Battery charger for England

On 2008-07-23, John McWilliams <jpmcw@comcast.net> wrote:
> Chris H wrote:
>> In message
>> <310eadd3-805b-43f0-8975-16378a8afe22@z72g2000hsb.googlegroups.com>,
>> tracymar55 <tracymar55@netscape.net> writes
>>> Thanks to everyone for responding. Apparently, my battery charger is
>>> fine --
>>> and I ordered several plug adapters online that should take care of my
>>> electrical needs in England. Now I just have to figure out what to do
>>> about getting a cellphone that will work in the UK!
>>> Tracy
>>
>> Most phones in Europe are 3 or 4 band. I assume the US ones are similar.
>> They will work anywhere. You should be able to get a "roaming"
>> agreement with your teleco or pick up a cheap Pay as you go Sim for UK use.
>
> The pay as you go sim card is a nice way to go, but most US phones are
> tethered to a particular carrier,

Not only that, but a CDMA phone isn't going to find a network without a
very good aerial.

But it's a long time since I've been to the US. Is CDMA still as
dominant as it was?

--
savvo orig. invib. man

In article <0osjl5-alu.ln1@tog.savvo.co.uk>,
spam.goes.here@devnull.savvo.co.uk says...
> On 2008-07-23, John McWilliams <jpmcw@comcast.net> wrote:
> > Chris H wrote:
> >> In message
> >> <310eadd3-805b-43f0-8975-16378a8afe22@z72g2000hsb.googlegroups.com>,
> >> tracymar55 <tracymar55@netscape.net> writes
> >>> Thanks to everyone for responding. Apparently, my battery charger is
> >>> fine --
> >>> and I ordered several plug adapters online that should take care of my
> >>> electrical needs in England. Now I just have to figure out what to do
> >>> about getting a cellphone that will work in the UK!
> >>> Tracy
> >>
> >> Most phones in Europe are 3 or 4 band. I assume the US ones are similar.
> >> They will work anywhere. You should be able to get a "roaming"
> >> agreement with your teleco or pick up a cheap Pay as you go Sim for UK use.
> >
> > The pay as you go sim card is a nice way to go, but most US phones are
> > tethered to a particular carrier,
>
> Not only that, but a CDMA phone isn't going to find a network without a
> very good aerial.
>
> But it's a long time since I've been to the US. Is CDMA still as
> dominant as it was?

In the US, CDMA does still dominate, but GSM is growing, particularly on
PAYG "disposable" phones. Usually, these are locked to the service
provider, and won't work off of their networks.

For Euro travel, a tri-band phone is fine, because the 900/1800 bands
cover all of Europe.

An outdated but fully functional, unlocked tri-band phone can be had on
Ebay for dirt cheap. I got a Motorola Timeport with universal (100-
220V) charger, new battery, and carry case for around $35.

If you need to have a number where you can be reached in Europe before
you go, you can buy a PAYG sim card from Telestial in the USA for your
destination. A little pricey compared to , because you're paying the
cost of the card plus a service/shipping charge, but you can give out
the number before you leave.

My (technically challenged) FIL was traveling to visit family in Europe;
I got the sim here, so had the number in order to reach him, plus I
could load the phone with properly coded numbers for calling back to the
US (you need to add "+1" before the area code). For most of Europe,
it's "caller pays", so my wife could call him at cheap long distance
rates, and it did not consume his airtime minutes.

--Gene