What phone now?

[cycology1]

I havent seen anything related to Comcasts new offering - xfinity mobile in this thread. Runs on Verizon network as a "MVNO" (mobile virtual network operator).

Anyone cut over? Can only move Apple phones over seems to be only downside, and perhaps having to keep Comcast internet (and their ridiculous 1tb/month limit),

any other drawbacks/experience?

thx

[RShea]

Is porting a number any big deal? ATT retention told me that mess ups can happen and numbers can be lost. Not sure if that's standard bs to cause apprehension or real. They said it takes a week, so call a week before month billing to avoid paying whole next month.

And then, how many people are on Comcast's Verizon? They are offering $45 unlimited and is seems the second line would be $10, plus whatever taxes/fees, curious what those are.

ATT sent me a iphone7 for $100, but it doesn't have any better coverage than my 6. Something got screwed up with the local tower and they won't own it.

Porting the number really depends on the company that is doing the port- if they screw up, then yes a number can be lost. And the other thing is the 1 week time is not really valid at all. The FCC requires cell phone ports to be handled Monday through Friday in a day or less. The issues that come up though are having incorrect information from the account of the soon to be old carrier can hold up the porting process. https://www.commlawblog.com/2010/05/...phone-numbers/

The best way to do the port is to make sure you have the key items- including a special pin number or account access code required, the billing information, etc. If in doubt about the account pin, then call your existing carrier and change it to a new one that you know and document. Many carriers used to default the pin number to the last 4 digits of the cell phone number- which of course anyone could guess at if they know the number being moved. Then make sure you have a listing of all the key things they need for the port. Some carriers will get the port done in minutes once they have the correct information. They all have porting specialists and they do the porting all day long, do not try and deal with a standard customer service script reader that pretty much is just in front of a terminal waiting for the next screen to appear for general inquires.

At the same time the 1 week before is probably a good point to start the porting, because if you do wait for the last day and there is an issue, then you may have to go another month on the old carrier plan, but the porting as soon as it goes through cancels the old plan with a final bill. They probably will not prorate the service so you are paying a month for 1 or 2 days of actual service and then paying your new carrier for the first month with them. Easier to be sure you just give up 7 or fewer days than to end up with the old account not active (in which case the port will never go through at all because the account is not active at the old carrier.)

Never schedule a termination date with the old carrier, it happens automatically as soon as the port is completed unless you have multiple lines and numbers on a family plan or business plan, in which case just the ported one drops off with a final billing statement. Only time you need to coordinate anything with the old carrier is for the bundles of telephone, cell phone, internet etc and you only want to drop 1 of the services and insure the others are still active after the cellular plan move...

You can usually get a good estimate off your old bill for the taxes, fees, etc. Surcharges for E911, Federal Taxes and state taxes could be pretty similar (unless they are a percentage of the base charges like a sales tax would be- so if you have a $100 monthly cell phone charge now, and $85 of that is the base service and all, then sales tax at 8% would be $6.80, but if your new carrier is charging you a base of $65 then the tax of course would be $1.60 cheaper. Fed Excise taxes would be pretty close as they are a lower percentage...

[Rideski]

Thanks Dude. Losing these numbers would be a business nightmare, so I'll do the extra pin steps.

[Todds]

I havent seen anything related to Comcasts new offering - xfinity mobile in this thread. Runs on Verizon network as a "MVNO" (mobile virtual network operator).

Anyone cut over? Can only move Apple phones over seems to be only downside, and perhaps having to keep Comcast internet (and their ridiculous 1tb/month limit),

any other drawbacks/experience?

thx

I'm considering the comcast thing also. I was wondering if I could buy the cheap android phone from xfinity and move the sim to my unlocked galaxy S9 (verizon ).

Toms hardware had this to say about xfinity.
https://www.tomsguide.com/us/xfinity...ews-25223.html

[dcpnz]

I've been using xfinity for about a year. Works great for me. I'm on the $12/gb plan since I'm usually around wifi and don't use a ton of data. Verizon towers so has best coverage in my area.

