Tag: telephony

This is Yesterday’s Post

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

You may have noticed I didn’t post last night. That’s because I was too busy entering phone #s into my new phone. You see, my old Audiovox phone (which didn’t even last a year!) was starting to have trouble: not receiving calls, battery only lasting one day. As Erin’s phone was also dying, we made a trip to the Verizon store. We went to the one in the Northridge mall, but they were out of the phone Erin wanted (An LG Cosmos — we wanted one that didn’t require a data plan, which is getting harder to find). So we toddled off to Porter Ranch. They had Erin’s phone, but not the Motorola Flip Phone that I was interested in. So I settled on the LG. After about an hour more we had our phones (and had upped to an unlimited text plan, so now I can do texting… although the upping of the plan was due more to the teen). However, they couldn’t transfer my contacts from my old phone (they claimed they couldn’t read it)… so I got to spend two hours reentering them all.

And that, my friends, is why this is yesterday’s post today.

ETA: Two observations I neglected to add in my haste to post this morning:

  • The phone has one of those mini-USB charging ports, and the charger simply uses a USB cable. I wonder if that means I can use my iPod charger with it?
  • I miss the days when phone shopping was simple, and most phones were “free”. Nowadays, it is “free with rebate” (meaning hassle), and it is getting harder and harder to find phones that do not require a data plan (which gets very pricy, very quick, for multiple lines).
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Not Working as Planned

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

As you may or may not know, last week I exchanged my old Nokia with another unused phone we had here, an Audiovox CDM 8940. I was hoping to be able to use the phone as a camera also — we don’t have data service, but the phone supported a Mini SD card for transferring pictures. So, I ordered a 4GB Mini-SD card from CellPhoneShop when I ordered a second charger and case.

It arrived today. Grrr. I was unable to format the card with the phone, and it turns out that the maximum capacity the phone can support is the 1GB card (a fact that is nowhere in the manual). Further, the investigation uncovered that even if I was able to get the card to work, the phone stores the pictures in a non-standard format that nothing else (except for proprietary software) can read.

So, I’ll just use the phone, surprisingly…. as a phone. I can replace it in November if I’m fed up with it under “New Every Two”. I’m exploring whether I can return the SD card; if I can’t, I’m sure I can use it in a camera.

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Planes, Satellites, Phones: Sense a Theme?

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Some collected chum from the last few days lunchtime reading, all related to communications and transportation:

  • From the “Fly the Friendly Skies” Department: Some interesting changes are coming to United Air Lines. The Daily Breeze is reporting how a lawsuit was recently settled that will make some gate changes at LAX for United. Specifically, United is giving up four gates in Terminal 6 (freeing them for other airlines), and giving up the customs facility in Terminal 7 (permitting higher fees). They have also reached a settlement regarding the former United Express terminal over by the Delta hanger. For those that remember it, this was where they used to bus you for propjets back in the Shuttle by United days. When United downsized, they moved the propjets to Terminal 8, and abandoned the Express terminal. Airport officials claimed that by doing this United was stifling competition and contributing to overcrowding at the airport (denying Terminal 8 gates to others). The settlement permits United to keep its propeller planes at Terminal 8 – but only at the gates closest to the street so that passengers aren’t blown off their feet by jet engines of passing planes.

    In other United news, USA Today is reporting that United is dropping its Indian call center number for customer complaints. No, they aren’t moving it to the US. They are telling you to write a letter or send email. United spokeswoman Robin Urbanski said the Chicago-based airline is able to respond better to customers who write, since they often include more detail, making it possible to provide a more specific response. Phone reservations agents in Chicago and Honolulu will be cross-trained to respond to written customer feedback, too. That will keep 165 jobs in those two centers, she said. No changes are planned at United’s third reservation center, in Detroit, which will continue to take phone calls (including after-flight responses) from United’s largest customers.

  • From the “Time To Call Bill” Department: Tuesday, it finally happened. Two satellites collided in space, creating a cloud of debris. There are more details in the space.com article. Basically, what happened was that an Iridium 33 communications satellite collided with the defunct Russian military communications satellite Cosmos 2251. This was the first time two intact satellites orbiting Earth have accidentally crashed into and obliterated one another. The debris cloud is at about 790km above earth, and is currently being tracked. There’s less risk to the Space Station (at 354km), and more for Earth observations satellites, such as NASA’s Aqua and Aura spacecraft in orbit 438 miles (705 km) above Earth. There’s another satellite in a 497-mile (800-km) orbit just above the impact level. The Hubble Space Telescope orbits the Earth at about 372 miles (600 km).
  • From the “Beaming the Music Down To You” Department: There’s another satellite collision a-brewin’: It appears Sirius|XM may be heading into bankruptcy protection (again?), and may collide with the owner of Echostar/Dish (Charlie Ergen), who has a bunch of Sirius bonds. This is because Sirius’s satellites are in much better positions than Dish’s, and bad position is one thing hurting Dish against DirecTV. Needless to say, Sirius is now in talks with DirecTV (which now carries its programing as a result of the XM merger). It is also noted that bankruptcy might permit Sirius to get out of some of its expensive talent contracts. Me? I just wish they would get on with it and bring back “Downstage Center”, which has been gone since the merger sacked XM 28.
  • From the “Your Circle of Friends” Department: Speaking of mergers, it looks like the merger of Verizon and AllTel may bring the “circle of friends” promotion to select family plans. According to the article, Verizon Wireless, now the country’s largest cellular carrier, is calling the feature “Friends & Family.” It will be available starting Sunday. Customers on single-line plans starting at $60 per month will get five free numbers, and those on family plans starting at $90 per month for two lines will get ten free numbers. Here’s the announcement from Verizon. I’ll have to see if our plan is eligible.
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Thursday News Chum

