have data. it'll even prompt you when you install it if you want to use google voice for all calls, never, on demand, ect. set to all and you'll never touch your carrier minutes.
also, my finger slipped when hitting quick reply, so i thanked your post accidentally. enjoy it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately that isn't true. Google Voice gives you the option of handling all calls, but that just means outgoing calls will appear to others as coming from your GV number - it still uses your carrier minutes to actually call GV first. SMS, however, really is free and just goes over the data network.
runhopskipjump said:
Yep. I do this with Verizon on my thunderbolt. You can just tell people to send the mms to your email. Also I believe you can add your Google voice number to you top 10 or whatever that is called to avoid getting charged when using the callback feature. I added the number to the family plan so the family doesn't complain about using minute to call me.
You can use the app called Groove IP to call directly from your Google voice account or use I voip provider like sipgate to reroute your calls and save some coin. Ibidem sipgate because incoming calls are free (which means using the callback feature with sipgate doesn't use you prepaid minutes) and I have had a solid experience so far with them. Lifehacker has a couple great articles with tips and tricks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, so how reliable has GV been for handling your texts? It it just as fast (as in, time from send to receive) as regular SMS over the voice network? Do texts ever not get through?
It's great to have apps like Groove IP to make free calls in case you are getting low on minutes, unfortunately it's not a replacement for having the actual $40/mo voice plan. This is because to get a phone with contract pricing you must at least get that voice plan. If you go data only, you won't have the $25 2 GB plan available to you and will have to buy a phone outright and that eliminates the monthly savings. But knowing you have Groove IP, minutes is not really a worry (especially with rollover).
Is 2gb data enough?
SamsungVibrant said:
Is 2gb data enough?
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Click to collapse
I'd obviously prefer more but I'd probably rather have 2 GB of fast data than unlimited Sprint 3G and WiMAX that I never use. That alone wouldn't necessarily be enough to make me switch as I'm not obsessed with my data speeds, but for a lower monthly price, it's appealing.
Any additional thoughts on if this would work well? My plan is to port my number to Google Voice so I can text through it for free from the same number I've always used. Then sign up for AT&T and get a new number and forward GV calls to that. Then just get voice + data and have a $65/mo bill.
One more question about this. For those that use GV for calls, how is the latency? I tried doing a call with it with my current GV number and I felt there was noticeably more latency than a standard cell to cell call. That could be a deal breaker.
Seriously I think you can save money with Sprint if you use one of their many discounts. If you work for a company, or belong to some organization or even credit union, you can get anywhere from a 5-25% discount.
Also, the Sprint data speeds have been getting faster with the Sprint Vision initiative. In my area, they have improved data speeds on 3G, where I once got 500Kbps, I now get over 2Mbps. On 4G WiMAX, I get around 8Mbps.
Last month I used close to 4GB of data, mostly streaming Play Music and YouTube. Carriers are sneakily finding ways for you to use more data just so you can pay more when you go over your cap, such as HD streaming and removing SD cards so you have to stream data from the cloud, except for Sprint since data is unlimited. Seriously is 2GB a lot? That's easily 1 HD movie streamed to your phone.
I have both an Epic 4G on Sprint and an International Galaxy Note on Straight Talk (AT&T MVNO with Phony Unlimited Data) and I still use my Sprint phone more when it comes to streaming content when not on WIFI for the fact that Sprint is truly unlimited.
adelmundo said:
Seriously I think you can save money with Sprint if you use one of their many discounts. If you work for a company, or belong to some organization or even credit union, you can get anywhere from a 5-25% discount.
Also, the Sprint data speeds have been getting faster with the Sprint Vision initiative. In my area, they have improved data speeds on 3G, where I once got 500Kbps, I now get over 2Mbps. On 4G WiMAX, I get around 8Mbps.
Last month I used close to 4GB of data, mostly streaming Play Music and YouTube. Carriers are sneakily finding ways for you to use more data just so you can pay more when you go over your cap, such as HD streaming and removing SD cards so you have to stream data from the cloud, except for Sprint since data is unlimited. Seriously is 2GB a lot? That's easily 1 HD movie streamed to your phone.
I have both an Epic 4G on Sprint and an International Galaxy Note on Straight Talk (AT&T MVNO with Phony Unlimited Data) and I still use my Sprint phone more when it comes to streaming content when not on WIFI for the fact that Sprint is truly unlimited.
