4 Phones that should work with Straight Talk and the Bring your Own Plan .

Straight Talk SIM Card Activation Kit

My Options for the Straight Talk : BYOP

RCA A1 4.7” 3G Unlocked Dual SIM, Android 4.1 US Warranty  (Amazon Affiliate Link)

List Price : 299$ (Click image to find the actual price)

• This unlocked cell phone is compatible with GSM carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, Net10, Simple Mobile, Consumer Cellular, Walmart Family Mobile, and Pure Talk USA. No contracts and data plans required;
• HSPA 3G Smartphone running Android 4.1.1 (Jelly Bean), with 4.7-inch multi-touch LCD display; 2G Network GSM 850/900/1800/1900, 3G Network HSPA 850/1900;
• Wi-Fi networking with Wi-Fi Mobile Hotspot and tethering capabilities, GPS for navigation and location services; Dual SIM card slot, 4GB storage, Micro SD expansion to 32GB;
• GPRS, HTML Web Browser, Built-in Apps: Google Play, YouTube, Google+, Google Search, Google Maps, Google Navigation, Voice Memo, Notes;
• Dual camera, back-5-MP, front 2-MP; HD 720p recording; Bluetooth 3.0 stereo music; FM Radio, MP3 Player, MP4 Player;Up to 6 hours of talk time, up to 360 hours of standby time, High Speed USB 2.0, 3.5mm Audio Jack

As you can see this might work for the price that I am needing.   Currently it is under 200$ and thus it is within my price range.   On a side note, it resembles the Samsung Galaxy S3 from my understanding of it.   It is a cheaper version of it but has the screen size and everything else associated with it.   I’ve heard people say they had problems with getting it to work with Straight Talk, but I am confident that if I get this phone.   I can figure out what the APNS are for the

Google Nexus 5, Black 32GB (Unlocked) (Amazon Affiliate Link)

List Price : $649 (Click to find the actual price!)

Speed and power to spare on a stunning 5” display. Powered by Android 4.4, KitKat®. It’s a 5” phone, and so much more. Built with precision, Nexus 5 delivers an intelligently simple design and showcases a stunning full HD display. Plus it comes in black and white. All-new photo and video features help you capture moments in fresh new ways. And thanks to the latest from Android, Nexus 5 is fast, powerful and truly yours.

I asked this question on Twitter and I got this respons:

@Laforge129 Nexus5. It rocks on #straighttalk

— ♦ ♦ Mark ♦ ♦ (@flag_mtn_hkrs) March 27, 2014

Although this is more expensive for those who might be able to buy this phone, it isn’t in my price range but  I still had to suggest it for those who might want the best possible experience with straight talk.   

Motorola Moto G - Global GSM - Unlocked - 16GB (Amazon Affiliate Link)

List Price: $199 (actual price Varies)

• US Compatibility: All GSM Networks including AT&T and (2G) T-Mobile
• Optimized to work with 3G (UMTS/HSPA+) networks when roaming outside the US. Only supports 2G coverage on T-Mobile.
• 4.5 inch 720p HD TFT display
• Quad-core 1.2GHz processor with 450MHz graphics processor
• 5MP rear camera, plus front facing camera

It looks to be promising to say the least.   I have heard some much great reports of this phone being used on every possible network and have heard of very little bad reports.  I would also like to point out that it is a smaller display for those who are looking for the largest BYOP phone.   It however comes with many features and it is an actual Google Phone from Google.   It used to be sold by Google directly but seems the Nexus 5 is the new one they are promoting, so this one is behind in times but still has so much functionality that it might be a good Straight Talk phone.

HTC A9192 Inspire 4G Unlocked Phone with 8 MP Camera, Wi-Fi, and GPS—(Black)  (Amazon Affiliate Link)

List Price :$799 (click on image to see actual price)

• This unlocked cell phone is compatible with GSM carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile. Not all carrier features may be supported.
• Ultra-fast, 4G-enabled smartphone running Android 2.2 with 4.3-inch multi-touch Super LCD display.
• Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking (with optional Wi-Fi Mobile Hotspot and tethering capabilities)
• 8-MP camera, HD 720p camcorder, Bluetooth stereo music, microSD memory expansion, HTML web browser, corporate and personal e-mail
• Up to 6 hours of talk time, up to 372 hours (15.5 days) of standby time, released in January, 2011
• 8-MP camera; HD 720p camcorder; Bluetooth stereo music; microSD memory expansion; HTML web browser; corporate and personal e-mail
• GPS for navigation and location services
• It will not work with CDMA carriers like Verizon Wireless, Alltel and Sprint.
• Up to 6 hours of talk time, up to 372 hours (15.5 days) of standby time; released in January, 2011
• Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking (with optional Wi-Fi Mobile Hotspot and tethering capabilities); GPS for navigation and location services

