Note at the start of this project I was not after saving money. I was building a more efficient way to respond to calls, my area has two cell towers in neighboring areas, my city has the overlap. Both towers are AT&T. :(
Before starting my job, I had obtained a government provided low income assistance cell phone., a black brick that makes calls, sends texts if you are really.. really persistent on the t-9 type-pad and.. that's it. It also makes a horrible racket when powered off in library I found out much to the disdain of the boy furiously clicking away their lives on the library provided computers. I do so apologize for interrupting your session of gaining experience points by clicking repeatedly on a tree with a pixilated axe in a building full of our ancestors journals of life... perhaps everyone tries to run-escape from problems they could solve.
For those wondering why I didn't just use the free device, I can't. My job requires access to applications, docs, and wont work on a non-Android device. ''because I don't have a phone that opens that'' is NOT a good answer to give your boss on why you didn't review files.
My area has two options. Pay 180/80/60 a month for AT&T, or get a land-line. >:(
We have a T-mobile store, and it is a joke. They get their signal from a mi-fi booster hardwired to the store. By the time you leave the lot with a phone, you loose signal. Luckily I had the two brain cells to think HEY. Why can't I make a call? Marched right back inside and requested them to sell some service along with their phones. Their response was the above mentioned box, which connects to your outlet and laps at your power bill, in order to squeeze out just enough signal to make a call. I left that day with a full refund, and a curiosity why on earth they existed.
anyway. I was locked into a AT&T contract because when my cheap free phone was stolen, another was needed for work the same day, and in that moment it seemed the best choice to start a pre-paid phone. in the store, the sales lady dazzled me with the newest and greatest, and lo and behold i walked out with a contract. yes you have permission to tear me to bits now I eventually got out of contract within a few months, however the whens, and hows another story best shared over rich coffee, and a genuine understanding of social engineering.
I started to look to other options mainly changing my provider. AT&T informed me I REQUIRED a data plan, they wouldn't do diddly-squat, and my only other option was to pay a charge to eliminate my contract.
I started looked towards other networks with less prices, and found many were that using AT&T towering, through renting. Sure they won't offer the same customer service, and I might not be able to use data tethering, but the options were there.
While still paying AT&T's ridiculous pricing I started moving more and more towards other carriers. Talked to people around me on what they used, what their bill is.
Looked at other options and drew maps..yes maps. I had a white board covered with network usage, pricing, rates and more money saving battle plans.
Why not just change sim cards? It didn't work.
Putting another prepay sim into my AT&T phone gave me a message asking for a subsidy code.
AT&T readily refused to provide any such code, or admit it existed. I would need to upgrade, I was told.
Google had a different story.
XDA forums has pages and pages of tech babble. Lots of hard to understand gibberish, and lost of friendly people. I had no idea what IRC was, but joined and talked to those inside.
''why don't you just unlock it?''
unlock.. so providers place a lock into phones before selling them. If the phones are unlocked they can be used on any network.
I found hundreds of sites that would unlock for around $20. but rolling up my sleeves, I dug into the wording on the forums, read, learned.. and unlocked it for free three days later.
Sure, my computer now has root access to command prompt. There;s the entire android library SDK stored on a hard drive. I saw a robot laying sideways with his belly open and a blue sphere swirling around as the phone blipped and commands ran down the screen..
but it was finished, the lock removed.
But now options were availible.
Cricket wireless, a pay per card service.
Straightalk? pay $40 a month for unlimited messaging and calling?
Sprint? Take advantage of my workforce's generous 20% off discount?
do i NEED unlimited messaging and calling? no. i need maybe a hundred minuets. I have this amazing handhold device that connects to any open internet hot-spot just by flipping a toggle to on.. and anywhere in town it is offered. why am i shelling out my hard earned cash for something that is readily available..for free?
Ting. Ting stuck in my mind for a while, but they did not support my kind of phone. When my beta Ting card arrived, I enabled it, and had a brainstorm. ''What if I never give this number out? What if I hook it up to Google voice, and give out the GV number?''
Google voice gives you a number that rings multiple devices.
So it began. I spent $10 on a phone number in my area so people didn't say ''why does this number call the Philippians?'' that number became everyone's ''call me'' contact.
When the free phone was returned.. stupid me, you can get another... I connected it also to the Google Voice hookup.
That's when I realized I had stumbled on a money saving setup.
The government phone lets out a loud chime whenever a text is sent. *But it does not deduct a minuet until the message is read. *
I can hear the phone go off, then check my Google voice in-box on smart-phone, tablet, or computer.
Delete unread messages on the phone, the minuets don't deduct.
So the phone stays there as a pager. When someone calls, both my Ting phone and the free one go off. I can answer whichever chosen, or text through any device.
Because I'm using Google voice to make all calls, (using data) and I'm on WiFi.. there is no charge for calls placed or taken. If I travel, and grab a phone my ting one will use minuets and charge, but I'll usefully grab the free one. Minuets reload 120 each month, I used 40 total in this month.
Heck, I could probably set up a VOIP for house phone using this setup if wanted, using a oovoo box, connecting it to the GV.
Only one hick-up. I cannot make new calls on the free phone or it displays using another number. This is solved by making all calls with *67 and if anyone asks,
inform then to call the GV. Same if I'm not on WiFi, and don't want to use data making a call through ting.
You can however, call people through the free phone and it shows your GV number. Once they text you once, save that number and over right their existing contact.
it will show your Google Voice number if you call them, and messages can also be sent normally through ting or free phone, still showing one number.
Or you can make calls only through the Hangouts app, which integrates Google voice.
I will probably stop using the free phone all together as it is not really needed.
And the bill?
$6 a month required for Ting Service. 0.00 for calls on wi-fi (not counting charge of internet provider) $3 for 1-100 $9 for 101-500 minuets through ting network $3 for 1-100 $5 for 101-1000 messages through ting network $3 for 1-100 $12 101-1000 for data (GV calls) through ting network -1 per minuet from 120 minuets IF opened message though free phone $0.00 120 minuets auto reload free phone
So a supercharged communication tool, at more than half savings?
And a unlocked device.
