Why Do We Use The Term Cellular Phone Instead of Mobile Phone? Why Do We Use The Term Cellular Phone Instead of Mobile Phone? If I asked you about your phone, would you call it a cell phone or a mobile phone? Does it really matter what you say or is one term more appropriate than the other? Advertisement The world cellular, as it describes phone technology, was used by engineers Douglas H. Ring and W. Rae Young at Bell Labs. They diagrammed a network of wireless towers into what they called a cellular layout. Cellular was the chosen term because each tower and its coverage map looked like a biological cell. Eventually, phones that operated on this type of wireless network were called cellular phones. The term mobile phone predates its cellular counterpart. The first mobile phone call was placed in 1946 over Bell System's Mobile telephone service, a closed radiotelephone system. And the first commercial mobile phones were installed cars in the 1970s. Advertisement Eventually, the two names, mobile phone and cellular phone, became synonymous, especially here in the US. But some people disagree with that usage. They consider the term "cellular phone" to be a misnomer because the phone is not cellular, the network is.

The phone is a mobile phone and it operates on a cellular network. So what do you think, is this just splitting hairs or do we need to be more careful about what we call our phones? [ The Atlantic ] Gear from Kinja Deals » How to Call the UK from the US How to Call the UK from the US Posted on December 22, 2011 Having trouble with your call to the UK? Vonage can help. Whether you’re calling relatives in Liverpool or planning a trip to London, Vonage World ® can help your call to the UK get through. Vonage makes it easy to enjoy low-cost, reliable home phone service with unlimited¹ UK calling , so you can call the UK from the US anytime. When you add Vonage Extensions™ to Vonage World®, you can extend your home calling plan to any phone, including mobiles, at no extra charge. So you can call the UK from both your home and mobile phones on the same plan. You’ll also be able to make unlimited¹ calls to landlines in more than 60 countries and mobile phones in more than 10 countries and territories. Now you can call the UK from the US whenever and however you want.

To call the UK from the US, just follow these simple dialing directions: First dial 011, the U.S. exit code. Next dial 44, the country code for the U.K. Then the area code (2–5 digits). And finally the phone number (4–8 digits; area code plus phone number equals 10 digits). Do you live in the US and miss hearing from your friends and family in the UK? With Vonage, you can add a local Birmingham number to your account. That way, your friends and family in Birmingham can make a local call that rings right to your home phone in the US. It’s called a virtual number and is inexpensive and easy to use; you get a phone number from a different domestic or international location that rings to your home phone. By adding a virtual number to your Vonage World® plan, you can save your friends in the UK from expensive international calling charges when they call you. Of course, with Vonage World® you can make unlimited landline calls to them. Give Vonage to your Family in the UK Here’s an idea: Why not give Vonage World® to your friends or family in the UK?

It’s easy… just sign up for a Vonage World® account for them and ship them the Vonage Box™*. That way they can make unlimited¹ calls to landlines and mobiles in the US. Imagine your brother in London having the same US area code as you. You and anyone in the US can reach him on a US number, rather than paying international rates to call the UK. And if you both have Vonage, calls between you are included at no additional charge! Vonage works anywhere there’s a high-speed Internet connection. Need more help calling the UK? If your call isn’t going through, watch out for these common dialing errors: Blocked international calls Many phone service providers offer the option to block international calling or even have it as a default. Check this setting before trying to place a direct international call. With Vonage World®, your calls to the UK will never be blocked. Cell numbers without area codes Area codes shouldn’t be added to international cell phone numbers. Cell phone numbers in most countries also have an allocated starting digit that isn’t used for landlines. Drop the trunk code If the number you are dialing starts with zero, you must drop this first digit.

The zero is called a “trunk code” and is used when calling within certain countries. For example, if the number you are calling is 021 XXXX XXXX: the wrong way to dial from the U.S. is 011 + 44 + 021 XXXX XXXX the right way to dial from the U.S. is 011 + 44 + 21 XXXX XXXX Here is a list of major area codes and UK city calling codes UK CALLING CODES Legal Privacy Policy E911 ¹Unlimited Calling and other services for all residential plans are based on normal residential, personal, non-commercial use. A combination of factors is used to determine abnormal use, including but not limited to: the number of unique numbers called, calls forwarded, minutes used and other factors. Subject to our Reasonable Use Policy and Terms of Service. HIGH SPEED INTERNET REQUIRED. VALID FOR NEW ACCOUNTS ONLY. RATES EXCLUDE INTERNET SERVICE, SURCHARGES, FEES AND TAXES. If you subscribe to plans with monthly minutes allotments (for example, U.S.

& Canada 400), all call minutes placed from both your home and registered Extensions® phones will count toward your monthly minutes allotment. Extensions® calls made from mobiles use airtime and may incur surcharges, depending on your mobile plan. Where available. The number transfer process takes approximately 10 business days from the time you confirm your transfer request. Alarms, TTY and other systems may not be compatible. Vonage 911 service operates differently than traditional 911. See for details. © 2017 Vonage Cell Phones and The Do Not Call Registry | Consumer Information Cell Phones and The Do Not Call Registry Related Items National Do Not Call Registry Despite viral email, there is no new cell phone database. Consumers may place their cell phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry to notify marketers that they don't want to get unsolicited telemarketing calls. The truth about cell phones and the Do Not Call Registry is: The government is not releasing cell phone numbers to telemarketers. There is no deadline for registering a cell phone number on the Do Not Call Registry.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations prohibit telemarketers from using automated dialers to call cell phone numbers without prior consent. Automated dialers are standard in the industry, so most telemarketers are barred from calling consumers' cell phones without their consent. There is only one Do Not Call Registry, operated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), with information available at donotcall.gov . There is no separate registry for cell phones. The Do Not Call Registry accepts registrations from both cell phones and land lines. To register by telephone, call 1-888-382-1222 (TTY: 1-866-290-4236). You must call from the phone number that you want to register. To register online ( donotcall.gov ), you will have to respond to a confirmation email. If you have registered a mobile or other telephone number already, you don't need to re-register. Once registered, a telephone number stays on the Do Not Call Registry until the registration is canceled or service for the number is discontinued. Why Are We Still Calling the Things in Our Pockets ‘Cell Phones’?

