OK so I gave you a subscribed hyperlink. Hear is the story. Hehehehe, I love that negative press for GSM!!!! Especially Omnipoint, Ericsson's lap herring!!
Technology isn't everythingThe Motorola PCS phone is incredible,
but the service provider? And the price?!
By Gary Krakow
MSNBC
This started out as a review of a miniature digital PCS phone. The
current top-of-the-line precision jewel of cellular phone technology.
Unfortunately, it also turned out to be a review of my local PCS
service provider, and its problems with not being able to keep up
with a rapidly growing number of subscribers.
IN A NUTSHELL, the Motorola StarTAC phone is great.
but the real story turned out to be the growing pains of my service provider.
ÿ ÿ ÿ ÿ
PCS is a new technology (in this country). It's a fully digital
phone service using a portion of the microwave spectrum (1.9GHz).
ÿ ÿ ÿ
ÿIf you've seen the ads, you've heard the claims about better
quality, more secure, cheaper phone service. They're not kidding.
PCS is a winner in every category.
ÿ ÿ ÿ ÿ
The local service provider I chose was Omnipoint, a brand-new
cellular phone company in the Northeast. At the beginning of the
year, I bought an Ericsson phone and signed up for service that
includes voice mail, digital paging, e-mail, data/fax capability
and news/weather services, all for $29.95 a month plus 25 to 50
cents a minute. I could have given up some bonus services and
saved $10 a month or added capabilities for $39.95 a month.
ÿ ÿ ÿ ÿ
At the beginning everything was great. The key word here is: was.
ÿ ÿ ÿ ÿ
I knew Omnipoint's start-up service area was small, but expanding
rapidly. I could live with that. Hey, its service in New York City
(home) and Secaucus, N.J., (MSNBC) worked fine. I also learned
why it takes so long to expand its service: Each receiving antenna
requires a T-1 phone line.
ÿ ÿ ÿ ÿEverything was fine until I tried to change/update my service.
That's when the problems began.
ÿ ÿ ÿ ÿ
I called Omnipoint's customer service "888" number. I waited
on hold for more than an hour. All of a sudden, a human came on
the line saying everyone was busy and they'd make sure someone
would call me back within 24 hours. HAH!! I went through this every
few days for three weeks. Then, I decided to shoot higher and speak
with the people in the home office. It took another four days of
missteps (and some very VERY apologetic management) to get
everything straightened out. My phone service was finally back working.
Honestly, if one of Omnipoint's competitors would have allowed me to
use my Ericsson, I probably would have switched services.
ÿ ÿ ÿ ÿ
Unfortunately, all this happened while I was testing Motorola's
StarTAC GSM 1.9 Wearable Digital Phone.
ÿ ÿ ÿ
ÿFor the record, the 8500g model is a dead ringer for the StarTAC
phones you've probably seen, only those work on regular cellular
networks. The PCS models are the same size (3.5 ounces) and same
color (gray for cheaper models and black for the top-of-the-line phones)
as regular StarTAC cellular phones. But the PCS phones have all the bells
and whistles.
ÿ ÿ ÿ ÿThe Motorola is about half the size of my Ericsson phone
(and mind you, the Ericsson is small to begin with). They both work
perfectly as cellular phones, e-mailers, pagers, and message receivers.
ÿ ÿ ÿ ÿThe big differences: the size (the Motorola really does fit in your pocket),
the alert mechanism (the Motorola vibrates silently, the Ericsson does not),
the audio volume (the Motorola can be heard in noisy locations where the
Ericsson cannot) and the display (the fonts on the Ericsson's screen are large,
but the Motorola display has nifty graphical icons and better contrast).
ÿ ÿ ÿ ÿBecause of the way the PCS system works, battery standby time
for both phones is much better than what you've come to expect from
your cellular phone. Expect two days using an extended-capacity battery.
ÿ ÿ ÿ ÿSo, why didn't I buy the StarTAC? I've left the best for last: the price.
The top-of-the-line 8500g that I tested comes with a standard battery, an
"extra cap" battery, a "slim aux" battery (a kludge of an idea: it goes on the
"back" of the phone and extends standby time to four days!), a stand-alone
battery charger and a belt clip. Omnipoint is selling this kit for $1,199!
Miniaturization has a very high price.
ÿ ÿ ÿ ÿMy Ericsson cost me $50 and does the exact same thing.
ÿ ÿ ÿ ÿWhen I hit the lottery, the Motorola is one of the first items
on my "must buy" list. Until then I'll gladly live with the Ericsson.
ÿ ÿ ÿ ÿAnd, as for Omnipoint, I'd suggest its stop using its
tag line "100% Digital. 0% Hassle." At the moment, it could be
accused of false advertising. |