Early on when I first started this with Straight Talk, I used this phone which was locked to AT&T and then I unlocked it and went to Straight Talk.  Then I broke the screen and did not want to fix it.   So I put it away and went to Virgin Mobile, but I have had much success with this phone with wifi teethering and other good games on android but I am wanting to watch movies and shows on my phone more and more so this is a good option for the price which right now it is cheaper than it used to be.   I am guessing because it is an older phone that is not getting as much updates as the newer ones.   This is good for those who want to know which phone that will work with Straight Talk.   I made it happen with not much effort and was really pleased with it.

I have given you at least four phones to consider when you decide to go to the Straight Talk BYOP option but for me, I might either get the Motorola or the RCA myself and do a tutorial on how to set it up on Straight talk successfully!  

Need ideas on the next Unlocked Phone? Switching Carriers!

Androids And Friend — Flickr

I’ve Pretty Much Decided!

I’m going to probably go buy an Unlocked Cell phone from Amazon.  They have some Great selections of phones unlocked Cell Phones for under $200 (Amazon Affiliate Link).   I still have my old AT&T straight Talk sim that was used for the HTC Inspire 4g Phone.   Even though the LG Optimus F3 is not a bad phone, I was tempted to unlock it fully to use with Straight Talk.   I honestly thought it was better to go buy an unlocked phone that can be used for any carrier that I choose to use it with.

I’ve loved Android phones since, I started using them and will continue to use them but I have yet to enjoy the idea of Virgin Mobile US reducing my speed by a half to 2g speeds.   I’m really not happy with the idea of reducing my speed to that extent and I’ve been one of those that love Unlocked Cell Phones and no contract plans.   If the Sim from the HTC inspire can’t be used, at least Straight Talk still has options available to buy new sim cards for!!

Which Phone!

I’m calling all readers on which phone I should buy under a 200$ and I’m really interested in which one you want me to review on this site!   Please leave a comment and tell me what you want to see me review.   I’m like the Motorola Moto G that is nice!  I am up in the air on this but I will have to decide soon! ;)

Virgin Mobile Did what to my Data Speeds?

Got this text Message!

VMFreeMsg: Starting 5/6/14, if you use over 2.5GB of data during your mo. plan cycle, data speeds will now be reduced to 2G speeds. Info at http://msg4u.us/vwae

I don’t know about anyone else but when I first got this text message, I was like so How fast is 2g speeds verses 3g speeds on Google Now!  So Here’s is the breakdown of this:

Speeds

• 2g is on average about 115 kilobytes per second  (A little faster than voice calling people)
• 3g is on average about 614 Kilobytes per second (Good for some streaming media)
• 4g is on average about 20 Megabytes per Secong (On average it varies from phone to phone)

As you can see this doesn’t really explain it very well but let’s try to make it easier to understand this:

1 byte is 8 bits, so 1000 kilobytes(1,024 bytes which is 8192 bits) and you need 65536 kilobytes to make 1 Megabyte of data.   So you can see that the larger the file or anything you do on the phone will be drastically slowed down on the phone.   If yo do the math or at least think about it, you can go to a free wifi hotspot to get better speeds than this.   

Virgin Mobile and Boost is screwing you!

Virgin mobile seems to want you to go to another prepaid service.   Even with Straight Talk, they do something like this on their networks.   They do limit there speeds but I am unsure as to what the speeds are lately but they aren’t unlimited either.

It looks like I have a few options, Straight Talk although they do the same thing but not as bad, T-mobile Which looks to be comparable to Virgin Mobile or Boost.   You could try MetroPCS but I can’t seem to verify that it is truly unlimited and that is what I am looking for.   I am asking for help to find something that isn’t as restrictive as what Virgin Mobile is doing.   I might buy a data plan for my home now.   So I am going to look into this some more but if you know of a prepaid plan that is truly unlimited, please leave a comment and let everyone know!

