Cell Phone News and Reviews

Monday, October 14, 2013

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Cell Phone News and Reviews

iPhones v.s. other Androids

Posted: 14 Oct 2013 10:53 AM PDT

Hello,

I am brand new to these forums, and I would like to hear some opinions.

This past December, I bought an iPhone 5 and it has been my very first smart phone I've ever owned. I have since seen other phones on tv shows that are androids and they honestly look really cool, but I've never even used an android though.
I have started considering next year when my contract runs out to buy a different phone instead of another iPhone (I'm sure the 6 will be out by then), but I was wondering what your thoughts, opinions, and reviews have been on this matter and if it would be a bad idea to stray away from the iPhones.

Can I unlock a registered phone?

Posted: 14 Oct 2013 10:39 AM PDT

I wrote before about this. I got a Net10 Samsung S390G phone online. I didn't realize it was a Net10 phone until I received it but I really prefer it under my Tracfone account. As soon as I put the Net10 SIM back in the phone was registered to Net10. There are a lot of unlock instructions on the web for that phone. Can I trust any of them and can I even unlock a phone that has already been registered? Thanks.

How-to: Enable and Manage Voicemail / Visual Voicemail on the Alcatel One Touch Evolve

Posted: 14 Oct 2013 08:02 AM PDT

Visual Voicemail Management

Setting up Visual Voicemail:

  1. While on the home screen, tap "All apps"
  2. Tap "Visual Voicemail"
  3. Tap "Next"

Enabling / Disabling Visual Voicemail:

  1. From the home screen, tap "All apps"
  2. Tap "Visual Voicemail"
  3. Tap the "On/Off" switch associated with Visual Voicemail to enable and disable this feature
  4. If prompted, press "OK"

Listening to Voicemail messages:

  1. From the home screen, tap "All apps"
  2. Tap "Visual Voicemail" and select the desired message
  3. Press the "Play" icon

Changing the Visual Voicemail Greeting to an Existing One:

  1. Tap "All apps" on the home screen
  2. Tap "Visual Voicemail"
  3. Press the "Menu" icon > "Settings" > "Greetings"
  4. Select the greeting that you wish to use

Recording a New Visual Voicemail Greeting:

  1. From the home screen, tap "All apps"
  2. Tap "Visual Voicemail"
  3. Press the "Menu" button
  4. Tap "Settings" > "Greetings" > "Add New"
  5. Type in a name for the new greeting
  6. Tap "Record" to begin recording
  7. Tap "Stop recording" to end the recording process
  8. Press the "Play" icon to preview your greeting
  9. Tap "Save"

Changing the Visual Voicemail Password:

  1. Tap "All apps" on the home screen
  2. Tap "Visual Voicemail" and press the "Menu" button
  3. Tap "Settings" > "Change PIN"
  4. Type in the current PIN
  5. Enter a new PIN, and enter it again to confirm
  6. Press "OK"

Voicemail Management

Calling Voicemail Using the Phone App:

  1. While on the home screen, tap the "Phone" icon
  2. Tap the "Dialer" tab
  3. Tap and hold the "1" key

Calling Voicemail Using the Voicemail Application:

  1. From the home screen, tap "All apps"
  2. Tap "Visual Voicemail"
  3. Press the "Menu" button and tap "Call Voicemail"

How-to: Manage Advanced Network Connections (APN, Data, 4G and More) – Alcatel One Touch Evolve

Posted: 14 Oct 2013 07:13 AM PDT

APN & Data Settings:

To add a new APN:

  1. While on the home screen, tap the "All apps" icon
  2. Tap "Settings"
  3. Under "Wireless & Network", tap "More…"
  4. Tap "Mobile networks" > "Access Point Names"
  5. Press the "Menu" icon located at the bottom-right side of the screen
  6. Tap "New APN" and edit the desired settings
  7. Press the "Menu" button and tap "Save" to confirm

Manual Network Selection:

To manually select the wireless network that your device connects to:

  1. Press the "All apps" icon located on the home screen
  2. Tap "Settings"
  3. Press "More…" under "Wireless & Networks"
  4. Tap "Mobile Networks" > "Network operators"
  5. Under "Available networks", tap "Select manually"
  6. Press "OK"
  7. Select the desired network and then tap "OK"

Switching Between 4G and 3g Connectivity:

  1. Tap the "All apps" icon located on the home screen
  2. Tap "Settings"
  3. Press "More.." under "Wireless & Networks"
  4. Tap "Mobile networks" and select one of the following options:
    • WCDMA only (3G)
    • GSM only (2G)
    • GSM / WCDMA auto
    • WCDMA

Enabling / Disabling Airplane Mode:

