Is it time to subscribe to a printer service from HP?

Ever since my dad brought home an...

What’s the best way of buying a phone today?

How did you buy your latest phone?...

MWC: What device highlights did you miss?

So, early last week I predicted that...

My ideal handset strategy with Vodafone

I am having a real problem using all my mobile phone accounts.

I’ve been giving a lot of thought, for example, to upgrading my 3 account with one of their funky E71s. Whilst Ben Smith didn’t rate it, James Whatley in today’s MIR Show was raving about it. I think it would be a useful tool.

Trouble is I’m on Vodafone, right?

I’ve got my Nokia E90, locked to Vodafone. That’s my primary device.

Well, no. That’s my primary number.

Then I’ve got to go and get a new iPhone 3G.

I turned on my Nokia N95 8GB from T-Mobile the other day and got a load of texts from friends STILL using that number, despite me giving them the new Vodafone one years ago.

Yesterday I got back to my place and found a missed call from my friend James who, inexplicably, has got my N82 Orange number in his phone book.

Call me on +44 7769 658 104 and chances are I’ll answer or be able to answer at some point. Call me on any other other numbers and… woosh. You’ll probably never hear from me.

So the last thing my friends need is to start getting text messages from me from multiple devices using multiple device numbers.

Even the MIR team don’t adapt that well to me texting them from my iPhone 3G (when, er, I had one).

It’s fine when I text them. But when they want to contact me, they’re understandably confused about what number to contact me on.

I can’t just take the iPhone out for the weekend. I need to take the E90. Er, and the Blackberry, in case someone’s got that number… and.. and…

It’s getting unmanageable.

Yet I do need to be able to sample services on every network — at least in the UK.

I want to be able to get out of bed in the morning and select from an array of tools to use that day:

– iPhone 3G
– Nokia E90
– Nokia E71
– Nokia E51
– Nokia N82
– Nokia N95 8GB
– Blackberry Bold
– Samsung ACE
– T-Mobile G1

I’d like to be able to pick one up and be able to start using it across the day. I want it to have my diary, contacts — everything — up to date, immediately.

The brilliance with any Nokia E or N-Series is that Nokia’s Mail For Exchange synchronises them all. You are, thus, never out of date. I specifically maintain an Exchange account for this purpose.

Equally, any Windows device has Exchange support built in. Brilliant. The iPhone 3G’s Exchange support is very, very good too.

The only red herrings are the Blackberry and T-Mobile’s G1. I’ll need to look at the G1. The Blackberry, at least, has a Google Sync option which syncs with my Google Apps account. Reasonably useful.

On the basis that all devices are unlocked, the real problem I’d have is that I really can’t be arsed sim-swapping.

That said, Vodafone offer something like this. I think I’ll need to defer to Terence from Vodafone for an explanation. Terence, how does the Vodafone sim divert feature work?

How usable is it for me on a daily basis?

8 COMMENTS

  1. For Syncing all my contacts, I use http://www.zyb.com/ (It's a Vodafone product). It's free*, fast and works. Also keeps your number sync'd with your friends.

    All GSM providers should allow you to divert your number. The problem is, you pay for the diverted portion of the call. If I divert my Vodafone number to another Voda, it's only a few pence per minute. If I divert it cross network, or to a premium rate number – it costs more. You can do the same for video calls. Annoyingly, no provider allows you to divert text messages. I don't think it's part of the standard.

    Your phone will have an option hidden away called Divert, or similar. If not, you can use the USSD codes manually – http://www.theunwired.net/?itemid=945&catid=80

    Vodafone used to offer a product called MultiSIM. It gave you multiple SIM cards with a single number. The SIMs could be switched on and off at will. So you get in your car, activate your car phone, step out and activate the phone in your pocket etc. It didn't do text or (for technical reasons) GPRS. It has now been discontinued.

    Basically, you're probably better off signing up to, say http://personalnumber.com/ and giving that number out. You then use the web to divert your calls to the SIM of your choice. Again, it won't forward SMS.

    Right, where's my consultancy fee?

    T
    *data charges apply.

  2. Actually, I loved the E71… I just said it was too weak in the multimedia functions to be the 'great all round smartphone' I wanted…. I'm still dreaming of a QWERTY N82 *sigh*.

  3. Agreed – as I said in my review – the content creation aspects of the E71 are lacking, but I still LOVE it.

    🙂

    …and the N82/N95 Functionality with the E71 design is something I mentioned to pretty much every Nokia employee that would listen when I was in Helsinki.

    😉

  4. Since you didn't ask ( 🙂 ) the E71 is IMHO the sexiest Nokia for years. Everyone comments on it. Now all they need to do is double the processing power.

    The GPS implementation makes it actually usable as a navigation device too. Pity Nokia Maps is so utterly, utterly pants that they force you to use the brilliant new Google Maps instead.

    /m

  5. Since you didn't ask ( 🙂 ) the E71 is IMHO the sexiest Nokia for years. Everyone comments on it. Now all they need to do is double the processing power.

    The GPS implementation makes it actually usable as a navigation device too. Pity Nokia Maps is so utterly, utterly pants that they force you to use the brilliant new Google Maps instead.

    /m

  6. Agreed – as I said in my review – the content creation aspects of the E71 are lacking, but I still LOVE it.

    🙂

    …and the N82/N95 Functionality with the E71 design is something I mentioned to pretty much every Nokia employee that would listen when I was in Helsinki.

    😉

  7. Since you didn't ask ( 🙂 ) the E71 is IMHO the sexiest Nokia for years. Everyone comments on it. Now all they need to do is double the processing power.

    The GPS implementation makes it actually usable as a navigation device too. Pity Nokia Maps is so utterly, utterly pants that they force you to use the brilliant new Google Maps instead.

    /m

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Recently Published

Is it time to subscribe to a printer service from HP?

Ever since my dad brought home an HP LaserJet printer (version 3, if memory serves), I have been printing with an HP. Over the...

What’s the best way of buying a phone today?

How did you buy your latest phone? I'm asking because I'm thinking about what I should be doing. When I was living in Oman, I...

MWC: What device highlights did you miss?

So, early last week I predicted that next to nothing from Mobile World Congress would break through into the mainstream media. I was right,...

How Wireless Will Pave the Path to Neobank Profitability

I'm delighted to bring you an opinion piece from Rafa Plantier at Gigs.com. I think it's particularly relevant given the recent eSIM news from...

An end of an era: Vodafone UK turns off 3G services

I thought it was worthwhile highlighting this one from the Vodafone UK team. For so long - for what feels like years, seeing the...

Mobile World Congress: Did the mainstream media notice?

I resolved this year to make sure I wrote something - anything - about Mobile World Congress, the huge mobile industry trade show taking...