Codes you will need for the ZTE AWE!

Codes you should know!

From time to time, I occasionally like to look up codes for new phones like the ZTE AWE and keep them handy. I found some really good codes tha tyou may need in the future.   I also like to know which codes are used for certain purposes.   In this article I will tell you which codes you will need to use with Virgin Mobile USA and this will hopefully help you before you call Virgin Mobile with your phone problems.   You never know when these codes will be useful but it should at least help you get what you want from your phone!

Codes

Before I begin, I will remind all readers that you use these codes at your own risk and I can’t be held responsible for any thing you aciddently delete!

Factory Reset — *983*57#  (Will delete all you personal files and information off the phone.  Do not use unless you need to!)

IMSI (international sematech manufacturing initiative) — *983*36401*01#  Sometimes Virgin Mobile will need this to help solve your problem and thus you should either know the code or have your IMSI written down to make it quicker for them to help you!

IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) —*#06#  Good for the same purpose as the IMSI but it mostly what is requested by Virgin Mobile.   

Mutliple Menus and Information — *97*0#  This is very good code for finding out the Wifi MAC Address for those wifi networks that are limited by which mac address are allowed on that wifi network.   So you may need this information from time to time.   It also shows your batter information and how good the health of your battery!

Phone Device Information — *983*5182# very good to know you model number and which android OS your are using with what Kernel are being used currently on your phone!.   You may need thise for Virgin Mobile USA but that depends on how much information they need!

In order to use these codes you will need to go to phone dialer to use these codes. 

Another good TIP:

If you are wanting to send a file or photo to your phone you can easy do this by emailing the phone.   This is also very useful for those times when you need to know what is going on very quickly with maybe your bank account activity or something really serious.   Just send an email to: [10-digit phone number]@vmobl.com.   Just a reminder it comes over a text message(SMS) and thus you only get the first 180 characters or so.   It however can be quite useful for sending files to your phone by attachment or when you need to keep on top of a service or server and keep it from going down.   This is one of the mostly used tips in my library for my business or other such problems.  Can be quite useful when you need to keep on top of important things!

Well this pretty much does it for what you might need for Virgin Mobile USA customer support.   I am sure I have missed something but this will at least get you a head start when you call them.   You can be ready to tell them all this information and not have to wait.   

My Problems with Virgin Mobile and the ZTE AWE!

Virgin Mobile likes to mislead people!

When I was researching this phone, I saw this on their website and thought well it looks to be promising and that I could pay the extra 15$ and be able to teether my phone to my laptop whenever I needed to.  Even though, I am simply am enjoying this new phone of mine.   The idea that they made me believe that I could easily without effort pay them to allow me to teether my phone is simply absurd.   I shouldn’t have to circumvent the new security feature in Android 4.1.2 which  Google decided to break tethering and prevent people from using those so called teether apps.   I have yet to find one that will work.

Calling all Geeks!

I’m going to have to probably root the phone and install a Cyanogen mod on it to be able to use the tethering option on the phone.   I would however like to keep it the way it is.   Rooting the AWE be to much trouble for me right now.   Since I am mainly using a Chrome Book and have yet to install a Linux Distro to the machine.   I’d have to do that first before I could even root the device and you know how that is!

Does Anyone know of an app that will do that without having to break the warranty of the phone as Virgin Mobile told me over the phone?   I would break the warranty if I rooted the phone.   LOL That was a laugh.   If you know of an app in the Google App store please leave a comment and help everyone out who might have the same problem!   

Reviewing the ZTE Awe from Virgin Mobile!

The Virgin Mobile ZTE AWE comes with a 1.2 ghz processor and the screen is really nice. I did switch from the Kyocera Rise to this because of a flaw that would just make the screws come off and break apart. I have had over a week to play around with the ZTE phone and I am quite impressed with the service. I thought it would be good to at least talk about some of the obstacles you will need to overcome to switching and that way you could be ready when the time comes!

Click to read more ...

First Look: The ZTE Awe from Virgin Mobile!

I recently Switched!

With the Kyocera Rise that kept on fall apart, I decided I needed to invest in a better phone.   This seemed perfect for me.  5 MP camera and tethering capabilities if you add 15$ more.  I got this from Walmart but wanted to talk about the ZTE AWE just a few minutes and let people know I’ll be talking about this in more details.   I am quite impressed with screen size and other things.   The weight of the phone is less bulky and doesn’t weigh as much.   

