Fabienne

For what it's worth, there are places which are Dead Zones for CBW as well. The area around Ault Park is one of them (after all the deer don't use CBW equipment) and so since I live on the lunatic fringe of Ault Park, my coverage is not as good as other people's AND I am sure that goes for AT&T as well (when I look at their map and CBW's map I see almost a cut out around my house and Ault Park). And I am sure that is not going to change (can you imagine the br00-ha-ha if a cell tower were erected around Ault Park). So, that is a fact of life I will have to deal with.

Just for fun, I decided to go to Cincinnati Bell's Phone Store and ask what the penalties were for getting out of their 2 year service agreement early. I had tried to find it out on their website (with no luck at all) and the thought of calling them up (the are a Phone Company, how dare I think to call them up) I went there to ask. I was told that it is pro rated and that if I want to cancel with 11 months left that would be about $70. The fees start from $150 and go down from there.

Yea, I figure that was the case. I had been running that computer non stop for a long time and it had to have picked up a good deal of detritus. I have to clean it out. The name of the plug in the wall is a Current Broadband by Concentric. It is actually a modem because his computer did not have a modem (according to him). We are using that and the broadband from Concentric to run the wireless system which is a Concentric wireless system. It is "beamed out" to the wireless computer by the router it is hooked up to. The one upstairs is hardwired through CintiBell and I think we could drop it if we wanted to and not see any difference as long as I changed all of my e-mail addresses to Google mail or HotMail addresses.. I can run that one through the hard wire (cincinnati Bell) or through the router (Concentric) and still get on the internet and go around as usual. Honestly I have not paid much attention to the Concentric plug because I don't pay for it, he found it and liked it and wants to keep it. I just think we could get out from under the DSL line from Cincinnati Bell and not feel the difference if we plan on handling the e-mail address issue first.

Heh. The first question, the plug is an item which was peddled door to door in Mt. Lookout. It is just a plug which goes into an electrical outlet and that is how the internet flows to you. It isn't very popular, obviously, but it does exist because we have one. To own the plug is $40/month. It actually is very fast and it does work well with our router. I think it might well be faster than Zoomtown, but the computer on which I use Zoomtown could really use my cleaning out a few places on it to speed things up so that might be unfair of me to say that. Yes, that is what it boils down to, $19.99/month for an MSN e-mail address. I think that is insane but that's just me. He does have a Hotmail account and a Hotmail address but he does not want to give up the MSN address. I just have to work on him more, I actually got him saying that he could lose the MSN fee. By the way, I got to the bottom of the CBW no contract plan. They pro-rate a penalty for cancelling early. The penalty starts at $150 and goes down every month you keep your phone system with CBW. So, if you wanted to quit CBW when you had 11 months to go, you would pay somewhere around $70 to get out of it. I just asked a guy at the Phone Store about that.

Basically, yes. I think it started out as a fancy browser in 1997 a d now it is just an address. For all I know, he is the only person still on it. How embarassing. I think I convinced him to give it up.

We live in Cincinnati and have Cincinnati Bell. Well, after a long talk with the Mr. I have found out that he is LIVING A LIE! Oh, Gad. I weep with frustration. He has a wall plug which is actually broadband. It is called something like "Connectivity" and he has been using that to hook us into broadband downstairs through a router. It works well but it is $40/month. He has msn.com which is $19.99/month. This allows him to have his e-mail address as [email protected] as his e-mail address. But he also has Outlook Express which he has paid for and it doesn't work. Oh, don't ask me why. He has Cincinnati Bell: landline, Zoomtown (and Fuse.net), my Blackberry Curve (which is on a 'service agreement' until March 2011 whatever than means...they swear it's not a contract but I think they will come to your house and beat you up if you try to get out of it early) and his toy cell phone (which he carries at times but never turns on) and all that stuff is $145/month. So we are paying over $200/month to a variety of oddballs and Cincinnati Bell for a motley mass of telecomm services. I have not turned the Zoomtown ethernet line on in months. I use my landlady's wifi at the office (it's part of my rent) and the wireless netbook at home which runs through the Connectivity wall plug and lets me collect and send e-mails. Here is what I want: -High Speed Internet which I can use wirelessly -e-mail -iPhone Here is what he wants: -High speed internet -I will be damned if I can figure out what the second thing is. Can you help me out here? What the heck should I look for, what the heck should I do? Aieeee!