June 24, 2014 06/24/2014 1:49 p.m. Why Are We Still Calling the Things in Our Pockets ‘Cell Phones’? Photo: Shutterstock Last week, when Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos took to a Seattle stage to announce a new smartphone called the Amazon Fire, he spent an hour and a half describing feature after feature: unlimited photo storage, 24/7 video support, 13-megapixel camera, a 3-D-like “dynamic perspective” display, a visual-recognition shopping button called Firefly, and dozens more bells and whistles. But there was one question Bezos left unanswered about his new device’s feature set. Namely: Could it, you know, make phone calls? Several years ago, Bezos’s neglect of the Fire’s phone capabilities would have seemed like a huge, glaring omission. (Remember the raging debate over the iPhone 4’s poor reception?) But these days, smartphones are phones in name only. For many of us, the green, phone-shaped icon on our home screens has become just another minor feature – like a stopwatch or a stock ticker. And for others, it’s completely irrelevant.

“I haven’t made a phone call on my phone in a long time,” Bezos later told the Times . “But I know people still make phone calls.” Not so much. In fact, the use of voice calls – which has been dropping since 2007, the year Apple introduced the original iPhone – has fallen off a cliff lately. As of last year , cell providers in the U.S. are now making more money per user from data use than voice calling. (The U.S. is only the seventh nation to reach the data-voice tipping point — it happened in countries like Japan as early as 2011.) A recent survey of 7,000 U.S. high-school seniors found that only 34 percent made phone calls every day — far fewer than the number who texted or used apps like Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram. And companies like AT&T and Verizon, which saw the data boom coming years ago, have been spending more and more on new, bigger LTE data networks, while essentially giving away their voice plans for free. Graph courtesy of Chetan Sharma Consulting In the app age, old-fashioned phone calls have become not only passé, but ominous.

Today, when I get a call outside of work hours, I think: Who died? Who’s trapped on a mountain? What awful global calamity is unfolding? I use apps and text messages for everything – ordering dinner, hailing cabs, telling friends I’m running late – and I rarely check my voice mail. I don’t have any friends who regularly call me; even my parents have switched to texts. All of which raises a question: Why are we still calling these things phones? This isn’t just a semantic issue. It’s a marketing one. Wireless companies want us to think of our rectangular gadgets first and foremost as phones, since what their plans give us in the phone department (unlimited minutes and texting, on most carriers) is much better than what they give us in the data department (tiered caps on data use, with charges for overage). In fact, these companies make millions of dollars a year from our tendency to overestimate the number of calls we’ll make in a given month, and underestimate the amount of data we’ll use. For example, take my case.

For several years, I paid about $100 a month for a phone plan that gave me 900 minutes per month and allotted me two gigabytes of data. That suited me fine – I rarely went over my allowances – but this year, I found a “loyalty” plan from Verizon that cost only $60 a month, and had unlimited talking and texting with the same two gigabyte data cap. Great news, right? Not exactly. Like most Americans, my data use has skyrocketed – from less than two gigabytes a month to more than five gigabytes on average – and as a result, I end up spending $30 or $40 each month on overage charges. The upshot is that I’m still paying Verizon about $100 a month to use my phone, even though I nominally have a better, cheaper plan. And if I wanted a plan with a bigger data allotment, I’d have to pay much more – in fact, at my current levels, it costs less to pay the penalties than move up a notch.

I’m not alone in my frustration; a 2013 study by Cisco estimated that, by 2017, the average North American mobile user will use six gigabytes of data per month. It’s not wrong, necessarily, for carriers to charge more for all that extra data, which taxes their networks in a way voice calls don’t. But it is opportunistic of them to encourage us to focus on the bold print in smartphone plans – the “unlimited talk and text” part – while distracting us from the more important matter of how much data we’re allowed to guzzle before we’re charged extra. (An exception among big carriers is T-Mobile, which doesn’t charge data overage fees, though it does slow down users’ data after they exceed their plans.) Regardless of its implications on wireless carriers, it’s odd to refer to these vast, all-encompassing gadgets merely as “phones.” It would be like calling a car a “radio box,” or a microwave a “popcorn maker.” All smartphones can make calls, sure, but what makes one device different from another is how well it can do everything else. So let’s call these devices something that more accurately reflects how we use them.

One idea would be to take a cue from the British and start referring to them simply as “mobiles.” We could even call them “Handys,” as the Germans do, or “mini-tablets,” which is essentially what they are. Or we could coin another neologism, like “pocket computer.” (“Pock-comp” for short.) All of these words sound more awkward to our unaccustomed American ears than “phone” or “cell phone.” But they’re better descriptors of what these devices are. And when we accept the fact that our iPhones are being used for apps, rather than calls, perhaps providers will be convinced to create more customer-friendly data plans. Now that would be news worth calling home about on your mobile, Handy, or pock-comp – if you can still remember how, that is. Tags: Going abroad? Don't be afraid to pack the cell phone - CNET CNET Going abroad? Don't be afraid to pack the cell phone Going abroad? Don't be afraid to pack the cell phone Don't let the horror stories scare you off. Firing up the cell phone in another country need not be as vexing or expensive as you think. Update 11:47 a.m.

PDT: This story has been updated with additional information about Verizon Wireless' international roaming voice and data plans. Information about roaming in Japan and South Korea has also been updated. It's summer time. And you know what that means: Harrowing international travel with your cell phone. While the sour economy may be keeping some travelers closer to home this summer, good deals on flights and hotels, and the growing strength of the U.S. dollar are enticing some travelers to grab their passports and book a flight to Europe and other parts of the world. (I happen to be one of them. I just bought a plane ticket to go to France in August.) And since cell phones are now so much a part of our everyday lives, it's hard to part with them when we hop on a plane to another country. But stories of $3,000 iPhone bills when we return, have scared many consumers into turning off their phones or leaving them at home. But what if you'd like to check in on the kids back home during your trip, or you need to find your travel companions while wandering around the Gothic quarter in Barcelona? Or maybe you've met some nice locals who want to catch up with you later, but they need your number to text you?

