Disney Mobile calls it Quits

["Followup-To:" header set to alt.cellular.sprintpcs.]
On 2007-10-02, dold@86.usenet.us.com <dold@86.usenet.us.com> wrote:

> I wonder if that's behind the T-Mobile "hotspot@home" signup. There's
> something about pre-authorized hotspots. The Netgear page mentions some
> ISP roaming standard.

Yes. T-Mobile HotSpot customers can roam on several other companies'
WiFI networks. The charges vary (some are per-minute or per-hour,
some per-day). This is useful when you're stuck in a place that does not have
T-Mo HotSpot service (like an airport waiting for a layover).


--
Steve Sobol, Victorville, California PGP:0xE3AE35ED
"Drench yourself in words unspoken / Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins / The rest is still unwritten"
- Natasha Beddingfield

Larry wrote:
> George <george@nospam.invalid> wrote in news:-
> aKdnTlyf71CpJ_anZ2dnUVZ_i2dnZ2d@comcast.com:
>
>> How
>> about emergencies or the elderly, children or visitors who may not know
>> or have the time to think "lets see, There is this Mickey Mouse Skype
>> service on this phone so it doesn't have 911 so I need to get the
>> cellphone."
>>
>
> There is noone here so hobbled without Sellular 911.
>
> Those people, the elderly, children, etc., etc., don't even have
> computers....so this "problem" brought up EVERY TIME by the SELLULAR
> plants, is no problem at all.

Let's see, my 83 year old mother and 80 year old stepfather have a
computer. My kids have had computers since they were small, and they
live in the same house. It's a _huge_ problem. It's why the FCC mandates
E911 for VOIP providers. Skype got around that by declaring that it's
not a replacement for normal phone service. Apparently they're right,
judging by the per user revenue!

At 02 Oct 2007 08:36:05 -0400 George wrote:

> You specifically stated that it isn't true that Skype doesn't
> have 911. The whole point of 911 is that *every* telephone device
> should have it.

While I'm as much of a bleeding-heart liberal as the next guy,
frankly it's Larry's chioce whether he wants to have 911 service at
his house.

Anyone who opts not to have a telephone doesn't have 911.

> Just because you have a cellphone doesn't mean Skype has 911.
> How about emergencies or the elderly, children or visitors who may
> not know or have the time to think "lets see, There is this Mickey
> Mouse Skype service on this phone so it doesn't have 911 so I need
> to get the cellphone."

Then you probably shouldn't visit Larry without a doctor present.
Again, what happens if the "children" visit someone without a phone?


> I have a relative who is alive today because of 911. He came home
> and his wife was still out. He said he suddenly felt strange,
> dialed 911, dropped the phone and *died*. They sent the police
> and paramedics and they were able to restart his heart and bring
> him to the hospital.

Which is fantastic. 911 is certainly a good thing. I just question
why we feel the need to enforce old ideas on new technologies.
Inflicting GPS units on cellphones for 911 because emergency services
can't pinpoint the location of a PORTABLE DEVICE? In the days before
cellphones apparently we all felt comfortable enough without a
tracking device/lifeline at our hips to risk a trip to the grocery
store despite the fact that we were *gasp* out of reach of emergency
services between our homes and our destinations.

Heck, 911 isn't really good enough- it's 3 or 4 button presses. Why
not mandate a tax/fee on all communications companies so we can all
walk around with GPS-enabled LifeAlerts ("I've fallen and I can't get
up"), with one big red button around each of our necks- or perhaps
built-in heart monitors to summon help if we're unable to push the
button! ;-)



--

"I don't need my cell phone to play video games or take pictures
or double as a Walkie-Talkie; I just need it to work. Thanks for
all the bells and whistles, but I could communicate better with
ACTUAL bells and whistles." -Bill Maher 9/25/2003

Larry wrote:
>
> Notice how you completely fail to read my post......
>
> YOU CALL 911 FROM YOUR SELLPHONE!! CELLPHONES NOW HAVE GPS IN THEM!!
>
> THIS IS NO LONGER A PROBLEM FOR SKYPE!!!
>
> DUHHH......(c;
>
>
> Larry

I understand you love Skype and can't see its weaknesses but try reading
my reply for content and consider the part you snipped about my relative
who would have died if he had Skype.

Skype doesn't have 911. Most people reasonably assume that a phone has
911. If there should happen to be in an emergency situation where there
is a visitor/child/elderly person they don't know that Skype isn't a
real phone service and *doesn't* have 911.

You may be contented using your cellphone to call 911 but it doesn't
work for the conditions I noted.

Todd Allcock wrote:
> While I'm as much of a bleeding-heart liberal as the next guy,
> frankly it's Larry's chioce whether he wants to have 911 service at
> his house.
>
> Anyone who opts not to have a telephone doesn't have 911.

Don't know about where you live, but here you get 911 service on your
POTS pair even if you don't subscribe to a POTS service. So only those
who live in places that don't have twisted pair POTS facilities don't
have 911... which means, just about no one.