I just got tired of having to tighten those darn screws into the phone on the Kyocera Rise even though this was a cheap phone to begin with, I didn’t want to have to have to worry about it.   So I opted for a little bit more money to get the Virgin Mobile US ZTE Awe (Virgin Mobile is one of the sponsors to my website, because I like their service and want others to know about them).   In the coming weeks I will be talking about it even more but wanted to show you what I gotten the last few days and give you something to look at and possibly get yourself.   

Display : Type: LCD (Color TFT/TFD) 

Resolution: 480 x 800 pixels,  4”   diagonal 

Processor: 1.2 GHz Qualcomm MSM8630

Micro SD Card Size : 32 Gb capacity

Camera: 5 Mega Pixel with LED Flash 

Modes:    panorama, burst mode, interval mode, face detection, blink detection, smile detection, red-eye reduction

Front Facing: 1 Mega Pixel resolution

Video Capture : 720 HD

Top 5 Android Apps to install for Streaming Shows and Movies!

Do you want to watch Doctor Who, How I met your Mother, and more on your Android device. Check out this post to find out how you might be able to do that for free!

Click to read more ...

Why I don't click on links in text messages!

A strange text message!

VMFreeMsg: Your voicemail has been installed. For your personal security you must update your password and greeting. For details go to http://msg4u.us/vmve

You can do your own research but even I know this was going to happen sooner or later.   When i first got this message, I suspected it might of been an hack account over at Virgin Mobile.   It always seems like that is happening now a days.   I am always worried about security and they claim they are worried about security.   How is sending a link in text message good for security?  Who knows when or if a website or even a company could and will get hacked.   It is bound to happen, maybe not today but surely sometime in the near future someone will get a hold of an account at Virgin Mobile.  

Security and SMS Messages!

When I company claims they are keeping your safe and yet they do something like this.   It kind of makes me wonder who is actually worried the company or the person or sent out that text message.   I still am not sure if this is a legit SMS or not.  I have did a domain look for msg4u.us and it has very little information because it looks like it doesn’t belong to Sprint or Virgin Mobile.  The the tmce.biz is also where the redirect goes to after clicking the msg4u link!  

Where and who are these people?  Why does it not say Sprint or Virgin Mobile on the domains and what do I worry someone has played a cruel joke on me.  Oh and for those who are interested the Virgin Mobile Home page link is a vmobl.com which is a Virgin Mobile, I think!   This makes no sense to me but at least they didn’t worry to much about someone spoofing them if it was Virgin Mobile!   Keep up the hard work of security guys, at least you tried and failed!

My Reasons Why I use Prepaid Cellular Service and avoid contracts!

Prepaid Service is Better!

My sister called me wanting to know about prepaid cellular services.   She is getting tired of paying for contracts and all those really high fees for unlimited everything.  She wanted me to research this and tell her which service is best for her whether it be Straight Talk, Virgin Mobile, T-mobile, and Cricket Wireless. I know I’ve talked about some of these services and ideas in the past and  they have been nothing but a way to keep my bills from to high and they actually help me save money in the long run.  I will talk about some of these and hopefully they will make it easier for you to decide.

Lower Payments!

I know this might sound like everyone else but I have found, that since I have yet to buy a contract.  I’ve have keep my fees really know.   Like this Virgin Mobile USA phone the Kyocera rise, I have yet to pay anymore than 36$ a month on services.  I’m paying for 200 minutes an unlimited text and Data. I have been using Google Voice, as my VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) provider and only had to pay $10 for the phone number.  So I am basically using the unlimited Data to do all I need and rarely use my minutes.

On a side note, you basically pay more for your contract services because you are paying for the Phone you buy and buying an Iphone can cost anywhere from $800 to $1,000.  So they add that on to your bill in small amounts but you they don’t pay for it but you do in one way or another.

Unlimited Data!

Something seems to be happening in the Phone industry where all contract providers are giving you limits.  So you can avoid those limits and tell them you don’t want to have limits.  I am seeing Virgin Mobile USA, Straight Talk, and T-mobile all have unlimited data even though they throttle your data you still can use it after you go beyond the limit.   AT&T and Verizon Wireless charges you for more data services.  So you have to be careful and not go over your limit.