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Click to collapse
Thanks, yes I actually have a Sprint discount right now, but I can get one on other carriers as well. That's nice that you are able to get such great speeds on Sprint's 3G. Unfortunately in my area, 200-500 Kbps is typical. Sometimes it's bad enough that I simply can't use my phone to look something up because the page, or Maps results, just never finishes loading. I am in a current WiMAX area so I'm sure LTE will be here eventually, but if it doesn't come until mid to late 2013 I'm not sure I want to wait. But I am still considering it. An LTE rollout roadmap would definitely help.
The best discount with Sprint is to use the info on the following page
http://mcguireslaw.com/2008/07/16/psst-have-you-heard-about-everything-plus/
I enjoy Sprint as well. When I get my own account I will get a 20% discount because I work for Best Buy. XD Though Sprint is not truly unlimted. If you stream over 35GB of data a month for 3 months straight, you will get your account terminated.
2gb its not enough its need more than 2gb
mxmarcus said:
The best discount with Sprint is to use the info on the following page
http://mcguireslaw.com/2008/07/16/psst-have-you-heard-about-everything-plus/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you rock for this. adding this to my sig, it almost compensates for sprints s*itty 3g by me.

prepaid options

so I really want to get the Nexus 4, only thing is I heard that straight talk doesn't let you stream audio or video on their unlimited plan. Is this true? What other options are there?
I think you're better off asking somewhere like Howards forums.
Nexus S (GSM i9020a)
Euroskank AOKP (Build 5 - 4.1.2)
Matrix Kernel (24.0 - CFS)
Ondemmand (Screen On) (800/200)
Wheatly (Screen Off) (400/200)
Deep Idle (N/A - Noop)
BLX (N/A - Inverted Apps)
Black Exodus (Stock Voltage)
ahhlix said:
so I really want to get the Nexus 4, only thing is I heard that straight talk doesn't let you stream audio or video on their unlimited plan. Is this true? What other options are there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look at T Mobile and AT&T. I'm on AT&T, I don't use cellular data but use WIFI hotspots instead; however, AT&T has added a lot of data options. I'm not sure that I'd be willing to spend a lot of money for streaming music or video via cellular since cellular data is priced so high, but to each their own. Here's a link to a comparison of 5 AT&T MVNOs that was updated this summer. http: //www.prepaidphonenews.com/2011/09/five-at-mvnos-compared.html T-Mobile has a new MVNO named Solavei that you might want to check out, too.
mke1973 said:
Look at T Mobile and AT&T. I'm on AT&T, I don't use cellular data but use WIFI hotspots instead; however, AT&T has added a lot of data options. I'm not sure that I'd be willing to spend a lot of money for streaming music or video via cellular since cellular data is priced so high, but to each their own. Here's a link to a comparison of 5 AT&T MVNOs that was updated this summer. http: //www.prepaidphonenews.com/2011/09/five-at-mvnos-compared.html T-Mobile has a new MVNO named Solavei that you might want to check out, too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks man, this helps a lot
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app
ahhlix said:
so I really want to get the Nexus 4, only thing is I heard that straight talk doesn't let you stream audio or video on their unlimited plan. Is this true? What other options are there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a SIM from StraightTalk (it's the AT&T one) and I have had no problem streaming audio (with Pandora or Google Music) or Video from Netflix (haven't tried anything else other than Youtube and that works too). I pay under $45 a month for unlimited everything. I can even tether my laptop no problem (was hitting speeds of around 10Mbs down). This is on my HTC One X, but it shouldn't make a difference no matter what the device.
jakejm79 said:
I have a SIM from StraightTalk (it's the AT&T one) and I have had no problem streaming audio (with Pandora or Google Music) or Video from Netflix (haven't tried anything else other than Youtube and that works too). I pay under $45 a month for unlimited everything. I can even tether my laptop no problem (was hitting speeds of around 10Mbs down). This is on my HTC One X, but it shouldn't make a difference no matter what the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks man, that's good to know
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app
I've used Straight Talk. Great speeds and all... But they shut down my account because of streaming video. Luckily I was able to change to Monthly4G fast enough to reclaim my old number!
ackliph said:
I've used Straight Talk. Great speeds and all... But they shut down my account because of streaming video. Luckily I was able to change to Monthly4G fast enough to reclaim my old number!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well, I was looking into the $50 plan that T-Mobile offers but they say that the first 100mb are 4g speeds and that the rest are 3g I guess. Does anyone have this plan ? if so, what are those speeds like ?
There's a $30 plan with 5gb of 4g before they throttle, unlimited text, and 100 minutes of talk time.
red12355 said:
There's a $30 plan with 5gb of 4g before they throttle, unlimited text, and 100 minutes of talk time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Though that sounds like a good deal, I can't deal with 100 minutes. I could use Groove IP but that is too much of a hassle, wouldn't you agree?