Bought my galaxy s8 from them since i need new phone so no idea about using your own. Can verify that taking my sim and putting it in unlocked vzn iphone works fine. But they officially approve of porting iphones.

[cycology1]

seems like a solid option. Gotta choose a couple new phones from their offerings and then gonna pull the trigger.

[stalefish3169]

Got a Fi Pixel 3 xl a week ago tommorow and all good things to report so far. Strangely though, last year's screen was "worse" and this year's is "amazing!" But I actually notice a lot more of a color shift when looking at the screen from an angle on the 3 xl than the 2 xl. So, caveat emptor if that might bug you. Other than that, don't notice the notch, camera is amazing (obvs), and battery life is great. Sitting at 41% at 10 pm after a solid day of use.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using TGR Forums mobile app

[riser4]

This right here is money:

https://www.brandtkrueger.com/blog/2...-lot-of-phones

I mean actual money. My X⁴ was beginning to piss me off. I was looking at new phones. I was getting ready to call Google and Moto. My cable was falling out no matter what. I found the above article and ya know what? It pays to clean out your belly button, er, I mean usb-c port. A bunch of minutes with a sewing needle and I removed a disgusting amount of crud from the port. YMMV if you use the need on your belly button. The usb-c port still has that "Moto Rock", however the cables all now seat with a decent amount of tactile feedback and even require some force to remove. Since I am not getting a man purse anytime soon, I need to find a dust cap of sorts.

[cycology1]

Switched 2 phones from Verizon to xfinity mobile late last week without skipping a beat.

Ordered a Note 9 and an iPhone 10X after a 20 minute call with xfinity support. They arrived 2 days later via Fed Ex as promised. I logged into their support site to port # and it was down...hopefully not a sign of whats to come. But, called support via my old phone, the rep asked for some info + my pin and 30 seconds later (no warning), the call was cut off. I assumed correctly that the # was ported that quickly. I powered on my new Note, a few updates later, i was up and running.

My only concern is that the Note 9 is too big/almost unnecessary. Anyone have any experience with this situation? I was fine on my Samsung S7, but heard I couldnt port it over. Maybe i will test later today (although I think swapping sim cards wipes the device upon insertion).

[Marshall Tucker]

Weird shit. I was at an annual conference in San diego Mon-wed. of last week. theres...an establishment in san diego that doesn't exist here...about 2 miles from convention central. so soon as class is over I put the runnin shoes on. on the way back I stop at a 7-11, which is going berzerk with powerballers to avoid the $7 dolla diet cokes at the hilton. crowded and I pay and i walk outside and oh shit I realize l left my iphone 6+ on the counter. run back in it's gone. I call the vociemail now says "chestnut." I get chestnut on the phone the next day (BTW fucking hilton charges 6.95 for a land line call these days)

"beleive you got my phone"
"I got YOUR phone? then why I got it"

so I figure fuck it. file the police report, employer replaces. then fri when I'm back in the office I get texts (I got a name )

"did you lose a phone in san diego"
"yes"
"well I have it, my cousin found it. I'm in fresno. where do i mail it?"
"where did your cousin find it?"
"I don't know"

Long story short we sent a prepaid fedex label PDF and it's supposed to be here today; going by fedex tracking.

wait what were we talking about? where did i leave my beer

[riser4]

Weird shit. I was at an annual conference in San diego Mon-wed. of last week. theres...an establishment in san diego that doesn't exist here...about 2 miles from convention central. so soon as class is over I put the runnin shoes on. on the way back I stop at a 7-11, which is going berzerk with powerballers to avoid the $7 dolla diet cokes at the hilton. crowded and I pay and i walk outside and oh shit I realize l left my iphone 6+ on the counter. run back in it's gone. I call the vociemail now says "chestnut." I get chestnut on the phone the next day (BTW fucking hilton charges 6.95 for a land line call these days)

"beleive you got my phone"
"I got YOUR phone? then why I got it"

so I figure fuck it. file the police report, employer replaces. then fri when I'm back in the office I get texts (I got a name )

"did you lose a phone in san diego"
"yes"
"well I have it, my cousin found it. I'm in fresno. where do i mail it?"
"where did your cousin find it?"
"I don't know"

Long story short we sent a prepaid fedex label PDF and it's supposed to be here today; going by fedex tracking.

wait what were we talking about? where did i leave my beer

You can't make this stuff up.