Ha! It turned out that surprising us with Nexus One was like getting a lifetime supply of Microsoft VISTA! *balloon drop*

With the clunky GUI and awful OS, Blackberry is not my fav right now (though I have to say the device I have is old and only works on edge so...it's bad from the definition. I suppose I am delighted with the options coming out now or that I think are going to appear. There were a lot of chats about AT&T losing their exclusive iPhone rights, but I am thinking that just isn't going to happen. I am very much thinking that CBW is going to be offering the EVO or something as nice. They are not stupid there, you know. What are your favorite forums of news on the iPhone and Androids?

Ah...so there is another thread going somewhere else on this forum? Great. I didn't know that and I will certainly find it and read what was said. I often joke that if I duct taped my iTouch to my Blackberry I would have a real good smartphone. At the moment I am in the learning mode. I have mainly been dwelling in the land of CBW because I have been content with what they were offering. But things certainly have changed here of late. :)

Hmmm hmmm hmmm. Interesting. What had surpassed the iPhone on the Android? I have heard great things about EVO and people are passionate about their phones now. I would really like to hear what you have to say about the Android Phones. So please elaborate. Own one? Know someone who does and they are happy? Very curious. Also noted, there doesn't seem to be much Blackberry love here. Any reason? For me, the edge Blackberry makes being on the 'net a trial. That's one of my problems with it. But please tell me what you think.

Hit that button twice. Sorry!

I said "contract" and you are right, there is no contract. I should have said "Bundle" and the phone I have, the Blackberry Curve 8320, has a two year "service agreement" which means I have to buy the data plan to run the phone and pledge to use it for 2 yrs. Strictly speaking, that isn't a contract, but actually...it is. Looks like a duck, quacks like a duck... My service agreement is up March 2011 for the Blackberry. I just saw the "Blaze" made by we don't know who, and it's 3G and is running Android. I am sure there will be more. Funny that the Nexus is not being pushed any more. I have a very nice bundle with CBW right now. I really hate to mess that up but I am so tired of avoiding going on the internet with by Blackberry because it is as slow as molasses in January. But it's great for e-mail. You haven't actually seen a 4G iPhone, right? Are you just talking about the iPhone? How do you like the one you are using on CBW? Is it a lot slower, does it have features which outweigh any slow down if you have a slow down? Just curious. Thanks for your time.

Hmmmm, how about this? Sprint with EVO? What do you think? I have my heart set on an iPhone, but it isn't even out yet and I am not sure that AT&T is going to have the 4G to run it. I am sure that Sprint has 4G coming (big news article about that recently) and a lot of people have been really talking nicely about the EVO. But, I am not convinced that the EVO is the phone that the iPhone is. There is always the option to wait until March when my committment to CBW is over and then act because by that time the 4G iPhone will be out and the shake down period will have occurred BUT then the 5G will be looming on the horizon and ...What do you think?

Wow, oh oh oh! I just got through finding out all about using an iPhone on CBW and it is a MAJOR HASSLE. I even purchased one and then found out that it would run at the speed of Edge because it was not the right frequency for CBW (sold it again and got my money back but still it was a waste of time). Not to mention the jailbreak, the SHSH backup, the unlock (or maybe you can't). Argh. That is why I have nixed the thought of buying a cheaper iPhone 3GS after the 4G comes out and go get the 4G or something else. I am so sick of the troubles involved with using iPhone on CBW. I am exhausted just thinking about it. When I talked to AT&T they told me that the plan would be $39.99 for the plan, $30 for the data package, and if I wanted to send and receive images (or text) that would be a separate charge ($.30 ea if you pay per, or $5 if you want the smallest package), bringing the total up to $75/month. What do you think of the Sprint Evo idea? They don't have Evo in cincinnati yet but I am sure that they will have soon (that was in the paper and on air). Theirs looks like $70 (not a huge savings but...) and the price of the phone.

