How to figure out which Straight Talk Sim to buy!

Paul

So you have an Unlocked Phone!

Just because you have an unlocked phone and can use a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) doesn’t mean it will work with Straight Talk.   Let’s face it, not all phones are going to be compatible with Straight Talk service.  I talked about How I did it with  my HTC inspire 4G phone, but I am sure some of you have tried and failed at this because of the phone in question.   So what phones work with Straight Talk?   I’m here to help, I might not know all the answers but I will at least give you the important details and point you in the right direction.

It is about the Cell Carriers!

Knowing how some carriers only will work in certain areas can help you determine which SIM card to buy.  It however isn’t always going to help.   There may be more than 4 to 5 Cell Carriers in your area and thus you might not know which phones will work with any particular Cell phone.  So I’ve decided to break this down into small parts and thus maybe then you can figure out if it will work with your phone!

The Data Speed of the Phone!

It isn’t really the amount of data that we are worried about but which version of antenna your phone is using. Some phones use Code division multiple access (CDMA) and others use Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and thus if your try to use a CDMA on a GSM network which really are incompatible with each other.   So I will tell you which ones the major providers use:

 

This is just a short list of providers but these are at least the major players in the USA, so you can see it is a split between CDMA and GSM!  

Now that you figured that out!

You’ve figured it out now, you’ve can know if your cell phone will work with Straight Talk.   If you have a CDMA phone you will not be able to use it with Straight Talk, but if your have a GSM.  You now have to ask find out which Frequency your phone uses!  Many GSM phones will use different frequency, some use 800 mhz and others use 1900 mhz spectrum.   You have to choice the right SIM card from Straight Talk but you also have to have the right Phone.   I suggest buying an Unlocked GSM phone [Affiliate Link]and then picking the SIM card.  

This should help you determine if your phone will work with Straight Talk but you can always go buy a GSM Unlocked Phone [Affiliate Link]to be sure!  Nothing is a guarantee when it comes to phones though!

Paul Sylvester

Buy an Unlocked GSM PHONE [Affiliate Link]

 

 

How to get the HTC Inspire 4g AT&T to work with Straight Talk

Paul5 Replies

It really wasn’t hard!

I have been doing a lot of stuff with this HTC Inspire that I got from a family member.  Here are some of my observations about this phone that I wanted to share with you before we get into making it work with Straight Talk.   Afterall I want to be fair to you my readers.

 

The HTC Inspire in whole, isn’t really that bad of a phone.   There will be some caviates of the phone though.  The battery that was in the phone has been charged and discharged so many times that I can’t reliably say that the battery is bad. So with that in mind, I plan on making a trip to Batteries Plus to buy me a new battery.  The Screen on the Inspire gives you so much more than you get on most other smart phones.   The Resolution of the screen is crisp and you can do a lot with the Apps from the Marketplace.

How I did it!

If you’ve been reading my blog the last week or so, you would of noticed that I showed you how to unlock the HTC Inspire 4g AT&T Phone yourself for free.   I did unlock it successfully, because when I got the new sim it had to be set to be used it but didn’t say it couldn’t use that SIM.  If your really unsure of it yourself you might just got buy an unlocked HTC Inspire 4g AT&T Phone .  I really don’t want you to brick you phone but you can also try to get AT&T to unlock it  or you could buy the Unlock Code.   I really don’t know if they will or not but it is always a possiblity.

Getting the Right Sim Card from Straight Talk!

I’ve found in the past that if your are going to use a phone from a carrier unlocked it sometimes the best results can be continueing to use the same carrier in one aspect or another.  So choose the right Sim for the phone you have and you won’t be disappointed.  This will be a short tutorial for the AT&T HTC Inspire that I just got done unlocking.   You will need to unlock your HTC Inspire to do this successfully, but if your are successfull, you will be able to use their service for much less than you normally would.

Make sure you pick the AT&T Compatible Sim!Once you unlocked the cell phone and gotten the AT&T Compatible Straight talk SIM card, you will need to set up some Access Point Names(APNS) for the HTC Inspire 4g Unlocked Cell phone.

On the Inspire itself hit:

MENU > Settings > Wireless & networks > Mobile Networks > Access Point Names

There you will see two APN’s already set by AT&T.  They are MEdia Net and MMS (Wap.cingular).   Mine were locked but I left them alone on my phone   In order to get both internet and mobile calls on you phone you will need to create two APNS:  (This would be a good time to bookmark my site in case you need to come back to it!)

Only fill in the ones I tell you, Leave all the rest blank or <Not set> and it all CASE Sensitive:

MENU > Add APN

Name : straight talk

APN: ATT.mvno

MMS protocol: WAP 2.0

MCC:  310

MNC:  410

MENU > SAVE

MENU > Add APN

Name: mmsc

APN: ATT.mvno

MMSC:  http://mmsc.cingular.com

MMS Proxy:  80

MMS protocol:  WAP 2.0

MCC:  310

MNC: 410

APN type: mms

MENU > SAVE

So if you have done this right, it is now time to reboot your HTC Inspire 4G unlocked Cell phone.  Hold the power button down for 3 seconds and hit RESTART once you have done this you should be able to use both internet and make calls on the Straight Talk Network with your SIM.  Remember you will need to register the sim with Straight Talk before you can use it but if you haven’t now would be a good time to Activate the SIM and associate that SIM with your Account.

I hope this helps you figure out how to use your new found freedom with yoru android device and thus you should be all set to make calls and surf the web with your HTC Inspire 4G.   If you have any questionns please feel free to contact me or leave a comment.  

Paul Sylvester

 

Why Self-Fulfilling Malware causes problems!

Paul

Self-fulfilling malware? Yea Right!

A self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become true, by the very terms of the prophecy itself, due to positive feedback between belief and behavior.

