The Grandstream WP-825 is a SIP compliant Wifi phone. The phone was $130+tax from Amazon. While there were a couple of places that sold it cheaper, I wanted to the phone ASAP, and this one came 1 day after ordering it. I am sure the phrase SIP compliant Wifi phone means little to most, so I will go into detail what that means. SIP is an open protocol for Internet telephony. Wifi is obviously for the Wifi Network that your phone likely uses when home. When using SIP, you need a SIP UID, a SIP Password, and the SIP server. You would probably also need a credit/debit card as most SIP providers do not provide their service beyond network calling for free. Read more “Grandstream WP-825”
A Problem with Mint Mobile
I am a Mint Mobile customer. I really like them, and they are reasonably priced. I have a plan that is $205/year which is very affordable. Considering that the Big 3 in the United States starts their plans at around $60/month, the less than $20/month I pay with Mint is a blessing for my meager financial resources. Yes, my plan only gives me 5GB of data per month, but I am in a trusted Wifi Network much of the time, and the data provided by Mint is more than sufficient with my lifestyle, and resources needed. I also have good international rates, although I have yet to need to call an international number, so the money I added for international calls has yet to be used. Read more “A Problem with Mint Mobile”
Dropped Ooma
In late September, I had decide to drop Ooma. There was nothing wrong with the service, but since all of my telephone numbers do not ring the Ooma phone, it was becoming a waste of money. When I had Ooma, I had the premiere plan which was $10 + another $10 for taxes on something that is free. With the regards to dropping Ooma, I now rely on my Callcentric Account for all of my home phone lines including my primary home telephone number (begins with =1 855), and all of my international numbers. With that in mind, I will be saving $20 per month, and have one less service that I will have to deal with. Right now, all of my telephone services are either with my cellular provider (1 telephone number) or Callcentric (the other numbers). This will simplify things, and make life a little easier. Read more “Dropped Ooma”
iPhone 16 – A Want
Well, this is a predicament. A couple of years ago, I bought an iPhone 14 Pro Max. The phone works just fine, and that would be a part of the problem. Today, Apple unveiled the iPhone 16 lineup, and with that will come a number of features that my 14 Pro Max doesn’t have. However, at $1,200USD – I would need to draw on a credit card to pay for it. This will mean that I will be paying interest as long as I carry a balance. This will mean that my $1,200 phone will cost more than $1,200. Obviously, I will perform the same tactic that I would always do with debt and that would be to attack it with a vengeance. This will mean to throw ALL of my discretionary spending at the debt. With all of this in mind, and the fact that my iPhone 14 still works just fine, and expected to work just fine with the iOS 18 updates (except the higher features), there is no way I can justify buying a brand new phone that starts at $900, and only go up from there. So what are the features that would be something I will look forward to? Here they are: Read more “iPhone 16 – A Want”
Dropped Skype
I have finally decided to completely drop the usage of Skype. There were only 2 people that had any sort of communication with me, and I notified both of them that I will be dropping Skype. I also gave them my IM Resource Site (https://im.fsp.contact) for other options in communicating with me. Neither of them have as of yet decided to reach out to me. Even if they don’t want to provide their telephone number to me, I support Telegram which can be used without disclosing your telephone number.
The reason I dropped Skype was because I was getting too many scammers trying to waste my time with “I Love You – give me money” scams. So far, the SPAM in Telegram has been minimal. I do not miss Skype, and it has not been a good application for the past few years. With that said, I will likely not go back to Skype ever again – considering it as a service that continues to degrade as time goes on. I am guessing there are many legitimate people who are thinking the same way as I do. With that vicious cycle, I don’t see Skype ever recovering.
Why I’ll Never Use TextNow!
For those outside of the US, you might not know what TextNow is. To keep things simple, it is an app/service. You get a free US number that must be used at least once a month. They can also send you a SIM card to get “essential” data for free. So, in some degree, you can get a free phone number, and free cellular service. So why won’t I ever use it? Well, there are a couple of reasons.
No eSIM
There is no eSIM capabilities. Most mid-range or better phones are dual SIM with a nano-SIM, and an eSIM. Let’s assume that you have a work cellular line, and you have to use your physical SIM card slot for the work line. Well, this will mean you would have to have another phone. Now, I am not in favor of having your “work” and “personal” lines in one phone, but that is not the belief for everyone. Some people just want to carry one phone especially if that phone is a higher end phone. I have the iPhone 14 Pro Max (US Version). So what does that mean – no SIM slot at all. Both of my SIMs are eSIM only. There is no nano-SIM option. This started with all iPhones 14+ (US Model). Because of that, anyone with an iPhone 14 or better simply can not use TextNow. Read more “Why I’ll Never Use TextNow!”
Soon to Drop Skype
I have been a glutton for punishment. I have used Skype off and on for years, and every time I use it, it has been a disappointment. Almost everyone that contacted me were scammers, or otherwise insincere people. There is one person which I known for years on Skype, but I rarely communicate with her any longer. This is disappointing as Skype used to be a good service. However, as you can see, my perception of Skype has changed dramatically. I do have Skype installed on my PC, and on my phone. The app on the phone is just to let me know if someone sent me a message. When I reply, it is exclusively on the PC.
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Yimoon Utility Vest
While my standard for pants are cargo pants, I didn’t like the fact that my keys was placed. I also didn’t like the fact that my phone slid outside of my top open pocket. With these two things in mind, I wanted alternatives for pockets. This is where I came across to get a cargo vest. This is a vest with multiple pockets, and boy does this vest have multiple pockets. The Yimoon Utility Vest supports all of my needs, and allows for better organization. I also have a dedicated closed pocket for the phone which is good because my phone is $1,500. I am also more confident on where my keys are located at, and can access everything easily, and not have to reach down to my knee to get my keys. Read more “Yimoon Utility Vest”
Back With Ooma
About 10 days ago at time of writing this post (204-June-16), I have decided to sign up with Ooma again. The reason for this was to have a phone line that I could use if for some reason my cellular phone was not working. I have my old system which consist of the Ooma Telo (ATA and DECT base station, 1 DECT adapter, and 2 phones). All of these are being put to the same use as before, and even had an incoming call (wrong number). I have a 60 day trial of Ooma Premiere even though this not a new system. I intend on keeping the Premiere service when my trial expires. Since I already owned the hardware, I didn’t have to purchase anything new, although setting up an old system was more trouble than good. I will get into that later. I have used it to make phone calls out on my Ooma system which call quality was good. I still usually rely on my cellular phone. Read more “Back With Ooma”
Dropped Stamps.com
Earlier this month, I have chosen to drop Stamps.com. This is because the service was becoming too buggy. I had to log in with Brave Web Browser, and then even so – the printing was buggy. With that in mind, I have chosen to cancel my account with them. This was not something I took lightly. I liked the concept of the service, and felt it worth the price. However, with the issues I had, and the fact there is no desktop Mac application made things all the worse Read more “Dropped Stamps.com”