Well, I'm here to tell you that firing up the cell phone in another country need not be as scary or expensive as you think. But first you need the facts. To help you get started, I've put together this FAQ that can answer some basic questions about which phones and carriers offer service abroad and how much you can expect to pay. For more information, check out your carrier's Web site. Also check out a couple of stories written by my CNET Reviews colleague Kent German, who has written a very informative Quick Guide to international phone usage as well as a comparison of some of the hottest world phones on the market . Does it matter which wireless operator I have if I want to use my phone abroad? Yes it does. While all of the four major wireless operators in the U.S. can provide international roaming in some parts of the world, some carriers are more limited in where they can offer service based upon the technology they use. In the U.S. wireless operators use two main cellular technologies: GSM and CDMA .

GSM, or global system for mobile communications, is used throughout much of the world, including in Europe (where it's the standard), Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as much of Asia and the Middle East. In the U.S., AT&T and T-Mobile USA operate GSM networks. As a result AT&T and T-Mobile have the most extensive networks abroad. AT&T has roaming agreements in more than 190 countries throughout the world. Its triband and quadband phones will work in most parts of the world, except in Japan and South Korea, where you'll need a special phone that either supports CDMA or uses the 3G standard UMTS in the 2100 MHz frequency band. Sony Ericsson, Nokia, and a few other phone manufacturers now offer multi-band GSM phones that also include support for UMTS 2100. Coverage also extends to some cruise ships. T-Mobile USA is owned by German telecom provider Deutsche Telekom, which operates its T-Mobile wireless service in seven countries in Europe, including Germany, the U.K., and the Netherlands.

T-Mobile has roaming agreements with over 190 countries and also provides service throughout Central America, Australia, much of South America, and some countries in Africa. It also offers coverage on some cruise ships. Like AT&T, service in Japan and South Korea requires a special phone. CDMA, which stands for code division multiple access, has less worldwide coverage than GSM. The U.S. is one of the biggest markets for CDMA. This is the technology that is used by the largest operator in the U.S.: Verizon Wireless. Sprint's PCS network also uses CDMA. The old Nextel portion of Sprint's network uses a different technology called iDEN, which is used in a limited number of places outside the U.S. Verizon Wireless, which is jointly owned by Verizon Communications and the world's largest wireless operator Vodafone, has roaming agreements with more than 40 countries for its CDMA service and more than 220 countries that use GSM. Verizon subscribers can use their CDMA handsets to roam in China and Taiwan, Guam, Guatemala, Indonesia, Vietnam, Israel, India, New Zealand, Thailand, Mexico, South Korea, much of South America, and a few Caribbean islands.

A software upgrade may be required for some countries. Coverage is available on some cruise ships as well. Sprint CDMA subscribers can roam in 26 countries and four U.S. territories. And the company has agreements with carriers in more than 100 countries to offer service for a CDMA/GSM phone. The iDEN network only offers services in 11 countries and one U.S. territory. A Sprint CDMA phone should work in most of Central and South America and the Caribbean along with New Zealand, Indonesia, China and Taiwan, South Korea, India, Israel, Thailand, and a few U.S. territories. As for Nextel users, iDEN roaming is limited to Canada, Chile, Mexico, Argentina, Jordan, Peru, Brazil, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and Israel. Nextel also offers a dual mode iDEN/GSM phone called the Motorola i930, which can be used for voice calling in about 100 countries. The bottom line is that the devices used on AT&T's and T-Mobile's networks are more likely to work in more countries around the world than devices used on Verizon Wireless or Sprint's networks.

Does this mean that any GSM phone from AT&T or T-Mobile will work in Europe or a GSM network in Asia? Not necessarily. GSM carriers may be the best choice for globe-trotters, especially those traveling in Europe, but not every GSM phone works in every country. The reason is that different regions of the world use different frequency bands to transmit GSM signals. In the U.S., GSM operators only use the 850 MHz and 1900 MHz frequency bands. In Europe they use the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz frequency bands. Japan and South Korea use the 2100 MHz band. So to make sure you're covered in most regions, you should either get a triband (GSM 900/1800/1900) or quadband (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) phone. Travelers in Japan and South Korea will likely need a new phone, since wireless operators in Japan and South Korea do not use GSM.

That said, carriers in Japan and South Korea are using the same 3G standard that GSM carriers are using, which means that phones supporting a technology called UMTS or Universal Mobile Telecommunications System using the 2100 MHz spectrum band will also work in Japan and South Korea. If you don't have a phone that supports this technology, you can rent one from your service provider or buy a prepaid phone once you get there. In Japan, users are required to register with the carrier to activate a prepaid phone. Do Verizon Wireless and Sprint have any "world phones" that can be used in countries where GSM is the predominant cell phone technology used? Yes they do. Verizon offers a few "world phones" that have both CDMA and GSM radios built in. These include, the BlackBerry 8830 World Edition, BlackBerry Storm, and the Samsung Renown. Verizon also offers a special program for travelers who don't have a GSM/CDMA Verizon handset and who are traveling abroad to a country that does not use CDMA. This program, called Global Travel Program, is offered to current Verizon Wireless subscribers without a daily rental fee or security deposit.

