Re: Any Motorola phones support STK?

In article <6ke8gv8sehvcc2pedjssbsh58886lt5r02@4ax.com>,
John <usenet@nospam.org> wrote:
>retsuhcs@xinap.moc (Mike S.) wrote:
>
>>
>>In article <c397gv4gqk53av72aurbtb90ph067mf1na@4ax.com>,
>>John <usenet@nospam.org> wrote:
>>>STK doesn't get any hits when searching Motorola.com so I suppose they
>>>ofer no phones with STK support?
>>
>>I'm pretty sure most of the newer phones do; what is impossible to find
>>out is which version. For instance, the Swisscom global roaming SIM's have
>>a SIM menu to simplify many functions like checking balance, etc. This
>>requires STK class 2+ or higher. Have fun trying to determine if such
>>programming would actually work with your phone.
>>
>>On my old Timeport T280 it would fill the screen with garbage. On my newer
>>T280i, things seem to work. On a Nokia 6590i I tried recently, just
>>entering the Swisscom menu causes the phone to reboot and power off. Go
>>figure.
>>
>Thanks, Mike, I subsequently learned of the imminent demise of
>Easyroam, so for me at least the question becomes moot and is replaced
>with the bigger one, "what does the infrequent traveler without a
>practical home gsm system do for global roaming?"

Yes, Easyroam is history as of November 30. By the way, it is prefectly
feasible to do the basic Easyroam call functions using keypad codes if
your phone does not support the STK-based menu. There are other European
prepaid SIMs with international roaming (like WIND from Italy) but an
infrequent international traveller might not get their money's worth or
even be able to refill before the deadline.

I'd say the best solution would be to buy an inexpensive GSM phone in the
US, and buy local prepaid SIMs in your foreign destinations. (The phone
needn't even be triband as you don't intend to use it in the US - but
buying from a US dealer or eBay you're unlikely to find 900/1800 only
phones for sale).

The alternative is renting abroad, which by all accounts is so expensive
that it is far cheaper (e.g. under $100) to simply buy your own phone.

retsuhcs@xinap.moc (Mike S.) wrote:
>
>Yes, Easyroam is history as of November 30. By the way, it is prefectly
>feasible to do the basic Easyroam call functions using keypad codes if
>your phone does not support the STK-based menu. There are other European
>prepaid SIMs with international roaming (like WIND from Italy) but an
>infrequent international traveller might not get their money's worth or
>even be able to refill before the deadline.
>
>I'd say the best solution would be to buy an inexpensive GSM phone in the
>US, and buy local prepaid SIMs in your foreign destinations. (The phone
>needn't even be triband as you don't intend to use it in the US - but
>buying from a US dealer or eBay you're unlikely to find 900/1800 only
>phones for sale).
>
>The alternative is renting abroad, which by all accounts is so expensive
>that it is far cheaper (e.g. under $100) to simply buy your own phone.

No shortage of triband phones in the house, but our overseas usage
pattern is to visit five or six countries for a few days to a week,
during which the only use of the phone is to keep in touch amongst
ourselves. So we might use five minutes on a prepaid, then it would be
a toss since we wouldn't likely be in that area again for a year or
longer.

Being able to find each other at the touch of a button is a nice
spoiled kind of thing we're used to at home, and Easyroam with its
relatively high cost but no expiration (and acceptance many places)
was perfect.

Similarly at home in Cingular/West land we just use prepaids. We don't
have any need to chatter on cellphones for hours and $20/90 days makes
much more sense than $19.95 per month, especially for a gaggle of
phones. So we're not even eligible for Cingular international roaming,
assuming we'd want to spend $3 or $4 a minute for the privilege.