--
One phrase that explains 99% of all idiot driving:
"You can't block traffic if you're not in the way."

In news:Xns99BD8DE2F84D0noonehomecom@208.49.80.253,
Larry <noone@home.com> typed:
> George <george@nospam.invalid> wrote in news:-
> aKdnTlyf71CpJ_anZ2dnUVZ_i2dnZ2d@comcast.com:
>
>> How
>> about emergencies or the elderly, children or visitors who may not know
>> or have the time to think "lets see, There is this Mickey Mouse Skype
>> service on this phone so it doesn't have 911 so I need to get the
>> cellphone."
>>
>
> There is noone here so hobbled without Sellular 911.
>
> Those people, the elderly, children, etc., etc., don't even have
> computers....so this "problem" brought up EVERY TIME by the SELLULAR
> plants, is no problem at all.
>
> I do have the cops programmed into my Skype, but that may be stupid, too.
> My system has a 2KW UPS, so I may have internet to call on Skype, but
> Sellular is much more reliable than any landline.
>
> Here, try this test:
>
> Go into some friend's house who has a landline phone. Cut off his main
> circuit breaker, plunging the house into total darkness. Dial 911 and
> see if you can contact them.
>
> I've tried this test in many houses, not in reality but virtually. THEY
> HAVE WIRELESS PHONES THAT REQUIRE 120VAC TO POWER THE BASE STATIONS!
> They have 120VAC-powered superphones that WON'T MAKE THAT CALL in the
> dark! Look around anyone's house and note all the phones that RUN ON
> PHONE POWER ONLY....They're getting far between! You can't dial 911 on a
> 120VAC-powered phone!
>
> Keep your Sellphone handy....(c;
>
> Larry

That is why I keep a few plain, wired phones hooked up. :D

clifto <clifto@gmail.com> wrote in news:7n2bt4-ldd.ln1
@remote.clifto.com:

> Don't know about where you live, but here you get 911 service
on your
> POTS pair even if you don't subscribe to a POTS service. So
only those
> who live in places that don't have twisted pair POTS facilities
don't
> have 911... which means, just about no one.
>
>

Shh...don't tell them. They're on a ROLL!

POTS must present 911 service because its FEDERAL LAW, just like
911 on an unconnected Sellphone.


Larry
--
Please - Turn OFF cruise control when
you turn on windshield wipers!

"Larry" <noone@home.com> wrote in message
news:Xns99BC84996A62Bnoonehomecom@208.49.80.253...
> ultimauw@hotmail.com wrote in news:1191220536.190049.6860
> @k79g2000hse.googlegroups.com:
>
>> I think Cell Phones are starting to kill off the land lines en masse.
>> Just 10 years ago, it was *rare* to see anybody except business folks
>> with cell phones, now there are so ubiquitous that even pre-teens
>> usualy have one. The only appeal of services like Vonage is the price,
>> but since now cell phones are so common and cheap. land lines
>> including VoIP looks like yesterdays technology headed to the heap of
>> history. (On that note, it's getting hard to find a pay phone period,.
>> let alone a *working* one these days, and I live in Los Angeles!).
>>
>>
>
> Very true. I know some Bell$outh linemen that say B$, now called ATT
> once again like the old days, has about 1500 disconnects loss each month,
> now. I haven't had a landline since 1992. What's the point? My phone
> stays in my pocket.
>
> Larry
> --
> Please - Turn OFF cruise control when

If it were not for my monitored alarm system at home I would be
landline(less) too.
> you turn on windshield wipers!

Larry wrote:
> Very true. I know some Bell$outh linemen that say B$, now called ATT
> once again like the old days, has about 1500 disconnects loss each month,
> now. I haven't had a landline since 1992. What's the point? My phone
> stays in my pocket.

Even if I had an alternative to my DSL lines, I'd still keep a traditional
copper pair land line.

1) Modem access to my remote points.
2) Less complicated fax'ing.
3) Electric company autoattendant won't (or at least didn't) answer a
unidentified cell phone number (no, I didn't have my caller ID blocked).
4) It will always work - save for a drunk hitting the utility pole outside.

DTC wrote:
> Larry wrote:
>> Very true. I know some Bell$outh linemen that say B$, now called ATT
>> once again like the old days, has about 1500 disconnects loss each
>> month, now. I haven't had a landline since 1992. What's the point?
>> My phone stays in my pocket.
>
> Even if I had an alternative to my DSL lines, I'd still keep a
> traditional copper pair land line.
>
> 1) Modem access to my remote points.
> 2) Less complicated fax'ing.

Faxaway is pretty convenient as long as you have a scanner. It's pretty
inexpensive, much less than eFAX. It costs $1/month to maintain an account.

Even with a landline I can't FAX out of the area as I have no long
distance provider. I've never been able to FAX using OneSuite or TalkLoop.