The program is designed for customers traveling on short trips that last less than 21 days. Customers can call 800-711-8300 to speak with a Global Services Activation specialist to request a global phone. Subscribers will get to use their existing phone number and voice mail. And contact lists can be transferred to the global phone. A nominal shipping fee applies. And customers must either sign up for special international rate plans or pay regular international rates, depending on which country they're visiting. Sprint also has a few world phones, such as the BlackBerry 8830 World Edition, the Samsung IP-830w, and the HTC Touch Diamond. Do I need to call my carrier before I leave to activate international calling? Yes, you should call your wireless provider to make sure your phone is ready to make and receive calls in a foreign country. You can also check with your carrier for the exact rates in the countries where you'll be traveling. How much will it cost me to use my phone in another country? This will depend on which carrier you have service with here in the States. Calls will be charged on a per-minute basis. For subscribers with U.S.

cell phone service, domestic voice, text message or data plans do not apply when traveling in another country. SMS text messaging is typically the cheapest way to communicate with people in the country where you're traveling and also with your family and friends back home in the U.S. Here's a summary of what you can expect from the four major nationwide carriers in the U.S. AT&T offers customers a World Traveler plan, which offers discounts on most roaming rates in more than 195 countries. The cost is $5.99 a month. And users can sign up for the service for just one month if they are going on a vacation, and they can cancel the service when they return home. But AT&T officials suggest that subscribers pay special attention to their billing cycle to make sure the plan is activated the entire time they are away. Some readers have also suggested keeping the plan active an extra month after you return home to make sure there has been plenty of time for the foreign carrier you were using to send the appropriate billing information to your home carrier. Without a service plan, AT&T charges per-minute roaming rates that vary between 59 cents per minute and $3.99 per minute, depending on the country and roaming carrier used.

It costs 50 cents to send a text message and receive text messages in a foreign country, but receiving text messages from someone in the U.S. is free. Sending multimedia messages is $1.30 per message, and receiving MMS messages from the U.S. is free. For more information check out AT&T's international roaming web page . T-Mobile USA doesn't offer a special traveler plan. So the company charges per-minute roaming rates. These charges range from 49 cents to $3.99 per minute, based on where you're traveling. Text messages cost 35 cents per message to send. Incoming messages pull from your feature bucket or are billed at 15 cents each. For more information check out T-Mobile's international roaming information page on its Web site. Verizon Wireless offers a global travelers plan that offers discounted rates on voice calls in over 150 countries for $4.99 per month. Regular voice charges range from 69 cents to $2.99 per minute for roaming calls. And it costs 50 cents to send a text message and 5 cents to receive a message. For more information about Verizon Wireless's international roaming fees and services go to this website .

Sprint Nextel offers a $2.99 a month plan to let people traveling to Canada pay only 20 cents per minute for calls. Roaming charges vary between 59 cents to $4.99 per minute for Sprint phones. Text messaging and multimedia messaging are billed as data services. Nextel customers can sign up for a Direct Connect plan that allows them to talk to other Nextel Direct Connect customers in Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Peru. For more information on Sprint Nextel's international roaming check out this Web page . What about data charges? Travelers need to be especially careful of data charges. The rates for data are far more expensive than for roaming voice calls and text messages. AT&T offers its smartphone customers that have an iPhone, BlackBerry or Windows Mobile device a special data plan to help keep costs down. The cheapest plan offers 20MB of data in 65 countries for $24.99 per month. The 50MB package is $59.99 per month, 100MB package is $119.99 per month, and the 200MB package is $199.99 per month.

Without a plan, users are charged 2 cents per kilobyte. If you're traveling in a country that is not one of the 65 supported in the international data plan, then standard data roaming rates apply. AT&T officials say that subscribers need to pay special attention to their billing cycle when signing up for an international data plan. If a customer signs up a couple of weeks into the billing cycle right before a trip, the cost of the service will be prorated and so will the total amount of megabytes available. Customers should ask the customer service agent who is signing them up for the plan to back-date their plan to make sure they are getting the full bucket of data while they are traveling on their trip. The monthly plan can be canceled without a hassle the following month. T-Mobile USA charges $10 per megabyte in Canada and $15.36 per megabyte everywhere else in the world. Verizon Wireless offers a few options for getting e-mail and surfing the Web while on a international trip. Verizon Wireless subscribers using either the Samsung Sagas, BlackBerry Storm, or BlackBerry 8830 World Edition phones can get corporate and personal e-mail while traveling abroad with a service called GlobalEmail.

The service, which provides voice service in more than 215 countries and data coverage in more than 175 destinations, costs $64.99 a month for e-mail access coupled with a voice plan. And the service costs $69.99 a month for access to data only. Verizon Wireless also offers the XU870 Global ExpressCard,which fits into laptops to provide wireless data service in more than 175 destinations. And it can provide 3G coverage in over 40 countries. Customers can choose from monthly or pay per use plans. The GlobalAccess Monthly plan starts at $129.99 per month for 200 megabytes of data in over 30 countries. After that limit, users are charged $0.005 per kilobyte. The plan also allows for 5 gigabytes of data use in the U.S. and Canada with overages charged at $0.05 per MB. For $219.99 a month, subscribers can get up to 200 MB worth of data with the same rates for overage as the $129.99 plan.

For subscribers who don't need a monthly plan, Verizon also offers a GlobalAccess Pay Per Use plan. The service, which must be purchased with a $59.99 mobile broadband service plan in the U.S., offers discounted rates of $0.002 per KB in Canada, $0.005 per KB in Mexico, and $0.02 per KB in more than 175 other destinations. Sprint Nextel's rates for data vary depending on the country you're traveling in. I've heard horror stories about iPhone users who have had outrageously high phone bills after their trips abroad. Why does this happen? The iPhone was made for data, and as a result it can cause some problems for international travelers, because data rates are typically much higher than voice rates. For example, the iPhone's visual voice mail works over the data network. So when iPhone subscribers receive a voice mail while traveling and their phone is on, that voice mail message will be charged a data rate, regardless of whether that iPhone subscriber checked his voice mail. If iPhone users are having their e-mail pushed to them all the time, this can also jack up the price of their service.

