Why Do People Still Text
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@scottalanmiller said:
@Dashrender said:
Two weeks? You can't get a phone overnighted from the US or at least international priority mail? Heck I would think Danielle could go to a T-mobile store in the US, buy you a phone and send it to you faster than that.
Nope. There is no reliable way to get things shipped to another country like that when you don't have a long standing address with your name on it and good knowledge of how the delivery works. We've tried that places before and it is a disaster. Two weeks is not enough time to do that reliably.
Danielle can have a new phone, for free, later today. Or an AppleStore could do it on the spot. But neither can get it to me in Rio Hato, Panama.
That just surprises me that you can't get it sent to a major hotel chain and trust that it will arrive with international priority fast shipping.
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@Dashrender said:
@scottalanmiller said:
@Dashrender said:
Two weeks? You can't get a phone overnighted from the US or at least international priority mail? Heck I would think Danielle could go to a T-mobile store in the US, buy you a phone and send it to you faster than that.
Nope. There is no reliable way to get things shipped to another country like that when you don't have a long standing address with your name on it and good knowledge of how the delivery works. We've tried that places before and it is a disaster. Two weeks is not enough time to do that reliably.
Danielle can have a new phone, for free, later today. Or an AppleStore could do it on the spot. But neither can get it to me in Rio Hato, Panama.
That just surprises me that you can't get it sent to a major hotel chain and trust that it will arrive with international priority fast shipping.
Well not being in a hotel makes that that much harder. This is a condo way out in the country. Really, check Rio Hato on a map. Seriously remote. Nearest city is two hours on a good day, four hours in traffic.
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@scottalanmiller said:
@Dashrender said:
@scottalanmiller said:
@Dashrender said:
Two weeks? You can't get a phone overnighted from the US or at least international priority mail? Heck I would think Danielle could go to a T-mobile store in the US, buy you a phone and send it to you faster than that.
Nope. There is no reliable way to get things shipped to another country like that when you don't have a long standing address with your name on it and good knowledge of how the delivery works. We've tried that places before and it is a disaster. Two weeks is not enough time to do that reliably.
Danielle can have a new phone, for free, later today. Or an AppleStore could do it on the spot. But neither can get it to me in Rio Hato, Panama.
That just surprises me that you can't get it sent to a major hotel chain and trust that it will arrive with international priority fast shipping.
Well not being in a hotel makes that that much harder. This is a condo way out in the country. Really, check Rio Hato on a map. Seriously remote. Nearest city is two hours on a good day, four hours in traffic.
Ok that explains a lot - and I do realize as long as you have decent internet connectivity, you are trying to stay away from the main population centers (at least I think you are).
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This time was not a plan of any sort, it was just a deal. @Dominica found a place that she liked the looks of and it was cheap so we jumped on it. In reality, we should have been further west for some things or just headed in to PC. Being in Rio Hato is a pretty useless location.
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The phone will be waiting for him when he gets back. Should be in my hands tomorrow.
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It is going to be waiting for me in Texas, I have to get out of one airport, go get it, get it working, run to the next airport, fly to Albany.
One day Panama City -> Mexico City -> Houston North.... drive across the metro area... Houston South -> Albany.... drive to Lake George.
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Do you use SIM cards in the US or is it something different? Because I'd just put the SIM into a spare phone and get my texts, assuming the SIM hasn't been damaged. I'm not sure how indestructible they are.
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@Carnival-Boy said:
Do you use SIM cards in the US or is it something different?
I do because I'm not in the US. But by and large, it's hit and miss. Verizon is by far the biggest US carrier and they do not have GSM or SIM cards. The next two biggest carriers, AT&T and TMobile, are GSM and do use SIMs. Smaller carriers are more or less random.
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@Carnival-Boy said:
Because I'd just put the SIM into a spare phone and get my texts, assuming the SIM hasn't been damaged. I'm not sure how indestructible they are.