[Ted Striker]

Weird shit. I was at an annual conference in San diego Mon-wed. of last week. theres...an establishment in san diego that doesn't exist here...about 2 miles from convention central. so soon as class is over I put the runnin shoes on. on the way back I stop at a 7-11, which is going berzerk with powerballers to avoid the $7 dolla diet cokes at the hilton. crowded and I pay and i walk outside and oh shit I realize l left my iphone 6+ on the counter. run back in it's gone. I call the vociemail now says "chestnut." I get chestnut on the phone the next day (BTW fucking hilton charges 6.95 for a land line call these days)

"beleive you got my phone"
"I got YOUR phone? then why I got it"

so I figure fuck it. file the police report, employer replaces. then fri when I'm back in the office I get texts (I got a name )

"did you lose a phone in san diego"
"yes"
"well I have it, my cousin found it. I'm in fresno. where do i mail it?"
"where did your cousin find it?"
"I don't know"

Long story short we sent a prepaid fedex label PDF and it's supposed to be here today; going by fedex tracking.

wait what were we talking about? where did i leave my beer

Did they ask for a reward?

Something similar happened to me. A few summers ago a friend and I were having an afternoon beverage at a place that has tables on the sidewalk, and my phone fell out of the pocket of my shorts. I didn't notice it was gone until I got home, so I called it with my wife's phone and a guy answered. I asked where he was, and he said "in the park", which in this town means homeless. I went to meet him and all of the guys living in the park had phones - some even unlocked, and they were using them. Strange times.

[JPaul]

Great story, Mr. Tucker, but now I'd like to know what phone Chestnut upgraded to. Seems like a similar budget to mine.

[RShea]

I've ported a number several times. Takes a couple of minutes. Hardest part is gathering all the info needed to provide to the new carrier - they want the old one's account number and PIN. I think a PIN is only assigned for porting use, it isn't something you usually have.

The pin is just like the security ID, used to be always the last 4 digits of your phone number by default, then either you changed it or it was the default. However if you know the phone number then you know the default pin and people were reporting they were getting unauthorized porting and losing their number and account closed behind their back. So easiest way to prepare for the port, call up you existing carrier, tell them you want to do a pin number change and set it to something you will know and remember in a few days when you have to deal with the new carrier on porting out the number.

[RShea]

Switched 2 phones from Verizon to xfinity mobile late last week without skipping a beat.

Ordered a Note 9 and an iPhone 10X after a 20 minute call with xfinity support. They arrived 2 days later via Fed Ex as promised. I logged into their support site to port # and it was down...hopefully not a sign of whats to come. But, called support via my old phone, the rep asked for some info + my pin and 30 seconds later (no warning), the call was cut off. I assumed correctly that the # was ported that quickly. I powered on my new Note, a few updates later, i was up and running.

My only concern is that the Note 9 is too big/almost unnecessary. Anyone have any experience with this situation? I was fine on my Samsung S7, but heard I couldnt port it over. Maybe i will test later today (although I think swapping sim cards wipes the device upon insertion).

No idea as to if this will work also on Xfinity (not in our area) but maybe someone on Howard Forums site could answer. But some of the carriers do not allow you to transfer a phone unless unlocked of course. But then if it does not activate, activating the sim and account on another phone (even a cheap one) goes through, then you pull the sim out and move it over to the phone you want to use (in this case the Samsung S7 you mentioned).... A number of carriers are reporting some of the high end phones that are carrier logo'd can't be activated even if it is paid off or not financed for some reason...