And streaming video of any kind over the cellular network will rack up data charges very quickly regardless of whether you're on a smartphone or using a 3G data card. What can I do to make sure this isn't a problem for me? Here are some suggestions from AT&T sprinkled with a couple of suggestions of my own. &nbsp Turn data roaming "OFF": Be sure to download and install the latest version of iPhone software from iTunes. By default, this setting for international data roaming will be in the "OFF" position. To turn data roaming "ON/OFF" tap on Settings>General>Network>Data Roaming &nbsp Utilize Wi-Fi instead of 3G/GPRS/EDGE: Wi-Fi is available in many international airports, hotels, and restaurants to browse the Web or check e-mail. You can even use voice over IP services, such as Skype to make phone calls. &nbsp Turn fetch new data "OFF": Check e-mail and sync contacts and calendars manually instead of having the data pushed to your iPhone automatically. This way you can control the flow of data coming to your iPhone.

To turn off the Auto-Check functionality tap on Settings>Fetch New Data, change Push to "OFF" and Select to Fetch Manually &nbsp Consider purchasing an international data package: Purchasing an international data package can significantly reduce the cost of using data abroad. AT&T now offers four discount international data packages. &nbsp Reset the usage tracker to zero: When you arrive overseas access the usage tracker in the general settings menu and select reset statistics. This will enable you to track your estimated data usage. To reset Usage Tracker to Zero tap on Settings>General>Usage>Reset &nbsp Do not download video on your iPhone or laptop while traveling. This will help you avoid some of the most expensive data charges. If you want to stream a movie, music video, or TV show on your phone, go to a Wi-Fi hot spot and download movies over that network. Are these huge data charges a problem for other smartphone users like BlackBerry users or phones running Windows Mobile? Neither the BlackBerry nor Windows Mobile phones use visual voice mail, so that is not a concern on these devices. But streaming video on these devices could also rack up some hefty data charges as well. So be careful.

As for downloading e-mail or receiving pushed e-mail, Windows Mobile users should also be careful. These phones also allow users to turn off the push e-mail function. But BlackBerry users don't have to worry as much, because Research In Motion, the maker of the BlackBerry, has developed a very efficient way of delivering e-mail to end users that doesn't eat up a lot of bandwidth. Are there any other options that may be cheaper than using my U.S. carrier's service? Yes, you can use an unlocked GSM handset when you're traveling abroad. Simply put in a SIM card from a local carrier to make inexpensive local phone calls while you're in-country as well as cheap texting to other cell phones also in the same country in which you're traveling. How do I get an unlocked phone? You can buy unlocked phones from some retailers and on various Web sites, such as Amazon or eBay. But if you are an AT&T or T-Mobile USA customer, you can also unlock the phone you have. Simply call your provider's customer support number.

(This applies to most GSM phones except the iPhone, which AT&T will not provide an unlock code for.) Give them the model number of your phone, and they will send you a special code that you will use to unlock your phone when you put in the new SIM card. Once your phone is unlocked, it's unlocked for good and can be used on future trips. Make sure to call your wireless operator well in advance. Sometimes it can take as long as a week for customer support to send an unlock code. Again, make sure that your phone is a tri-band or quad-band phone that will operate in the frequencies used in the country you're visiting. Japan and South Korea will require special handsets. What if I am a Verizon Wireless or Sprint Nextel customer? Can I unlock these phones and use a local SIM card? If you have a CDMA-only or iDEN phone, the answer is no. These devices don't use SIM cards, and they do not operate on a GSM network. But if you have a world phone from Verizon or Sprint that also has a GSM radio, these can also be unlocked. Call your carrier and tell them you need the unlock code and they should send it to you. What are the drawbacks to using a local SIM card?

Well, the most obvious drawback is that you have to find a store that sells local SIM cards once you get to your destination. Local mobile carrier retail locations will sell SIM cards. But some local grocery stores or convenience stores may only sell cards to "top up" the minutes on your phone. The second drawback is that you will be assigned a new local phone number. So this means that friends and family calling you from the U.S. will have to make an international call to reach you. This also means that international calling rates apply to you as well if you call from the country where you're traveling to the U.S. Also some features may not be available on your phone, such as voice mail, call-waiting, e-mail and Web surfing. And you will not be able to receive calls, voice mails, text messages, or e-mails sent to your U.S. phone number while using another carrier's SIM card. That said, using a local SIM can save you money, especially if you are using it to make local calls. Texting is usually the cheapest method of communication. And SIM cards can be saved and used again if you travel to the same country again. Are there any other useful tips I should know?

Here are some helpful tips that my colleague Kent German cited in his Quick Guide to using your phone on international trips: &nbsp Calls to voice mail and the operator will incur all applicable fees, but calls to your carrier's customer service are typically free. &nbsp The method for making local calls in each country will vary, so make sure you know how to do so. Also, remember that emergency-dial numbers will be different from 911. &nbsp When in a foreign country, you will have to use the appropriate country and area codes for calls back to the States or a third country. To call the U.S. dial 001. &nbsp Your phone should automatically search for and select a network in each country, but you may have to do this yourself through your phone's menus. You also can try turning your phone off and on again. &nbsp Free mobile-to-mobile minutes on the same carrier usually are not offered outside the United States. &nbsp When roaming, the name of the local carrier will appear on your phone's display. &nbsp Roaming charges will show up on your normal wireless bill, though they may take several weeks to do so.

&nbsp Not all data features will work the same way when you're abroad. &nbsp Don't forget an electrical-plug adapter for your charger. Kent German, a CNET Reviews senior editor, contributed to this report. How Americans Use Their Cell Phones | Pew Research Center How Americans Use Their Cell Phones By Aaron Smith Eight in ten American adults (83%) own a cell phone of some kind, and they use their phones for a variety of purposes. As in previous Pew Internet surveys of mobile usage, texting and picture-taking remain the most common mobile phone activities—73% of cell owners engage in each of these—followed by sending photos or videos to others (54%) and accessing the internet (44%). The two least prevalent activities (among the 15 we inquired about) are accessing Twitter and using one’s phone to take part in a video call or chat (6% of cell owners do each of these). Of the twelve activities that we measured in both May 2010 and May 2011 (we did not ask about online banking, Twitter use or video calling in our spring 2010 survey), five grew by a statistically significant amount over that time period.

