Last week a colleague, who had been forced by corporate policy to switch to a Verizon Treo, donated his Blackberry Pearl 8100 to me.

It was a Cingular/ATT locked phone. I unlocked it, stuck my T-Mobile card into it, and upgraded my plan to the unlimited data plan. I the MIS department at work add an Exchange redirect of my work mail to the Blackberry-provided email address (Blackberry Enterprise Services are evil), so that I could claim a real work usage for this. But there is also a personal email on it (and you will have to ask me for that one!).

[Author Sidebar: Two days later, I managed to lose my T-Mobile Z3 Rizr. Lose. Like can't find. Likely in the hands of another happy user who has figured out the GSM thing. I am an idiot.]

What is my main purpose for this thing? I previously had not had email on my mobiles. This restricted (prevented) my ability to use services like Flickr, BrightKite, TwitPic among others. Also, I can add services such as Google Maps and other mobile apps for the Blackberry. Still waiting for Skype for the non-wifi Blackberry.

My opinion thus far is positive. While there are obviously newer and better smartphones out there now, but the Pearl meets my needs for now. And the price (donation free!) was definitely within my budget. I am still adjusting to the 3/4 QWERTY keyboard, but it is not anymore difficult than MOTO’s intellitype (yeah, I know it’s a stretch) system.

Will keep you updated on my joy/frustration factor.

Tags: blackberry, blackberry 8100, blackberry pearl, GSM, opinion, review, smartphone

Samantha’s second Samsung A560 died last week, so I got mad and called Sprint to try and get out of the contract. No way — a kidney and my eldest child is the only way to get out of this deal with the devil.

So, until March 2008, the phone will be powered down and stuck in a drawer. We will grudgingly pay the bill, knowing that we can then tell them to take a long walk off a short pier and not re-subscribe.

On Sunday, we added Samantha to my T-Mobile plan and she now has several fine phones to choose from out of my existing collection. I really don’t see us going back to a CDMA service…ever.

Tags: content, GSM, HTTP, IE, ISP, it, LAN, Om, One, pr, T-Mobile, Technorati, TMobile

I have a problem: I like to collect GSM phones. Right now, I have seven.

From left to right.

• MOTORAZR V3
• MOTORIZR Z3
• MOTOSLVR L7i (current phone in use)
• Motorola V188 (running V220 software)
• Sony Ericsson K700i
• Nokia of some description
• Samsung T619

Ugh.

Tags: ARIN, css, current, GSM, HTTP, IE, IM, IP, it, Om, One, pr, Razr, run

I have set up measurements to monitor the main pages of some of the world’s largest mobile phone providers.

• US Providers
• Canadian Providers
• European Providers
• AsiaPac / South Asia Providers

Just something to do on a rainy Sunday.

Tags: GrabPERF, Web performance, GSM, CDMA, Web site, mobile, wireless, US, Asia, Europe

Tags: Asia, Europe, GrabPERF, GrabPERF.org, GSM, HTTP, it, measurement, metrics, Om, One, Pages, performance, PHP, pr, Technorati, web, Web Performance, Web+performance

Dear T-Mobile USA:

I have been a dedicated customer of yours since 2004. I have become an advocate for GSM services, and think that my brethern who continue to use CDMA services are not looking to the future, and don’t see the world coming at them.

That said, as a customer who likes gadgets and all the bells and whistles, your upgrades are pathetic.

And no, that level of emphasis is not used lightly.

I have just returned from the UK. Over there, the phone choices offered by providers stagger the imagination. Bells and whistles are yesterday — people base their lives around their phones, and the quality and range of phones available are, to say the least, impressive.

They also know that to retain customers, they have to provide astounding FREE upgrades. The latest, greatest are available as free upgrades just for becoming a slave to their contract.

I went and checked the upgrades you offer right now, T-Mobile. They suck. There is no motivation for me to stay with your service, no motivation for me not to move to another GSM provider and kiss my customer fidelity goodbye.

A simple thing: upgrade your upgrades. Please.

Thank you.

Tags: customers, GSM, IM, it, live, Om, One, pr, T-Mobile

Now that I am back on US soil, I have some tips for surviving your trip to London.

1. GSM Phones. If you are one of the millions in the United States who subscribe to a CDMA service (Verizon, Sprint, etc.), invest a few bucks on eBay and buy a low-end, unlocked, tri-band GSM phone. I have used GSM for years, and the unlocked phones give you an amazing advantage — you buy a pay-as-you-go SIM card once you arrive.

   In the UK, incoming phone calls are free. If you have a half-decent office phone system, you should be able to remotely forward your desk phone to your UK number and voila! You have a local number that folks in the US can always reach you at.

2. OYSTER CARD! If you plan to travel anywhere on the London Public Transit system, buy an Oyster card. Same concept as the pay-as-you-go SIM card. And you’re never fussing with change or daily passes for the tube, DLR or busses.
3. Saline Nasal Spray. This seems like a bit in the “too much information” category, but trust me on this one. London’s atmosphere makes New York seem like an untouched Alpine pasture. After one day there, your sinuses will feel and look like the inside of a pool filter after a dust storm. A simple nasal spray takes of this, and often provides a somewhat scary indication of what man does to the urban environment he lives in.