As for swapping the sim cards wiping the device, not whenever I've done it it hasn't (but corporate managed phones very well may get wiped if they know it is no longer on the approved carrier as one example). But if you are concerned about it- just do a good thorough backup of all the times and the device (most if set up correctly is on Google account- photos, contacts, gmail email, etc.) apps on the play store, and you need to do call history if you want it, the sms and mms text messages, and few other items possibly before doing the swap.

[Telemahn]

Anyone get a good deal on a new phone. I have one kid who needs an upgrade and one who is getting her first phone for Christmas. Neither wants a big screen, but they both want a lot of storage or an sd slot. LTE and looking new refurb for $300 +/-

[riser4]

Anyone get a good deal on a new phone. I have one kid who needs an upgrade and one who is getting her first phone for Christmas. Neither wants a big screen, but they both want a lot of storage or an sd slot. LTE and looking new refurb for $300 +/-

I like Moto for price vs performance. Their lineup is a little confusing. The "play" models tend to be neutered versions. The phones have grown in size so they are not the smallest anymore.

[El Chupacabra]

I like the Moto G6 I got last month. Very little crapware, basically raw Android.

I've seen some recent deals on these posted on slickdeals.net - take a look over there. Something around $180 for the phone.

[riser4]

I got sick of crappy local coverage under Fi and starting using an unused line that I am paying for anyway on our ATT share plan. I figured out the settings so Hangouts handles my Fi number for calls and texts. Not bad. I just have to remember to throw my Fi SIM card back in my phone if I go to Canada. Not as seamless as I would like.

Fast forward to now. This goes under things that annoy me but shouldn't:. New Moto One. Very capable looking phone with dual SIM. Not a Fi phone. In a month or so hopefully some people will have tried it and it will mostly work. I don't want to spend the coin on a pixl 2 or 3 and try the e-SIM thing. In my situation being able to switch between at&t and Fi without physically switching the SIM card would be really useful.

[Skidog]

I got sick of crappy local coverage under Fi and starting using an unused line that I am paying for anyway on our ATT share plan. I figured out the settings so Hangouts handles my Fi number for calls and texts. Not bad. I just have to remember to throw my Fi SIM card back in my phone if I go to Canada. Not as seamless as I would like.

Fast forward to now. This goes under things that annoy me but shouldn't:. New Moto One. Very capable looking phone with dual SIM. Not a Fi phone. In a month or so hopefully some people will have tried it and it will mostly work. I don't want to spend the coin on a pixl 2 or 3 and try the e-SIM thing. In my situation being able to switch between at&t and Fi without physically switching the SIM card would be really useful.

$419-469 unlocked vzn/gsm pixel 2 and pixel 2 xl on woot today. Damned good deal.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using TGR Forums mobile app

[Telemahn]

$419-469 unlocked vzn/gsm pixel 2 and pixel 2 xl on woot today. Damned good deal.

Trigger = pulled, thanks.

[frorider]

Apple and their shitty 5g situation : https://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonk...rice-cost/amp/

[huckbucket]

Apple and their shitty 5g situation : https://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonk...rice-cost/amp/

It's amazing to me that a company with $230 Billion in cash is consistently stagnant when it comes to product development. It's perhaps even more amazing that people still flock to the brand like a religion.

[riser4]

PSA:
https://www.phonearena.com/news/moto...mazon_id111668

tl;dr $189 if you are an Amazon Prime member and NO ads, supposedly.
Probably the best deal at Moto at the moment. Capable phone. This is not the 'Android One' version that I have. Which means it should have the ability to let the fingerprint reader work as a home button too. I don't like that it is made of glass, however I think it specs a whisker better than the G6. Now if only the confusingly named 'Moto One' was cheaper and fully supported all of Fi's features. It has the dual SIM that I seek without spending $$$ on a Pixel (eSIM plus SIM slot).

[simple]

Tempting. Each of the Motorola phones I've had were disappointing. Haven't had a great Motorola since the Razr.

My cheap Samsung hasn't been doing well since the software upgrade to android 8.0 so I'm considering ditching it.