That might work. I'd need to find a spare phone somewhere. Not as easy as it sounds when you don't have a car and the nearest store is a thirty minute drive away
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@scottalanmiller said:
@Carnival-Boy said:
Do you use SIM cards in the US or is it something different?
I do because I'm not in the US. But by and large, it's hit and miss. Verizon is by far the biggest US carrier and they do not have GSM or SIM cards. The next two biggest carriers, AT&T and TMobile, are GSM and do use SIMs. Smaller carriers are more or less random.
Verizon has been using micro-SIM cards for their 4G access.
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@Carnival-Boy said:
Do you use SIM cards in the US or is it something different? Because I'd just put the SIM into a spare phone and get my texts, assuming the SIM hasn't been damaged. I'm not sure how indestructible they are.
I took this whole idea for granted - assuming there was a reason that Scott hadn't tried it.
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@Dashrender said:
I took this whole idea for granted - assuming there was a reason that Scott hadn't tried it.
I'm still not used to having a SIM card. If you ask me, I know it is there. But after more than two decades on Verizon, the ability to "get another phone" does not occur to me.
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@coliver said:
@scottalanmiller said:
@Carnival-Boy said:
Do you use SIM cards in the US or is it something different?
I do because I'm not in the US. But by and large, it's hit and miss. Verizon is by far the biggest US carrier and they do not have GSM or SIM cards. The next two biggest carriers, AT&T and TMobile, are GSM and do use SIMs. Smaller carriers are more or less random.
Verizon has been using micro-SIM cards for their 4G access.
Yeah, but that doesn't solve the texting or calling problem. - well it sorta fixes the calling problem because he can use VOIP. and might even be able to get T-mobile to forward his calls to his VOIP number.
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@Dashrender said:
@coliver said:
@scottalanmiller said:
@Carnival-Boy said:
Do you use SIM cards in the US or is it something different?
I do because I'm not in the US. But by and large, it's hit and miss. Verizon is by far the biggest US carrier and they do not have GSM or SIM cards. The next two biggest carriers, AT&T and TMobile, are GSM and do use SIMs. Smaller carriers are more or less random.
Verizon has been using micro-SIM cards for their 4G access.
Yeah, but that doesn't solve the texting or calling problem. - well it sorta fixes the calling problem because he can use VOIP. and might even be able to get T-mobile to forward his calls to his VOIP number.
Well.... they still have crazy silly requirements with the micro-SIMs. From what I've seen they don't act or respond anything like the GSM or international SIMs that other companies use.
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Lucky for Scott - he's on T-mobile, a company that uses SIM cards and all the benefits.
Scott, you could bring along a cheap unlocked phone and just move the SIM next time
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@Dashrender said:
Scott, you could bring along a cheap unlocked phone and just move the SIM next time
Yup, was thinking the same way.
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Yep. That's one of the cool features of SMS: easily portable and works with very cheap and easily available devices
I bought a Nokia 106 for $20 the other day. Fantastic phone. It's gone well over a week on a single battery charge. It doesn't support e-mail, but text and voice work like a dream.
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@Carnival-Boy said:
Yep. That's one of the cool features of SMS: easily portable and works with very cheap and easily available devices
Yup, I mention that often. I just forget that I have it!
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So my dad, who still does not have a smart phone and so texts rather a bit is staying with me this week. And what I've learned from him is that he gets more spam texts than I get spam emails (close, but he gets more.) It's not that he gets a lot, but I don't get a lot of spam email either. But I can blacklist and report spam. His phone doesn't allow him to block or report spam so it just keeps coming. He has no means of stopping it.
Just this morning he got woken up at 3:30am by a spam text.
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@scottalanmiller said:
@Carnival-Boy said:
Do you use SIM cards in the US or is it something different?
I do because I'm not in the US. But by and large, it's hit and miss. Verizon is by far the biggest US carrier and they do not have GSM or SIM cards. The next two biggest carriers, AT&T and TMobile, are GSM and do use SIMs. Smaller carriers are more or less random.
All of our Iphones since the 4s's have had SIM cards in them (yes we are on Verizon).