Via Wikipedia

It’s not really a prophecy but yet it is to a point.  I’m not saying that it is self-replicating or anything of that nature, but I am talking about how it has evolved over the last few years.  If your like me, you get a lot of calls from customers who insist that they have a virus because of a various number of reasons.   Some fo them could saying, they are getting warnings, others that I’ve seen just said that their system is really slow and thus they think they have a virus slowing down their system.  I’m sure you have many examples of this  and thus you know what I am talking about.   There have been many customers that I’ve had to deal with about just that.   They think it is a virus are pretty much won’t accept anything else but that, I’m sure I am not alone when it comes to you own small business.

Dealing with the Customer!

In many ways you probably like me, you try to insist that they don’t have a malware but yet they are coming up with ways why they do.  I’ve got a few tips to help deal with those types of customers who think they HAVE to of gotten a virus or malware along the way!  I’m going to share a few with you that might help you with your own customers.

Customer is always right! (And some that are just not right!)

The first thing I do is tell them it will cost them a certain amount of money to diagnose the problem and thus this will likely turn them away from you and help you help those who really might need the technical help.   I do recommend not charging a lot because if they do have a virus and don’t know how to remove it then you could be loosing a value loyal customer.   Consider charging something like a 30 minute fee to diagnose the problem, what ever you hourly fee is probably about right.  Something else you might want to consider, is to make it free if they have a virus or malware!

Give Customers Free Resources!

If your see my site, you will see that I offer a free Antivurs URL for anyone who might not want to remove their virus themselves but then again.   I warn them that they do this at their own risk and maybe give them some more resources if you know of any.   This will help you with the customers that might need the extra time with their problems.   I don’t like doing this option but it is a good option if you don’t have the time to worry about those customers.   

These are just my few options that I have come to use, maybe you have another way to do it and would love to hear your stories.   

Paul Sylvester

 

Now Hiring: How Small Businesses can Advertise they are Hiring for Free!

Paul

Now Hiring For New Universal’s Superstar Parade by stranger3113, on Flickr

It Doesn’t cost much!

You don’t have to spend money to tell people you are looking for a new employee.   I’ve been told by two different people that small companies or even small businesses can’t afford to advertise that they are hiring or looking for a specific position to fill.  I don’t agree with them one bit.  I’m not looking to start an agument about this but I believe that no business big or small can’t advertise that they are looking for someone to hire.   My brother in law, who told me that small business will use word mouth advertising isn’t always used.   

It used to be the case where a business didn’t have much choice but to use word of mouth, because the internet was so young and scary that most small businesses couldn’t afford to pay to advertise that they are hiring.   In todays age, that has changed and I’ll be talking about that in detail. 

Social Media is One way!

Most of the time, small businesses will have one or two social media avenues that they use to tell people about their products or services.  This is a great asset that can to tell people that you are looking for someone to hire.  Nothing you do on your Twitter, or Facebook business account shouldn’t be just to sell your products or promote specials for your business but it can be very useful to tell people about an opening.   I’m also saying this because this is one of those really overlooked ways to advertise your hiring.   If your using twitter, then you can have a little Google juice on your side.  Google really does try to index all those tweets and show them to people who might want to see those tweets.   Even twitter has a search capability so you can search for anything being said on twitter.

Your Website!

Knowing how small businesses operate, most of them will likely have a website or two about their service or products.  if you really looking for someone to fill a spot in your business then this is one avenue that should be encourage and used.   You don’t know how many times I’ve seen small businesses who have a website but aren’t telling people about them hiring.   I have seen them time and time again put out the Now Hiring Sign in front of their business but yet not do that for their website.   It could be the most quickest way to find someone to fill a position in your company!

Your Newsletter!

I know I have a Newsletter that you can subscribe to recieve the last posts, and I’m sure most small businesses will have a newsletter or something like that to promote your product or service.  In the same way you use your website, you should be utilizing your newsletter to tell people about that position.   If you have a newsletter of sorts, then people are caring about your company and thus may want to be a part of the company.   So not telling your most loyal customers about this great oppurtunity is not going to help your company but might hurt it.   You want the person you hire to care about your business or company and thus if you can get a loyal customer to be part of the company you are going to make sure they want to your company to succeed.

Craigslist!

I am not saying this is the best option but this is a good option for those of you who are looking to hire and would like to tell people about it.   This is one of those ideas that might or might not work but if your are interested in hiring someone, then you can always advertise on craigslist for free.  There will be questionable applicants but then you can easily weed out those that you may not think will be the best fit.  This is ofcourse just one of the many ways to advertise for free that your company is hiring.   If your want to find out other ways, you can always use Google to help you find them.

In the end of the day, in order to tell people you have to sometimes think outside of the box and step out and trying new things.   You may think it will cost a bundle to advertise that your are hiring but if your really are looking for someone to fill a position then you have to be open to the idea that there will always be free options to do just that.   Don’t let people tell you in order to hire people that you have to pay, that is simply no true.  You can accomplish what you are wanting for little or no money and still get what you are looking for!

Paul Sylvester

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How computer viruses use word of mouth to infect systems!

Paul

Social Networks Hype Cycle (Photo credit: fredcavazza)

Social Network is Culprit!

I remember some very interesting Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites used in the past to get people to click on an infected link.  This is one of the oldest techniques.   The virus post something on your twitter account or your Facebook account about something really interesting.   Even if you trust your friend, sometimes the friend or twitter account that you know aren’t really in control of what they post.   This is the first line of trust that the virus makers use to spread their viruses until other computers and systems.   You should never click any link unless you know where it is going.  Although this is becoming less and less troublesome, I am sure it isn’t going away but just biding it’s time to come out and strike another day.

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