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app
ahhlix said:
Though that sounds like a good deal, I can't deal with 100 minutes. I could use Groove IP but that is too much of a hassle, wouldn't you agree?
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm looking at this plan too. If you could get away with Groove IP and deal with that this plan is pretty amazing.
I agree 100 minutes is pushing it.
I haven't had problems streaming Music on Straight Talk for the past two months here in Washington State.
Have you considered Solavei or Simple Talk? Both run on T-Mo's network but have better definitions of Data Usage.
I'd suggest porting or obtaining a Google Voice number and handing that out and using the call forwarding function. So if you have to jump to a different carrier, you're not bound to their number or deal with porting your number multiple times.
taC nayN said:
I'm looking at this plan too. If you could get away with Groove IP and deal with that this plan is pretty amazing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well in terms of call conditional forwarding, I read that straight talk doesn't support it. I think that ideally I'd go with the "monthly 4g" $50 plan T-Mobile offers. I wish I knew how fast the 3g service is after the 100mb
killerbicycle said:
I agree 100 minutes is pushing it.
I haven't had problems streaming Music on Straight Talk for the past two months here in Washington State.
Have you considered Solavei or Simple Talk? Both run on T-Mo's network but have better definitions of Data Usage.
I'd suggest porting or obtaining a Google Voice number and handing that out and using the call forwarding function. So if you have to jump to a different carrier, you're not bound to their number or deal with porting your number multiple times.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app
I just bought a Solavei SIM for the following reasons:
- If you want to go with an MVNO in the US, you'll want to go with one that's using T-Mobile's frequencies for the DC-HSPA+ (42Mbps), which Solavei does
- $49/mo unlimited calling/texts/data
- Interesting referral program from which you can actually make money
If you live in an area with good T-Mobile coverage, I'd highly recommend this route.
This is the video I saw here on XDA that helped me decide.
manchoi44 said:
I just bought a Solavei SIM for the following reasons:
- If you want to go with an MVNO in the US, you'll want to go with one that's using T-Mobile's frequencies for the DC-HSPA+ (42Mbps), which Solavei does
- $49/mo unlimited calling/texts/data
- Interesting referral program from which you can actually make money
If you live in an area with good T-Mobile coverage, I'd highly recommend this route.
This is the video I saw here on XDA that helped me decide.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very interested in this but... Is there a fine print?
What CAN'T YOU do on this network?
Galactic2 said:
What CAN'T YOU do on this network?
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Click to collapse
Not sure... My (admittedly hasty) research hasn't found anything out of the ordinary, except for the 4gb cap on HSPA+ speeds..
I think a lot of people are turned off by the idea of the referral program.. I found a lot of people claiming it was a scam, but I haven't found anything negative about their actual service. I suppose there's always the risk of an MVNO going under unexpectedly?
I'm not too sure, but I'll be sure to share my findings with the community once I get started on the service.
ahhlix said:
Though that sounds like a good deal, I can't deal with 100 minutes. I could use Groove IP but that is too much of a hassle, wouldn't you agree?
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to a post on Facebook from Groove IP, its not working on 4.2 Jellybean. They are working on a fix for it. Not sure if Talkatone is working on 4.2.
If 100 minutes isn't enough for you, I would recommend Straight Talk, as I believe it offers the choice of an At&t or T-mobile SIM and it's $45 for unlimited everything (with an unofficial data cap) as a few posters already mentioned.
Once my existing contract is over, I'm actually going to port my At&t number to Google Voice so that I can switch between prepaid SIMs at will without having to tell everyone my new number each time I do so. As I see it, the point of prepaid is to be able to leave when needed, and Google Voice offers that convenience (especially with the great Android app).
ahhlix said:
Well in terms of call conditional forwarding, I read that straight talk doesn't support it. I think that ideally I'd go with the "monthly 4g" $50 plan T-Mobile offers. I wish I knew how fast the 3g service is after the 100mb
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Click to collapse
The "Call Forwarding" Is not done through Straight Talk. You would add the phone number StraightTalk provides you to the Phone Forwarding List Of GoogleVoice account. Then give your friends/family/Ex-Wifes the Google Voice number, and when they call, it will ring your phone... So that if you do get a Carrier (ie StraightTalk) and they cancel your service, or you choose to find a different Carrier then you won't have to give out another number, people can continue to use the GoogleVoice number.
And there is nothing StraightTalk can do about that, since they really have no way of know 'cause the call is just routed through Google servers to your phone.
In response to your Original Post... I've used StraightTalk for nearly 1 yr and have never had an issue with Streaming any type of content...
