Need a smart phone

Ok I need a little advice here guys and gals.

Looks like I will be moving my business app. 10 miles from my current location. I cannot transfer the current phone number of the place to the new location. A friend of mine in Maine has told me how he eliminated his wired phone and went totally wireless by porting his business number over to the cell number. OK I get that part.

Now at my current location I have 2 landlines. 1 for voice and the other was for fax and internet. Since it seems like fax machines are on the way out due to all this internet communication, I figure it might be a good time to review all my costs paid out to Verizon.

So if I eliminate the fax line and go with a wireless for the voice communication, what type of smart phone do I look for that will allow me voice and also provide internet and the ability to connect my laptop to the phone thereby eliminating the need for a dedicated DSL or FIOS connection ??

And what should I look for in the data plans ??

I don't want to have to listen to all the hype and confusing lingo from the in store sales people. Not to mention all the TV ads.


Rick

Have you contracted with a hi speed internet provider yet at the new location?

Find out if they also has phone service to offer - they can switch your land line number to their network and give it to you anywhere they ( this new internet service provider) has fiber.

example

Charter has a bundle of tv phone and internet or you can pick - phone line works line a normal land line - thats what I use at home for internet and tv and for ISP of the VPN I administer - but there are many others

if not

Know any network geeks? you must have fixed somebody's' geek wreck - They might be able to host/rig something

Not saying the android phone thingy wouldn't be a good choice

Just tossing spaghetti on the wall -- watching what sticks

try your local cable system, Internet and vop phone should be no problem with them

and with the vop phone there is no long distance charges. you should be able to port your old shop number to your new place

Hey Rick, I guess I need a smart phone too,this piece of crap I've got makes ME dial the numbers or would I just need a smarter phone. Sorry buddy,I couldn't help myself

Never thought of VOIP and cable. I will have to check into it.

But I'm also looking to cut down on costs. Eliminating the fax line should help. Good time to pit FIOS against Comcast. And the winner is..........

Fred, up until 2 years ago, I still had rotary phones here at home. I look at what these phones do now a days.....unbelievable. I still remember my car phone mounted in the vehicle with the phone handset mounted to the dash. Only used it after 9 Pm and for the weekend until 7 AM Monday. Then we got a bag phone that we could move between vehicles. We even used a bag phone connected to an antenna in DE for the shore place......




Rick

I'm going to show my age now, but, when my folks had a place in Ship Bottom--we used 2 tin cans & a long string--but I hear you, the kids & grandkids have them new fangled phones that do every thing but take a dump for ya

Fred,

Young kids got soooo spoiled with those new fangled cocoa tin phones it made you lazy. Back in the good old days we used pigeons to carry messages from Freetown Corners all the way over to Salt Rd. Then came mirrors and Morse Code and folks were too lazy raise their own birds. The worlds going to hell.

Psst, just jealous - sounds like Gods country to me.

You can use a Blackberry to do what you are thinking about but I think COMCAST or FIOS would be a better solution as the wireless connection on a Blackberry is not that fast.

Last time I updated my phone/renewed my contract, I got one of the last plans that have unlimited data. AFAIK, if you get a Blackberry or 'Droid, you're going to get capped on your data plan, and it gets expensive if you go over it. Unlimited is very expensive. Which data networks are available where your new shop is? I recall reading somewhere that tethering your cell phone (using it for a computer's internet access) is generally frowned upon and (you guessed it) more expensive.

I've used Vonage VOPI for years now and have no complaints. The phone number that I have to have for Verizon DSL I use as a fax line. I send/receive maybe two faxes per month, but I think that you still have to have it. I used Vonage to create a virtual number in Maryland for my mother. She calls a local number and it rings here. It runs around $5 per month. Wonder if they couldn't do the same for your old business number AND create a new number for you when you move so you're covering all the bases. Give it a year to get everyone on your new number, then get rid of it. Also, with Vonage you can go online and have all calls forwarded to another number. So, if you're heading out somewhere and expecting a call, simply give them your cell number and not worry about it. You can also set a time (20 seconds, for instance) before it forwards to your cell in case you have someone answering phones when they can. OR, you can set it to ring to up to five different numbers simultaneously so whomever gets it first, gets it. Vonage is very handy, and it's relatively cheap for what it can do.

More spaghetti for the wall.

Damn sting, now that one scared me this AM

Sting wrote:Have you contracted with a hi speed internet provider yet at the new location?

Find out if they also has phone service to offer - they can switch your land line number to their network and give it to you anywhere they ( this new internet service provider) has fiber.

example

Charter has a bundle of tv phone and internet or you can pick - phone line works line a normal land line - thats what I use at home for internet and tv and for ISP of the VPN I administer - but there are many others

if not

Know any network geeks? you must have fixed somebody's' geek wreck - They might be able to host/rig something

Not saying the android phone thingy wouldn't be a good choice

Just tossing spaghetti on the wall -- watching what sticks