This growth was primarily oriented around accessing or sharing multimedia content such as photos or videos, as well as using the internet and email: Sending a photo or video to someone rose from 36% of cell owners in May 2010 to 54% of cell owners in May 2011 Accessing the internet—from 38% to 44% Sending or receiving email—from 34% to 38% Watching a video—from 20% to 26% Posting a photo or video online—from 15% to 22% Younger cell owners (those between the ages of 18 and 29) are especially active mobile users—although those ages 30-49 engage in a relatively wide range of mobile behaviors as well. Mobile usage drops off starting around age 50, as cell owners ages 50-64 engage in roughly half as many activities as those in the 30-49 age group.

Other groups with relatively high levels of mobile usage include: Those with some college education or a college degree – These cell owners are more likely to engage in nearly every non-voice application we measured relative to cell owners with a high school diploma or less. Urban and suburban residents – Urban and suburban cell owners are more likely than rural cell owners to take part in all of the activities we measured in our survey. Additionally, urban residents are more likely than both rural and suburban dwellers to use their phone to play games (43% of urban cell owners do this), access a social networking site (35%), watch a video (31%), do online banking (25%) or take part in a video call or chat (10%). Parents – With some exceptions (such as using social networking sites and video calling), parents of children ages 17 and under are more likely to use their phones for most activities than are other adult cell owners. African Americans and Latinos – These groups have high rates of usage, compared with white cell owners, across a wide range of mobile applications.

How Americans view their phones—benefits, challenges and attitudes In addition to asking about the specific tasks and activities that cell owners engage in using their phones, we included a series of questions in our spring survey asking about various experiences that cell owners have encountered in the course of using their phones. These responses indicate that cell owners value their phones for quick information retrieval, for entertainment, and for assistance in emergency situations. At the same time, a number of cell owners report that they have turned off their phone to get a break from using it, and that they can have trouble accomplishing desired tasks when their phone is not available. In the 30 days preceding our survey: 51% of cell owners used their phone to get information they needed right away. 42% used their phone for entertainment when they were bored, and 40% were in an emergency situation in which having their phone with them really helped. 29% turned their phone off for a period of time just to get a break from using it, and 27% experienced a situation in which they had trouble doing something because they did not have their phone at hand.

Frustrations with cell phones were somewhat less common, as one in five cell owners (20%) experienced frustration because their phone was taking too long to download something, 16% had difficulty reading something on their phone because the screen was too small, and one in ten (10%) had difficulty entering a lot of text on their phone at some point in the preceding 30 days. Just over one in ten cell owners (13%) said that they had pretended to be using their phone in order to avoid interacting with the people around them. Young cell owners are among the most active users of their mobile devices, and cell owners between the ages of 18 and 29 also stand out from their elders when it comes to their experiences with their phones. Specifically, young cell owners are much more likely than older adults to use their phone for entertainment or to relieve boredom (70% of 18-29 year old cell owners have done this in the preceding 30 days), to have trouble doing something when their phone is not available (42% have experienced this) and to use their phone as a way to avoid interacting with others (30%).

On the other hand, cell owners of all ages are about equally likely to use their phones for assistance in emergency situations, and are also about equally likely to say that they have taken a break from using their phones in the previous 30 days. Pagination 911 Wireless Services | Federal Communications Commission Federal Communications Commission Español The number of 911 calls placed by people using wireless phones has significantly increased in recent years. It is estimated that about 70 percent of 911 calls are placed from wireless phones, and that percentage is growing. For many Americans, the ability to call 911 for help in an emergency is one of the main reasons they own a wireless phone. Unique challenges posed by wireless phones While wireless phones can be an important public safety tool, they also create unique challenges for emergency response personnel and wireless service providers. Since wireless phones are mobile, they are not associated with one fixed location or address. While the location of the cell site closest to the 911 caller may provide a general indication of the caller's location, that information is not always specific enough for rescue personnel to deliver assistance to the caller quickly.

Tips for 911 calling Consumers making a 911 call from a wireless phone should remember the following: Tell the emergency operator the location of the emergency right away. Provide the emergency operator with your wireless phone number, so if the call gets disconnected, the emergency operator can call you back. PSAPs currently lack the technical capability to receive texts, photos and videos. If your wireless phone is not "initialized" (meaning you do not have a contract for service with a wireless service provider), and your emergency call gets disconnected, you must call the emergency operator back because the operator does not have your telephone number and cannot contact you. To help public safety personnel allocate emergency resources, learn and use the designated number in your state for highway accidents or other non life-threatening incidents (States often reserve specific numbers for these types of incidents. For example, "#77" is the number used for highway accidents in Virginia.) Refrain from programming your phone to automatically dial 911 when one button, such as the "9" key, is pressed. Unintentional wireless 911 calls, which often occur when auto-dial keys are inadvertently pressed, cause problems for emergency call centers.

If your wireless phone came pre-programmed with the auto-dial 911 feature already turned on, turn this feature off (consult your user manual for instructions). Lock your keypad when you're not using your wireless phone to help prevent accidental calls to 911. Consider creating a contact in your wireless phone's memory with the name "ICE" (In Case of Emergency), which lists the phone numbers of people you want to have notified in an emergency. Ask about your handset's E911 capabilities When replacing your handset, ask about E911 capabilities. Some providers may offer incentives to encourage customers without location-capable phones to obtain new location-capable phones. Some providers may choose to prevent reactivation of older handsets that do not have E911 capability, or they may adopt various other measures. If a provider declines to reactivate a handset that is not location-capable, the FCC still requires the provider to deliver a 911 call from that handset to the appropriate PSAP.