No, I don't have to have an iPhone, but it will be about time for a new phone and I was considering one which did everything. My Blackberry does some things well, and other things, well... Such as getting on the internet, it is slooooow because it's using Edge, so I seldom use it for that (which is a shame because that was part of the appeal). Then there are the apps. They do exist but they are more expensive and not as good as the iPhone apps. Alas. So, I thought I would try the iPhone but ask around before I committed.

Hmmmm, MyTwoSense, what do you mean by "locked into 3G"? Do they have the power to deploy 4G? I am curious. As to an ID to get a phone, do you mean a driver's license to prove who you are? I don't recall anyone asking me that particular question. I guess I just look like me (ha ha) and so no one asked. I do have a well worn debit card and I am over 21 so I might have been trusted by them. I have not gotten the iPhone yet but I didn't get the feeling that they would be questioning my identity. As for xumelanie, have you talked to the hospital about your cell phone and if it will work there after the baby. I am sure you want to tell the world about it all and maybe even send out photos in glorious color. Videos? :) But I am sure the hospital will tell you. Good luck.

I would like the collective wisdom of the readers of this forum. I have a desire to buy an iPhone. I have a Blackberry (running Edge now which makes it very sloooow) now and it is limited in some respects. I am on Cincinnati Bell at the moment and I have no complaints about their service. They have been fair and accommodating to me in all ways. They will never offer the iPhone, though, and probably will be making deals to offer Android phones and Blackberries in the future. They do have 3G but are coy about offering 4G, and I am sure that they are using AT&T towers with their cell phones. But, I want an iPhone. There is a persistent rumor that a new 4G iPhone will be coming out in June. It is only sold by AT&T in Cincinnati, and I am not sure if they are going to have 4G support for the 4G phone. I know they do have 3G now. So, please tell me how you like AT&T from your own experience. How about iPhone users, is it worth the hassle to have the phone? Anyone switched from Cincinnati Bell to AT&T and have an opinion? I was planning to change my bundle at Cincinnati Bell to Zoomtown and a home phone only, then take up the plan with AT&T for 2 iPhones (one for me and one for the husband). It looks like it will be a little bit more expensive when all is said and done, but not much. Thanks for your thoughts on the subject.

I am a huge fan of Cincinnati Bell. I just thought I would state that for all and sundry to see. The folks at The Bell Store in Hyde Park are clever and really know how to please customers. I just wish that CB handled iPhones. Then my life would be perfect, at least my telecommunication life would be perfect.

Bless you, Sherman. I am occidental and I hate raw fish. I am so happy to find someone else who isn't going to say,"Sushi is my comfort food." Ughh! Sushi=bait.

Sandro Botticelli's lesser known Venus in<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_and_Mars_%28Botticelli%29"> "Venus with Mars Reclining".</a> It's my company logo, and a jolly good one it is, too.

Of course, you can claim a fake Italian accent and say "Cheen-chuh-nah-teh".

Lucky bastards.

Living in Gin, that was a great piece of writing as well. Really sums it up. "...the place you want to wake up on Christmas morning." Yea.

I would say that Hyde Park and Oakley are killers for not wearing the right hipster garb. 'got sniffed at by some matron wearing a pink workout outfit pushing a running stroller and toting a latte right outside The Echo once. Looked me up and down she did. I had a Blackberry instead of an iPhone, I think she thought me gauche. I asked where a coffee shop was when I was in a doctor's office on Glenway Avenue once. It was 2:00 p.m. and I was told loudly and in no uncertain terms that,"There aren't ANY Starbuck's around here." The "Yuppie scum" was silent, but it hung in the air, friends, like broken wind.... Be aware...danger lurks everywhere in....Cincinnati!

Check out Secret Cincinnati on Facebook. Really good.