   If you don’t want to pack one with you, you can buy some truly awesome stuff at any Boots — Sterimar. What makes this stuff uniqe is that it is aresol powered. Unlike the wussy atomisers we use over here, this stuff is freakin’ jet-propelled — if it can’t blast the crap out, it’s likely brains.

4. Look to the right. Yeah, we all know that the Brits drive on the other side of the road, but many an American has been nearly killed in the first twelve hours on the ground by using their instincts and not their brains. I am in this group.

   Thankfully, the Brits provide nice warning labels at most crosswalks; look down, and they will tell you which direction to look in to avoid becoming a hood ornament for a Bentley.

5. Change Wallet. Dear lord; you will need one of these or you will blow out every pocket you have. The Brits still use a lot of cash, and like the rest of the world, the lower denominations of their currency are coins, not bills. A solid change wallet is key.
6. Take the red-eye. You will search online and find a multitude of strategies for dealing with jet-lag. I have a simple one — make sure your flight takes you overnight so that you land at Heathrow/Gatwick/Stansted/Dublin/Luton first thing in the morning. For folks on the East Coast or Central Canada, this means flights between 19:00 and 22:00 Eastern. For West Coast folks, it’s a 11-12 hour flight and an eight-hour time change, and Heathrow opens at 07:00, so 11:00-14:00 Pacific is a good range.

These are the top six I can think of rigt now. Comment on your strategies if you have them.

Tags: Canada, cro, GSM, HTTP, IE, IM, information, IP, it, LAN, live, Om, One, online, PHP, pr, search, the other, United States, Verizon

When I got to the London office, I started talking about how I had an addiction to sexy GSM phones, and showed off my collection. I then noted that the Motorola Razr seems to be a pretty hot commodity these days in London. My colleagues laughed, and one of them pulled his old Razr out of a drawer, effectively saying that it was so last year.

Since the Razr was unlocked, I asked if he was doing anything with it. So, I am now the proud owner of a first-series black Razr, a London office cast-off.

Seems that all of Europe wants a Sony-Ericsson W-series or the Nokia N-series. Razrs are so old school.

When I arrived in Germany with my Treo 600 now relegated to backup position by the Rzr, one of my German colleagues was bemoaning the fact that any PDA phone was horrendously expensive. I then offered him up the Treo 600, which I had adopted from its previous owner. After a hard reset, he spent the rest of the day fiddling with it, and grinning maniacally.

Sometimes technology just finds its way to the right place.

Technorati Tags: Razr, Treo 600, European phones, GSM

Tags: css, Europe, Germany, GSM, H1, HTML, HTTP, IE, IM, it, js, Om, One, pr, Razr, Technorati

I will admit it.

I have a problem.

I am addicted to GSM phones.

From L to R: Samsung R225m, Motorola V188, Treo 600, Sony Ericsson K700i

Ok, I admit my problem. But it is not as bad as Russell Beattie’s issue.

©2005, Russell Beattie

Ok, maybe I don’t have a problem…just an issue.

Technorati Tags: GSM, mobile phones, cell phones, gadgets

Tags: book, css, GSM, HTML, HTTP, IE, IM, it, mobile phones, Om, One, pr, Technorati

Scott Johnson writes about how we all want to drop our mobile provider every once and a while. [here]

I have the same provider that Scott does: T-Mobile.

I am a complete T-Mobile lover. The coverage is great, and the use of GSM makes it so perfect for my travel needs, which includes the occasional trip to Europe. T-Mobile has been a great provider, and the fact that I never have to think about it should tell you how good they are.

I will say that their selection of phones is limited. But guess what? That doesn’t matter. You can buy unlocked GSM phones on the net, and have a phone that is so much sexier than what the provider gives you. I have a Sony Ericsson K700i that I bought and it is so very hot!

On the whole, I would never go back to a traditional US CDMA phone provider, as it is so old school, so, clunky, so…1995.

T-Mobile, keep up the great work!

Technorati Tags: T-Mobile, k700i, GSM

Tags: blog, css, Europe, GSM, HTTP, IE, IM, IP, it, js, Om, One, PHP, pr, T-Mobile, Technorati

I have been shopping around for a new, unlocked GSM phone. I live in the US, so these are not as readily available as they are in the rest of the civilized world.

The criteria I have can be summed up easily:

• Candybar/brick: I have learned to hate flip phones
• Tri-Band: 900/1800/1900 (no 850 for me!) for largest range of coverage
• Keypad for easy text messaging

So far, I have narrowed the search down to three options:

• Sony Ericsson J200i
• Motorola C650
• Motorola T68i
• Motorola L6 (A boy has to dream!)

If anyone knows of any other candidates, or has domments on my shortlist, they would be appreciated.

Technorati Tags: J200i, C650, T68i, unlocked GSM, GSM, 900/1800/1900, tri-band, worldphone, world phone

Tags: app, css, EAD, GSM, HTTP, IP, it, live, Om, One, pr, search, Technorati