Unlocked Cell Phones

Having seen this in the past with my HTC Inspire, I can take my phone with me when I want to and switch my service and possibly get even better signal strength but it isn’t always the case because some prepaid cell providers will not have SIM Cards to use with your unlocked cell phone.   So it will just depend be a smaller amount of places like Straight Talk and and T-Mobile who will carry sims that you can buy to use with their services.   Others are starting to sell sims but it will take time for other providers to have them and sell them.

Better Customer Service

With smaller companies you get to be a little more personal with customer service.   The Bigger the company the harder it is to get anything done.   It seems they like to build more red tape and keep you frustrated.  I have found the smaller companies want to keep you as a customer and will do almost anything to keep you with them.   If they have to give you a discount to keep you they will over look small stuff and not penalize you for it.  So you can save money from time to time by talking with them and you could even get a free month of service if you do it right.

I am sure these are just a few but these are why I will always go with No Contract Cellular services and not be bound down by a contract.   I can save so much money this way that I will not even consider using anything else but no contract providers.

Paul Sylvester

Reviewing the Overdrive Pro 3G/4G Prepaid Mobile Hotspot (Virgin Mobile)

Click Image to see Price!Overdrive Pro 3G/4G

The Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 Prepaid Mobile Hotspot was my first choice when I first started using the Virgin Mobile / Sprint network.  I knew what I was getting myself into after using that modem. Knowing where I was,  I knew I was going to need a Signal Booster.   I found the Wilson Electronics - Sleek - Cell Phone Signal Booster, Which is a cradle.  I also used it in conjuction with my ARC Wireless Freedom antenna.  Which I have had for over a few years now.   So I know how useful this little guy can be!

You can use it without the Freedom antenna, because the Cell Phone Signal Booster comes with an Mini Antenna that can be used put outside on the roof or someplace to get a better signal  I like the Freedom Antenna because of it’s Bi-Directional amplification.  I can point it at One tower and get a faster connection and faster speeds.  It isn’t as though you have a way to Hack it to increase the Signal strength just yet.   I am sure someone will do it sooner or later, when they do I will know about it myself.  With it being a 4G modem though, I have been wondering when Sprint is going to bring 4G LTE to my area!

The Pro’s

I can only come up with a few but here goes some of the most common ones:

• More Display Information — No more guessing if I have a signal or not.   For that matter, no more guessing if there is an update or something is wrong. 
• 4G Possibility — If and when Sprint decides to give my area the 4g access, it should dramatically boost my speed by 50%.   I don’t know when but I am confident that it will happen.  Walmart no longer sells the Mifi 2200’s 3G only cards so I am sure it is coming.  You can buy an Overdrive Pro Dock for it but only for 4G, not 3g.
• Micro SD Card Slot — Great way to share music with all your devices at once.   No more having to switch from one device to another to find that one song.   You can keep it on the Overdrive and listen to it when you want to.
• The UI isn’t bad — Comes with a lot of bells and whistles.   You can have all kinds of sounds when you loose signal or when someone connects to the device.   So you have an audible notification when something happens.  The Router menu has some great things you can do with settings to improve security.

Basically that is it for right now.   I am sure I will have more on the pro’s later on.   

Cons!

• Bulky — Not as thin as the Mifi 2200 card that I once had so it isn’t as easily concealable.
• Not Unlimited 3G — When I first started using the Mifi 2200 card, I was unlimited but if you are going to buy it right now without having an account that has unlimited 3G.  Then you will have to pay 55$ for 10 Gigabyte a month.  I am on the grandfather clause so it is unlimited  3G for me!
• 4G — Just like it being a Pro, it is also a con. Without the 4G capability it isn’t really unlimited to everyone.  Hopefully it will be soon though.
• Price — After buying this new modem it wasn’t as cheap as the Mifi 2200, but I thought it was time for a change.   So you can always buy the Mifi 2200 card a little cheaper.   Don’t know how long they will be selling those on Amazon so get them while you can!

All in All I am pretty happy with the speed and the use of the Overdrive Pro.   I will be talking it about it more and more in the coming weeks so stay tuned!  I might even have a few hacks or tricks for this little device also.

Paul Sylvester

5 ways to improve your security with your Overdrive Pro (Virgin Mobile)!