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

A few items of interest for today:

  • From the “Let’s All Call Up AT&T and Protest To The President March” Department: It looks like another area code is coming to the San Fernando Valley. Specifically, it looks like by Fall 2009, all new phone numbers will have the 747 area code. This will be an overlay code, moving everyone to 10-digit dialing (which is fine by me — I like consistency). The usual complainers are speaking up: Gerald A. Silver, president of Homeowners of Encino, still feels that other options need to be considered.
  • From the “Side Effects of Hairspray” Department: It appears Marissa Jaret Winokur is following in the footsteps of the first Tracy Turnblad, Rikki Lake: She’s getting her own talk show.
  • From the “Doing Good by Eating Well” Department: Today is “Dine Out Los Angeles 2008”, where a number of restuarants are donating 20% or more of their profits to Aid For AIDS to help prevent homelessness and hunger for individuals and families impoverished and disabled by HIV/AIDS. The day isn’t coordinated: in the Bay Area, it is next Thursday. You can do a Google Search to find out the day where you live.
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The Wife and Daughter are Happy

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

Last week, while at The House of Mouse, my daughter got her cellphone (an Audiovox CDM 8940) wet. Luckily, it didn’t get the stickers wet, so Verizon replaced it. But she was still annoyed, as the phone was too large for her to use easily, and wanted us to get her a new one. We said she had to pay for a new one.

Today, my wife went up to the Verizon store to transfer her number to the new phone Verizon sent us. Evidently, she couldn’t do that, because the battery from the old phone didn’t charge (it turns out my daughter forgot to turn on the power bar). But while there, my wife discovered that both she and I were eligible for “new every two”. Now, I’m completely happy with my phone (a Nokia 2128i). So, she decided to replace her phone (a Motorola V710) with an LG enV ($99 and change, after discount). While doing so, she took advantage of a promotion to get a 2nd phone free (using my “new every two”)… so my daughter got a Samsung Juke (more info). Well, it wasn’t free — but my daughter will willingly pay us back the sales tax.

Of course, no one ever leaves the Verizon store cheaply. My wife got a Bluetooth package (which is good — no more holding the phone while driving for her), a car charger, a case, and a 4GB Memory Card for pictures, but my 15% Circle A Ranch discount saved us some (although we probably could have gotten the accessories cheaper on the web–but I wasn’t there and she didn’t have the time).

As for me… I can’t get a new phone for a year or so, but that’s fine by me. I’m quite happy with my Nokia — one of the last made for Verizon. Yup, it’s a candy bar phone. Yup, it has no camera (which is great for work). Yup, it has no real data capability or games. But who needs all that extra stuff. It works great, lasts forever on its battery, has a good quality speakerphone…. and a flashlight (which has come in quite handy). Not many phones have a flashlight! [And worst comes to worst, I just switch to the Audiovox or the Motorola that we’re keeping as spares]

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I’ve always wanted a 747… but I’m not sure I want it this way!

Posted onAuthorcahwyguy

State regulators are talking about dividing the valley again… this time into two area codes: 818 and 747. This would add to the already large mish-mash of codes in the area: 805, 661, 626, 323, 424, 310, and the big granddaddy, 213… of course this is on top of 949, 714, 909, and 562. This would either be an overlay, or a potential split of the valley along a roughly-diagonal line separating the “fancier” southwest communities of Agoura Hills, Encino, Woodland Hills, and Sherman Oaks from the northern/eastern valley communities. The “when” is also up in the air, but we all know this will eventually happen. We should all remember that all of this pain comes from hard-wired limitations in most computer programs that expect phone numbers to be in a 3-3-4 format, thus procluding the simple solution of making exchanges within area codes to be 4 digits (i.e., 3-4-4, or 818-8530-1212 vs 818-853-1212).

Of course, the San Fernando Valley is not alone. The SJMN is reporting that the SF Bay Area could be next. Based on the most recent estimate by the California Public Utilities Commission, which overseas oversees area code changes, the 408 area code is expected to lose the capacity to add new phone numbers by the third quarter of 2010. The 415 and 510 area codes are expected to fill up in 2012, the 650 code in 2015, the 925 in 2019 and the 831 code in 2027.

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