looking for confirmation - will this work?

by Jandzban Mar 9, 2011 3:58AM PST

Hello mine name is Bob, I live in Ontario Canada.
I am probobly last person (not counting mine wife) on "Mother Earth" that is sharing one(1)cell telephone "pay as you go" between my self and my wife - because of cost.
We are getting older, sicker... need to stay in contact, so we made decision to "up grade" and purchase two new phones keeping same pay as you go system.
I need expert advise if I purchase two(2) the "smart phones" will those phones give me connection trough the internet (if available like air ports, hotels - we do travel a lot to USA and Europe)to Skype so I could call any body any where? of course I do understand I need to purchase credit from Skype.
Please if any body have any ideas if this set up will work or some other set up?, thank you very much for your time , very much any suggestions are appreciated.

Discussion is locked

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My parents share a cell phone

by Pepe7 Mar 10, 2011 1:38AM PST

You definitely aren't alone in that regard

I would have to learn more specifics about your needs when travelling, along with what carrier you plan on using locally (Canada). Keep in mind this is feasible, but may involve some restrictions *if* you obtain smartphones from one of the Canadian wireless carriers. Some features you desire might only be available to you if you buy unlocked phones from a third party in combination with a prepaid plan. Again, we need to know a bit more in order to help you get something that works. Do you plan on doing a lot of web surfing on the device(s) while travelling, or mainly only using Skype over wifi for free international calling if available(?) There are some newer wifi enabled smartphones running Android that would likely fit the bill.

If you wanted to keep things even easier regarding the out of the box functionality of the devices, you could pick up an inexpensive quad-band unlocked GSM phones (or one that also includes UMTS) for global roaming. Those phones would also work back in Canada/North America and would required little if any type of configuration. When in Europe buy prepaid SIM cards for the appropriate countries that you visit for local voice calling as needed. In addition you could buy an iPod Touch for Skype and basic web surfing in a very easy to use operating system environment. Some people would prefer to carry only a single device, so I understand that might be your preference in this case.

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cell with acscess by wi-fi to Skype

by Jandzban Mar 10, 2011 4:16AM PST

Thank you very much for information.
I am looking only use phone as I need (pay as you go)and with no much of "downloading and modifications" will use only make phone calls using Skype or something similar.
So could you please let me know names of phones (even if I have to buy from 3rd party) you suggesting will do the job.
Again thank you very much for time and efforts.

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Do you need a phone that works with your current carrier?

by Pepe7 Mar 11, 2011 2:55AM PST

Or will this be a separate service from what you are using now? (What are you using now, btw?)

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cell with access to wi fi

by Jandzban Mar 11, 2011 5:26AM PST

I am using Virgin Mobile Canada - Pay as You Go, I would like to purchase 2nd phone for my wife, If I have to - will change provider I am totally flexible for any idea(s).
Thank you appropriate your efforts.

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Options

by Pepe7 Mar 11, 2011 12:29PM PST

If you wanted to stay w/ VM Canada, you could grab either or the Android smartphones I see on their site, the HTC Legend, or Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant. Both are capable of running Skype AFAIK, and include wifi. Their pricing listed seems very ambiguous compared to the American carriers, so you might want to see locally how low they will actually net out the door. This way you would at least have very up to date phones with plenty of great apps to keep you entertained while travelling. The only thing you might consider is finding someone to unlock so you gain the additional ability to use a foreign pre-paid SIM for local calls when visiting Italy, France, UK, etc. Using Skype would not require you to unlock the handsets, only if you needed local or international cellular calling.

For more specifics on what else might be possible in your situation, I suggest you visit the Canadian based wireless site called Howardforums.com. There will likely be some fellow Ontarians who can chime in on how they have configured their prepaid smartphones for international travel & cheap calling.

http://www.howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php/287-Virgin-Mobile-Canada

FWIW, I believe VM Canada is now owned by Bell Canada, so you could inquire about one of their options too.

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I see "light in the Tunnel"

by Jandzban Mar 11, 2011 10:08PM PST

Thank you , thank you very much now I have some solid information to go with .
Very much appreciated special thanks form my wife: " you see People are smart you just have to ask".
Thank you.

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My suggestion is certainly not your only...

by Pepe7 Mar 12, 2011 8:43AM PST

...option. This would however be a good way to get very up to date phones you could use w/ your current carrier. If you want more ideas feel free to ask.

It's certainly a blast to be able to take your device across the pond though when traveling .

looking for confirmation - will this work?

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