Improving wireless 911 rules The FCC has adopted rules aimed at improving the reliability of wireless 911 services and the accuracy of the location information transmitted with a wireless 911 call, as part of our efforts to improve public safety. The improvements help providing Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) with meaningful, accurate location information from wireless 911 callers in order to dispatch local emergency responders to the correct location and to provide assistance to 911 callers more quickly. The FCC's wireless 911 rules apply to all wireless licensees, broadband Personal Communications Service (PCS) licensees and certain Specialized Mobile Radio (SMR) licensees. Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) providers, however, are currently excluded. The FCC's basic 911 rules require wireless service providers to transmit all 911 calls to a PSAP, regardless of whether the caller subscribes to the provider's service or not. Phase I Enhanced 911 (E911) rules require wireless service providers to provide the PSAP with the telephone number of the originator of a wireless 911 call and the location of the cell site or base station transmitting the call.

Phase II E911 rules require wireless service providers to provide more precise location information to PSAPs; specifically, the latitude and longitude of the caller. This information must be accurate to within 50 to 300 meters depending upon the type of location technology used. The FCC recently required wireless carriers to provide more precise location information to PSAPs. As a result, wireless carriers will be required to comply with the FCC's location accuracy rules at either a county-based or PSAP-based geographic level. The new standards apply to outdoor measurements only, as indoor use poses unique obstacles. Compliance Wireless service providers are required to file with the FCC a list of counties, or portions of counties, that they seek to exclude from the location accuracy requirements. The FCC permits exclusions only where wireless carriers determine that providing location accuracy is limited, or technologically impossible, because of either heavy forestation or the inability to triangulate a caller's location. Wireless carriers must report any changes to their exclusion lists within 30 days of such changes. The exclusion lists and changes must be reported in the record of the FCC's docketed proceeding addressing location accuracy, PS Docket No. 07-114 , which is publicly available online.

Print Out Using Cell Phones in Germany – Germany Tourism and Travel by Everything about Germany Comments I have a lot of people asking me about cell phones (known as a “Handy”) in Germany. In order to find out if your cell phone will work in Germany you need to know a few things. Is my cell phone Tri-Band? To find out if your phone is Tri-Band you need to contact your cell phone manufacturer, dealer or just refer to your user manual. Once you identify that your cell phone is Tri-Band you must find out if you need a separate SIM card. To find out if you need a separate SIM card for use in Germany once again you would need to speak with either the cell phone manufacturer or dealer. Most cell phones are able to send and receive text messages whether they are Tri-Band or not. If you know that your phone will work in Germany you should find out how much you will have to pay to use it, it can be expensive if it is not a German phone. If you plan to stay in Germany for two weeks or more it may be in your best interest to just buy the cheapest cell-phone that runs off of pre-paid cards you can find.

You should be able to find one for around 50 EUR at most phone shops, ie. Telekom, With a pre-paid phone you can use a normal long distance calling card by dialing 0800callatt and reach back home for a reasonable rate. One good thing about cell-phone use in Germany is that you are not charged for incoming calls. If your friend back home has a good rate to call Germany, have him/her call you and you will not have to pay a penny. In the very worse case scenario, if you have an emergency, you can contact the police at any time with any cell-phone, with or without a SIM card by just dialing 110. All phone service providers are configured to transmit the signal dialed from 110 even if your phone is not activated and/or does not have a card. ————————————————————————————————- Cellular Service In Germany Approximately 20% of North American cell phones currently work in Germany and those that do are quite expensive to use, as international roaming rates are typically over $1 per minute to send and receive calls. Hotel phones are also not practical or cost effective.

However, there is a way to be able to enjoy the convenience of cellular service in Germany at an affordable price. Currently, there are three main cell phone carriers – O2, T-Mobile and E Plus. The vast majority of Germans use one of these three carriers. However, while their service is practical for German users, travelers, who typically need to call internationally, do not benefit from the these carriers’ international rates exceeding $2 per minute. In 2007, a smaller telecom company has sprung up that caters specifically to foreigners and tourists traveling to Germany who need to make international calls. In fact, international calls to most countries, including the US and Canada cost only 0.09 Euros (currently about $0.13) per minute. As Ortel uses the E Plus infrastructure, coverage and quality is not compromised. So how does one actually tap into this service? The good news is that it is quite easy to do so and since it is a pay as you go service, one does not need to sign a contract or get into a long-term commitment.

The not-so-good news is that this is a smaller, niche carrier and their services are not easy to find and, if your current phone is incompatible, you may have to rent or purchase a phone to be able to access the rates. Using Your Own Phone Germany uses the worldwide GSM standard while North America uses a number of different standards. Currently, only AT&T and T-Mobile use GSM in the US and Canada . However, North American GSM works on a different frequency than in most other countries. Some of the newer or more expensive phones also have the international 900 and 1800 GSM frequencies. If you do not use one of the above two carriers, it is highly unlikely that your phone will work in Germany unless you have one of the rare hybrid phones offered by, for example, Verizon. Check with your current carrier and verify that your phone has the 900/1800 frequencies. If it does, you will need to ask them for the “unlock code” so that you can swap out their SIM card with a new Ortel SIM card. Typically, carriers initially lock their phones so that you are forced to use their service – and pay their high roaming rates.

If you are not a brand new customer, these carriers will provide you the unlock code. Once you have verified that your phone will work in Germany , you can either pick one up in Germany (although they are hard to find), or through located in California before your trip. Having everything before your leave is advantageous as you can give your new German phone number prior to your departure and also you will be ready to use the service as soon as you land. The SIM card will have some initial outgoing talk time on it (incoming is always free). To purchase more talk time, you can either get a scratch off recharge card from the underlying carrier which is E Plus or call Cellular Abroad 24/7 and they will sell you a code and dictate it to you over the phone. Rent a Cell Phone If you have determined that your North American cell phone will not work for you, you can either buy a new cell phone or rent one. If you are traveling for only a week or two and do not plan on traveling internationally any time soon, it is probably recommendable that you rent a phone. If you travel frequently or will be in Germany for a month or longer, it probably makes sense to purchase an inexpensive cell phone.