The OverDrive Pro

After a long hard search for my old Mifi Device,  I recently had to buy the Overdrive Pro (Virgin Mobile) mifi Card.  So I went out to find a replacement for my card and came to this.  I must say that with it having the option to have a way to increase Signal strength on the Mifi card by buying antenna’s for it.  It is a good deal for me.   I had a simple time getting it to work other than having to call Virgin Mobile Broadband (877-877-8443).  I do however think you should update your card for more security and here are a few tips.

Open a web browser and go to http://192.168.0.1

Change The Default Password

Just by chance someone gets a hold of your password for your mifi card.   They then can log into and change anything they want.   So you should change the “admin” Password and possibly change the Wi-Fi Password as well.  You can do this by going to the Admin Setup Page on the Mifi Device.

Change the SSID

By default the SSID for the Overdrive card is OverDrive Pro.   You can leave it as it is but the problem with it is someone else might have the same exact SSID and you may accidentally give out your wifi password to a stranger.   It should be unique and unguessable to people.   This Also can be done in the Admin Setup Page.

Change your DNS

By default you are going to use Virgin Mobile/Sprint DNS servers.  They may not be as fast as other servers and thus you can get a little more speed from changing the DNS to something other than Virgin Mobile/Sprint DNS.   You do this by going into the Advanced Settings, Clicking the Router Tab and going into the LAN tab, Which is a separate tab from the top.  You would then need to change DNS MODE to manual and enter two different IPS.  See below for two suggestions.

Here are two that you can try and see which one works better for you.

Google DNS:  8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4

OpenDNS: 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220

Don’t Display Wifi Password

This is another by default, it will display the password on the Mifi screen for any passer by to gain access to the network.   If you have limited amount Gigabytes to use, you may not want to share that with a stranger.   So by turning off the password no-one will have access to the mifi device without asking you first.  That can also be changed and updated on the Admin Setup Page.

Change your Wifi Password

Finally the last step I would recommend is to change your Wifi Password so no other Overdrive Pro can have that same password.   Again, it is possibility someone else might have that password so it is best not to keep it.   Create a new password you can remember but nothing that everyone used.   Just saying.   You can do this also by going to the Admin Setup Page.

With these simple steps your OverDrive Pro Mifi Card is much more secure and less likely for someone to gain access unintentionally.  So you can sit back and relax and have fun with your card and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did making this blog post.

Paul Sylvester

Thumbs up to Virgin Mobile, At least they care!

Your account has used 85 percent of your data usage cap. Once you reach 2560.000MB (Which is 2.56 Gigs) of usage, we’ll reduce your data speeds through 05/26/2013.

To check out your account online, go to virginmobileusa.com any time. If you’d like to talk about this notice, please give us a call at: 888-322-1122

Did you know?

• Your PIN is required whenever you contact us so please have it on hand when you call or access your account online.
• If you recently provided us with a new email or mailing address, we are required by law to send notices (like this one) to your old address for the first 30 days. Once the 30-day transition period has elapsed, we will send notices to the new email address.

Keep rocking, Virgin Mobile

Dear Virgin Mobile,

Thank you for your kind warning and letting me know about my Soft Data cap.   I really wanted to know when I reached a new level of data usage.  I really don’t care about the slowing down of speeds, it isn’t like you will bother me much.   At least you didn’t do what Straight Talk did and advertise they are unlimited but yet I would get calls after calls.  

Please keep on working,

Paul Sylvester

The Kyocera Rise Falling Apart Problem: How to fix it!

The Rise Falling Apart!

When I first wrote about My Kyocera Rise from Virgin Mobile.  I got a lot of people asking about if there was a fix for this without calling VM!  If yours is just coming apart from and you wondering how to fix it.  I am here to help.  I went back and got my VM phone before I mailed it off and looked it over.   I found the six screws that were supposed to hold it in place, most of them were missing.   I don’t know if it was the dropping of the phone that caused this or it being in my back pocket.  Some how those screws came loose and just came off the phone.   You will need to pop off the back cover of the phone to verify that it doesn’t have the four screws like you see in the picture above.   If it doesn’t have those screws then you can easily fix this without calling VM!

Found Screws!

I have Glasses and I am always having to repair and fix them.   So I had a 250pc Micro-Screw Assortment for Eyeglasses & watches.   I started looking around for the right size.   You basically start with the biggest and work your way to the smallest.   I don’t recall which ones I used but you will find the ones that will fit those four holes.   Once that is done just make sure to tighten those suckers, don’t break the head off the screw.  Just enough to keep it tight, if it seems to feel like it is loosening from time to time, just pop the back off  and tighten them some more.