I actually have to StraightTalk Sim card in a GSM Dongle that I use for my laptop... Still getting good speeds, have yet to be "Throttled", and service has not been disconnected due to streaming/data usage.
This thread has a wealth of knowledge in it...use it.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1455014

[Q] Thinking of switching from Sprint, but have a question

Hi folks,
First post on the Verizon side. I've been on Sprint forever but am looking at converting to Verizon for their better coverage and better customer satisfaction (at least according to Consumer Reports). We went to the local Verizon store and it seems like we could save money by switching to their 2 year contract. But I want to confirm a couple of things with the forum, as I know sometimes you get, um, incomplete info from the sales folks.
On Sprint, you have to pay an additional charge to make the phone a hotspot. It is THE reason I rooted my S4, to be able to do that for free. I was told it is a free include on the Verizon smartphone plans. So can y'all confirm that is true, and talk about any issues/details I should know about? It would sure make the deal pretty sweet if that is included and pain free!
It sounds like it's easy to change the plan we are on for anticipated data usage. Most of the time, we have very little data usage during the month as we're almost always on a wifi connection. But we own an RV and can use a lot of data (hotspot) when on the road, for up to 2 months at time. Is it as easy as they say to call and bump it up for a couple of months, and then back down when done? Any pitfalls or costs associated with it?
How about roaming data usage? I was told at the store that as long as 50% or less of the data usage is roaming, they don't care. True? Horror stories?
Yes Hotspot usage is included in the plans for everyone except people like myself who still have unlimited data plan. You can also bump up your data if you expect to go over your limit and also bump it back down whenever needed without any problem or extra charges. Your roaming question im not sure about.
Sent from my SM-G900V using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
No data/domestic roaming on Verizon. 50 states included
Sent from my SM-G900V using XDA Free mobile app
Savagerun said:
Yes Hotspot usage is included in the plans for everyone except people like myself who still have unlimited data plan. You can also bump up your data if you expect to go over your limit and also bump it back down whenever needed without any problem or extra charges. Your roaming question im not sure about.
Sent from my SM-G900V using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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Click to collapse
That's technically incorrect. It's not free on the $60 2gb unlimited talk and text plan, it's $15 each device(not a more everything plan). In a more everything plan it'll be included.
OP say you get 4gb of data.
1. On more everything it would be $70 for data and $40 for each smart phone so $150 total. The data is one allotment.
2. You do it on the individual plans on a family account, it can be done, but it would be $60 for 2gb per line and unlimited talk and text, so $120 for two with 4gb total. Add $15 per phone for hotspot, if it's on both then the plan cost is equal.
3. Edge, a bit more complicated but if you 4gb just get 10gb as the cost is the same because of the access fee discount per line.
joshua.justice said:
That's technically incorrect. It's not free on the $60 2gb unlimited talk and text plan, it's $15 each device(not a more everything plan). In a more everything plan it'll be included.
OP say you get 4gb of data.
1. On more everything it would be $70 for data and $40 for each smart phone so $150 total. The data is one allotment.
2. You do it on the individual plans on a family account, it can be done, but it would be $60 for 2gb per line and unlimited talk and text, so $120 for two with 4gb total. Add $15 per phone for hotspot, if it's on both then the plan cost is equal.
3. Edge, a bit more complicated but if you 4gb just get 10gb as the cost is the same because of the access fee discount per line.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the break down. I think I get it.
Another question about the hotspot. When hooked to the Hotspot, can the phone still make/receive calls? Assuming S5 and Note 3.
jejb said:
Thanks for the break down. I think I get it.
Another question about the hotspot. When hooked to the Hotspot, can the phone still make/receive calls? Assuming S5 and Note 3.
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Click to collapse
You're welcome, unfortunately I understand it all too well as I work at Best Buy and I'm fairly certain it wouldn't as voice is still a separate network frequency and CDMA can't use voice and data simultaneously. When they do VoLTE (voice over lte) it will work. They're suppose to be rolling out anytime.
joshua.justice said:
You're welcome, unfortunately I understand it all too well as I work at Best Buy and I'm fairly certain it wouldn't as voice is still a separate network frequency and CDMA can't use voice and data simultaneously. When they do VoLTE (voice over lte) it will work. They're suppose to be rolling out anytime.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mostly right.
If you're in a 4G area, you can make/receive a call and still use 4G data at the same time.
quantumalpha said:
Mostly right.
If you're in a 4G area, you can make/receive a call and still use 4G data at the same time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ding ding a ding ding ...
Data drops on phone call if on 3g .... LTE and voice work simultaneously no problem I do it all the time.

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