(no subject)

[crschmidt]

todo list:

no particular order.

write jess/kam slash.interrogate rho
talk to parents about getting home from new hampshire.
write ESN code to send email on new journal entries.
look into getting a cell phone before the trip.
clean my room.
start figuring out what the hell to pack for school.

dammitnicole: as far as i can tell, your current journal style isn't public. If you could make it so, that would rock and make things infinitely easier for me to work with ;)

Probably going to be leaving home july 21st for, basically, the rest of the summer. a week in seattle, a week on the east coast, and travel inbetween. so. just mentioning that.

i want a cell phone that has the ability to connect to the internet, preferably with an irc and aim client, and the abilty to be used as a dialup device. I want free nights and weekends, and nationwide long distance and nationwide coverage. I'll probably make a more detailed post when i'm not falling asleep, but if anyone has any advice, that'd rock.

Note that it doesn't have to have a camera, like supersat's, nor does it actually have to run PalmOS and all entailed software like alacrity's does.

Time and price are most likely off the essence.

Time till mark gets here: 2wks 3days 13hrs 5mins 46secs (6pm, July 21st)
Time til I get to see Jess again: 4wks 3days 4hrs 5mins 44secs (10am local time, Aug 4th)

Full explanation of the trip coming up after I talk to my parents and deal with them trying to talk me out of it tomorrow.

Happy fourth everyone! If you're in the US, celebrate the independance of your country by blowing up a small part of it.

fracturedfaerie and mysweetrapture: I'm very glad that you're both doing better. It's a good thing.

fall down go boom.

Comments

[jpallan.livejournal.com]

I've had very good luck with Verizon but the thing you're going to have to keep an eye out for is finding someplace with an unlimited Internet / data allowance, because, baby, I know you, and you'd be screwed. I don't think there is such a plan with Verizon Wireless, but it's possible. I had a very bad year and a half with Sprint PCS, but they may suit you. I know one guy who used it constantly for data, but he's not exactly available for me to contact at the moment.

If, for whatever reason, you simply can't get enough Internet time, *keep all Internet services turned off*. It's veeery tempting to use it when you don't have to, and the bills can be horrendous.

Look for a nationwide plan with plenty of towers wherever you plan on staying. Mark's family's is going to be an issue. Also, look around Manchester, N.H. (most of the towers around here seem to be owned by Verizon) and Urbana, of course.

Bear in mind that many nationwide plans are very expensive, but Verizon, at least, has stopped classifying them separately. You either have a local plan (and I mean LOCAL, like I'd get extra charges if I called from Nashua, 18 miles and 15 minutes away from here) or you have a nationwide plan, and that's not unreasonable.

Check out http://www.telebright.com/ for some comparisons.

[alacrity.livejournal.com]

Yes yes, I agree with the internet data stuff above. When I was shopping for cell phones I first decided what carrier I wanted. I settled on Sprint precisely because they had the unlimited vision plans for just $10/month. It looks like they have increased that to $15/month now, but that is still not bad for unlimited data.

I was a little wary about service quality, and I will say Sprint is definitely not without its problems, but overall I am pleased with the reception I get at home and have not had any major problems in my travels, either.

If you want, I can come up with a whole laundry list of (primarly small) things about Sprint that are bad. Again, as I said, overall I am happy with the service, but they do have their problems. When choosing between alternatives, I often prefer to compare the negatives to see which one would annoy me least, as well as looking at the positive aspects.

[jpallan.livejournal.com]

I do have to say I was chronically overbilled and eventually ended up coming well over $1000 behind. Since they have the right to change the contract at will, I was screwed in court. I haven't had problems with Verizon.

I think, however, the first thought should be, "Who do people use in Urbana?", since he's there 8 months or more out of the year and this cell phone has to last a lot longer than 2 weeks.

[alacrity.livejournal.com]

*nodnod* I had fine reception when I visited, but I was just there a day.

Sounds like a job for chambana :-)