There are several online companies that rent phones but the vast majority of them wants you to use their service with the phone and not Ortel’s. Cellular Abroad also rents cell phones. You can rent a cell phone together with the SIM card at . Buying a New Cell Phone Rates have dropped dramatically for GSM phones that will work in Germany . In the larger cities such as New York and Los Angeles , many cell phone shops sell unlocked, tri or quad band GSM phones . You can also go online and buy one. The most important thing to remember is that the phone has to have both the 900 and the 1800 Mhz networks and it has to be unlocked. Even E-bay sells unlocked GSM phones but, a word of caution is that many of the vendors are not even sure of what they are selling and you may arrive in Germany with a phone that does not work. Play it safe and purchase from a company that specializes in overseas cellular service. Cellular Abroad also sells SIM/phone packages. In sum, having cellular service can be a useful tool for trip planning and convenience while in Germany and a pay as you go solution can help you avoid getting “bill bummer” when roaming on your own phone.

If you plan on getting cellular service before you go, be sure to order your SIM card, rental or phone well in advance of your trip as not to accrue hefty priority shipping costs. If your phone can roam and you want to go that method, it is recommended that you speak to more than one customer service rep in order to confirm that your phone indeed does work and exactly what rates (including taxes and surcharges) they will be charging you. Related Posts How to Use Your Cell Phone in Italy (Yes, You Can!) Home » All Articles » All around Italy » How to Use Your Cell Phone in Italy (Yes, You Can!) How to Use Your Cell Phone in Italy (Yes, You Can!) Just because you're surrounded by ancient ruins... doesn't mean you can't be plugged in! Smarter travel means better travel. That’s why we run the most comprehensive online guide to traveling Italy on the internet. To read more posts check out our Italian travel blog , or travel with us on our expert-guided walking tours . Brought your cell phone with you to Italy? Great. Now, how the heck do you use it?

First, let’s clear up a little misunderstanding many people have about their phones in Italy: Almost all of your cell phones should work. Yes, even American cell phones. To make sure, check to see if your cell phone supports GSM 900 and GSM 1800 frequencies. Here, though, is the trick: Unless you’ve set up an international package with your provider, making phone calls in Italy could be pretty expensive. So make sure you call your provider before you go to figure out how to arrange cheaper calls while abroad. Another option — and one that will probably be more economical, at least for calling Italian phone numbers — is getting an Italian SIM card. That gives you your own Italian number, which is very useful: If you’re calling Italian numbers, you’re obviously being charged domestic rates, and your provider back home has nothing to do with it. And although most people say “Wait, I’m on vacation. What Italian number would I be calling?,” trust us: It can come in handy.

If, say, you’re trying to make restaurant reservations, find out museum hours, check your Google maps (which you invariably want to d in Rome and most other large cities,) or even if you’re, ahem, running late for an amazing walking tour and want to let the company know, you’ll be glad you got that Italian number. Your cell phone has to be “unlocked” in order to install a new SIM card, but most American cell phones are. To check, make sure that you can open up the back of your phone and take out the little chip there yourself. Buying a SIM card is also a lot easier to do than it seems. Just walk into any cell phone store — TIM, Vodafone, and Wind are three of the most popular — and ask for a SIM card. The only thing to keep in mind is that you want a “prepayed” card, not a subscription card. Most Americans are on telephone plans that bill them monthly whereas, in Europe, it’s not uncommon to essentially charge a card with minutes/texts/data every so often and then top it up when it runs out.

You can buy a SIM card for as little as 5 euros, which gives you 5 euros worth of calls, texts, and data. Make sure you bring some form of identification with you when you go. (Remember, if you’re non-E.U., you’re supposed to have a passport on you at all times in Italy anyway). If, at any point during your stay, you find yourself running out of credit, you can simply walk into a tabaccaio, as well as many supermarkets and ATMs, to “top up” your phone. You only need to do three things 1.) ask for a ricarica, 2.) tell the clerk who the cell phone provider is provider is, 3.) tell the clerk how much money you want. Another option you have is just buying an Italian cell phone. You can get a phone, with 10 euros already loaded as credit, for as cheap as 30 euros. That way, you don’t have to worry about unlocking your own phone or switching SIM cards back and forth. And if you ever travel elsewhere in Europe, Africa, or the Middle East, you can switch out the SIM card and use the same phone.

Because having your own Italian phone number is so handy, and so much cheaper, we generally recommend that you get your own SIM card or Italian cell phone if you are in the country for five days or more. But what if you haven’t bought a SIM card, or don’t want to, and you need to make a call from your U.S. cell phone to a non-Italian number? Here’s how you’d do it: To call an Italian phone number from a U.S. or any other non-Italian cell phone: 1. Dial +. Your cell phone “knows” to replace that + with the international access code that you need to dial out of the U.S. to another country. Every cell phone has a + button; it’s usually the same button as the 0 or the *. To access it, try holding down either the 0 or the *, or double-tapping one of the two buttons. 2. Dial 39. That’s Italy’s country code. 3. Dial the rest of the number. Include the first 0. (When calling other countries, you drop that 0).

So: If someone hands you a card that says their Italian number is 0123456789, then, from your U.S. cell phone, even if you’re in Italy, you dial +39 0123456789. Got it? To call a U.S. or other non-Italian phone number from an Italian phone: If you’ve bought an Italian SIM card and are now trying to call the United States or another country other than Italy, here’s what to do. 1. Dial 00. That’s Italy’s international access code. If you’re dialing from an Italian cell phone (or your phone with an Italian SIM), you can often just dial the +, no access code needed. 2. If you’re calling the U.S., dial 1, the U.S. country code. If you’re calling another country, dial that country’s code (61 for Australia, 44 for England, 00 for Canada). 3. Dial the rest of the number. Once you have done it once, its pretty easy. If you have any questions about any of this, just ask in the comments and we’ll get right back to you.

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Question: We call this item a 'Mobile Phone', what do Americans call it?
Answer: CELL PHONE