What you will need:

• 250pc Micro-Screw Assortment for Eyeglasses, Watch & Jewelry Repair
• TEKTON 2987 Precision Screwdriver Set, 16-Piece

Save time and effort from calling Virgin Mobile about sending a replacement phone.   You can just fix it yourself.   Just make sure the Phone is put together before you start screwing in those screws and your phone should last much longer.

Paul Sylvester

Why I suspect there is not really a 3G outage right now!

The Plausible deniability of the Virgin Mobile 3G Outage!

So it has been a week now and you’re probably asking the same questions.   Here are a few questions that I have and would love to see an answer to:

What is taking so darn long?

Why haven’t you warned us before you did this UPDATE?

Why Haven’t you told anyone?

Why isn’t there more information on the problem?

Why haven’t you updated your websites and other stuff to warn people about the problem?

I could keep going on and on about this and probably even start some conspiracy theories about this.   Here is what I know!  

No UPDATES by Virgin Mobile!

No Media is covering this or talking about it!

Customers are extremely unhappy right now!

These are just a few that I have found.   I went digging around the internet about this and found only a handful of stuff about this.   I am no amatuer when it comes to searching Google, Bing, and yahoo for this type of information!   I’ve found one story about the outage but it was a mear reference to it being down nothing more nothing less. 

So what am I missing?

Probably nothing, I am sure this has to do with Virgin Mobile wanting to thin out the herd sort to speak.  If they really wanted people to stay they would of put out press releases and text everyone in the Virgin Mobile Network and also posted it on their website and their technical support line.   I honestly think they want everyone to go to the 4G network and this is a way to have people either leave or move to a phone that has 4G LTE capabilities.   I’m not buying that this is something they didn’t plan and I hope you don’t either.   Until Virgin Mobile speaks up and starts proving to me they want my business, then I have to assume they are trying to soar the milk of 3G users and get them to go somewhere else.  

Do you think I am right or Wrong?  Let start a Discuss and talk about this even more!

Paul Sylvester

What To Do before you Call Virgin Mobile Support!

1 hour with Technical Support!

Gee thanks for wasting an hour of my time for nothing!  Couldn't I of done this offline?  This isn't like it is rocket science or is it?  When I started this trek to fixing my 3G signal, I never knew it was going to be such a big ordeal.  I mean, lets face it it isn't like I don't know what I am doing with my Android Phone.  I've been getting Error codes like 67, 3000, and 2048.   So i called them and they had me do a bunch of stupid stuff.   Here is what I suggest you do before you call Virgin Mobile.  That way you can at least be ahead of the game:

• Turn off Cell Phone and if Possible take out battery for at least 15 seconds.
• Try doing an Activation and Seeing if that resolves your problem!
• Dial ##virgin# (##847446#) and view or edit your MSID (Mobile Station ID) and MDN (Mobile Number).   You'll need to verify they are something other than 10 zeros!
• Check for firmware updates.   On my Kyocera Rise, you can do that by going to System > System Updates.   This might help fix your problem before you even consider calling Virgin Mobile.   No bets though.
• Last ditch resort!!  Do a hard reset on your Android Phone.   Not recommended but if you do this and you still have problems then it isn't your phone.   You will need to reactivate the phone once it has been done and all photos, videos, and anything else on the phone is lost.   So it is a last resort.   Do this though, you will need to hold the down key and power button until you see the phone power up.  Using your volume keys select factory reset or something like that.

Although It seems Virgin Mobile is having some major 3g service issues.   I do hope they fix it.  I have tried everything other than just going back to Straight Talk.   This has been the lousiest experience in my life.   Has anyone else had this problem with your 3G service from Virgin Mobile Lately?

Paul Sylvester

My cell phone repair worries alleviated by Virgin Mobile!

The Broken Phone Syndrome!

We have all had those phones that would break.  I recently bought a Kyocera Rise from Virgin Mobile.   I recently had problems with it.   It basically was coming apart from the keyboard to the screen, it is a slide type phone and thus the two halves were just coming apart.   Right now the only thing that is holding my phone together is tape!  So I called their customer Care support number (888-322-1122) and told them the problems. 

I never knew it was going to be so easy!

I really thought I would have to jump through so many hoops with getting a replacement phone.   So when I called them I was prepared for them to fight and maybe even have to pay a deductible for a replacement cell phone.  They alleviated the worries, after looking into my account they noticed I was still a brand new customer less than a year old.   They seem to have a 1 year warranty on their phones.  This seemed kind of unheard of to me.   I am sure most cell phone companies only ever do a 90 day warranty on their phones but Virgin Mobile takes it a bit farther than most.

Waiting on my New Phone!

After talking with them over the problem, they seemed to indicate that I would need a new phone.   I let them go on about getting me set up for a new Kyocera Rise phone.   They told me they would be sending me a new phone in 3 to 5 business days.   So I will have more when it comes but this is definitely something that I am looking forward to writing about even more in the future.   I will keep you posted when I get it but I thought it would be a good little blog post for those who might want to know how easy it was for me to get a replacement for my damaged cell phone.  

I would definitely tell my friends and family about this and how this could save them money in the long run.   I can't afford to pay another 100 to 200 dollars for a phone if I don't have to and this seems to be the best possible way for that.

Paul Sylvester

How to Tether your Kyocera Rise by Virgin Mobile

It was never Going to be easy!

When I bought this Virgin Mobile Kyocera Rise, I knew they would try to prevent me.  That was one of the reason, I like to have an Unlocked Phone.  I’m went searching through the internet to find the answers to my question.   Some of the common questions, I got where:

Hidden mobile data charges: ethical or not?

Virgin mobile and tethering -charges ?

As you can see these were old post but they did provde me with some very interesting questions about the data usage of tethering and who will be at fault.

The Options!

I am going to give you a few options as to where to look to find the best possible way to tehter your phone to Laptop or Tablet.   I’ve found one or two ways to do it so far and I’ll be more than glad to give you the information that you are seeking for.  Before I begin though:

Information Therein are as IS, The Author will not be held responsible for anything resulting with these applications and services.  You have been warned!

 Some of the Common Applications that I have tried and worked are:

• Easy Tether CE (Lite) — This one works just as great if you intend to use it as an USB connection only.  I had no problems with surfing the web with this app just as long as I kept it hooked up via USB.  Mobile Stream has several different paid apps that allow you to do so much more.  I am impressed with this one!
• WiFi Tether for Root Users — I’ve used this on my HTC Inspire so I know this work on other phones but you would have to root your Kyocera Rise to use this App, although free it would probably void your warranty on your phone!

You can search for other Tethering Apps and try them as you see feet.   I just want to provide you with a few ideas on how to use what your already paying for that data plan.  When I find more I’ll be sure to let you know but for right now these are the ones that I’ve used to tether with success.  

Paul Sylvester

Reviewing the Kyocera Rise by Virgin Mobile!

What about the HTC Inspire 4G!

I recently had to buy a new phone.   My HTC inspire got broken, sad to say but it does happen.   You know when you have to replace a  phone because of the screen glass is broken, kind of thing you don’t like to see happen.   It does though no matter how hard you try, it will happen eventually on most phones. Thank Good for the Worth Ave Group insurance coverage for Cell Phones, if i didn’t have that it would of been a pain to get this Cell phone.

A lot under the Hood!

There is a lot going on under that hood and I won’t go into much detail about this because I don’t want to bore you with details but what I will tell you is this:

• Google Movies & TV — You can watch any show you own on Google with this little device.   So you can always keep up with shows or movies while on the Go!   I do suggest downloading them whenever possible using WIFI but it is still good to have while on the road!
• Netflix — Although most phones do this it has the screen size to actually do a decent enough job of watching it through it!
• Android 4.0 — I got mine with Android 4.0 but it had to be upgraded in firmware.   That is ok, it still is a nice phone!

The Kyocera Rise From Virgin Mobile is in fact a very good Phone.   I got signal where the HTC never did, although this is a 3G phone, it is still can go a lot more places.   I suspect it is because of the Sprint Network but it is only a guess.

I could go on and on about this phone but in all truth if you aren’t convinced now to buy it then you will never buy it.   I simply love this phone and it is going to be my main phone for quite a while until I can get enough money for even better phone maybe a Samsung Galaxy S3 or S2 from Virgin Mobile or Sprint, now that would be Sweet!

Paul Sylvester