  1. While on the home screen, tap "All apps"
  2. Tap "Settings"
  3. Under "Wireless & Networks", mark or unmark the "Airplane mode" option to enable or disable the feature

Enabling / Disabling Data Roaming:

  1. While viewing one of the home screens, tap the "All apps" icon
  2. Tap "Settings"
  3. Under "Wireless & Networks", press "More.."
  4. Tap "Mobile networks" > "Data roaming"
  5. Tap "Disable" under "Roaming mode" to turn of the feature
  6. To enable data roaming, select either "National roaming only", or "All networks"
  7. Tap "OK" to save the changes

System manager (Carrier IQ) – T-Mobile Only

Opting In / Out of T-Mobile's System Manger:

The System Manager allows T-Mobile to easily help you troubleshoot various issues that you may have with your device. You can opt in or out of System Manager by following the steps below:

  1. While on the home screen, tap "All apps"
  2. Tap "Settings"
  3. Scroll down to "Personal" and tap "Backup & Reset"
  4. Tap "Collect diagnostics"
  5. Mark or unmark the check box associated with "Allow Diagnostics" to enable or disable System Manager
  6. Tap "Close"

Cellphone providers ~ Considering switching to Sprint.

Posted: 14 Oct 2013 06:58 AM PDT

I currently use Verizon. I have been with them for about the last 10-12 yrs. I still have one of their old school unlimited data plans for my wifes and my smart phone. Having unlimited data is very important because I use so much. On months where I have 1-2 on call periods I may use 10-12 gbs of data.

When Verizon did away with their unlimited plans I wasnt effected in any way. I was grandfathered in and allowed to keep the plan I had with no hitches. Now, they are changing on me. Now, I can keep my plan as long as I dont ever upgrade my phone. If I go in and use one of my "New Every Two" discounted upgrades on either of my phones I will be forced to switch to a new tiered data plan. So, im being forced into buying all my future phones out right through ebay or some other means.

Honestly, id be ok doing that as long as I knew id be able to always keep my plan. Since they switched up on me im having doubts now. Whats stopping them from contacting me today and saying "sorry, but if you want service with us you'll have to switch to tiered data plan".

This weekend I saw a commercial for Sprint. Apparently they still offer unlimited data, hell I think its unlimited everything. I think you can lock in for life as well. My curiosity is sparked and im looking for some first hand feedback.

TLDR: Does anyone here use Sprint for your cellphone? If so, have you had good/bad luck with it and why?

How-to: Enable/Disable and Manage Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS and Emergency Alerts on the Alcatel One Touch Evolve

Posted: 14 Oct 2013 06:56 AM PDT

Bluetooth Management

Enabling / Disabling Bluetooth:

  1. From the home screen, tap "All apps"
  2. Tap "Settings" > "Bluetooth"
  3. Tap the Bluetooth switch to enable or disable this feature

Pairing a Bluetooth Device:

  1. From any of the home screens, press the "All apps" icon
  2. Tap "Settings" and then tap "Bluetooth"
  3. Make sure that Bluetooth is enabled
  4. If necessary, make the other device visible
  5. Once the other device appears in the list on your smartphone's screen, tap it to pair with it. Otherwise, tap "Search for Devices" to restart the scanning process
  6. If necessary, enter the device's passcode and connect. (Note: by default, most Bluetooth devices have the passcode "1234" or "0000"

Unpairing a Bluetooth Device:

  1. From the home screen, tap "All apps"
  2. Tap "Settings" > "Bluetooth"
  3. Tap the "Settings" icon associated with the device that you wish to unpair
  4. Tap "Unpair"

Wi-Fi Management

Scanning and Connecting to a Wi-Fi Network:

  1. From the home screen, tap "All apps"
  2. Press "Settings"
  3. Tap the switch associated with "Wi-Fi" to enable the feature
  4. Tap "Wi-Fi" (the text itself, not the switch)
  5. After the scanning process is complete, select a Wi-Fi network to connect to
  6. If prompted, enter the network's password and other security credentials, then tap "Connect"

Deleting a Wi-Fi Network Profile:

  1. Tap the "All apps" icon located on the home screen
  2. Tap "Settings" and make sure that Wi-Fi is enabled
  3. On the Wi-Fi screen, tap and hold the name of the network that you wish to delete
  4. Tap "Forget network" in the dialogue box that pops-up

GPS and Emergency Alerts

Enabling / Disabling GPS:

  1. While viewing one of the home screens, tap "All apps"
  2. Tap "Settings"
  3. Under "Personal", tap "Location access"
  4. Tap the switch associated with "GPS" in order to enable or disable this feature

Enabling / Disabling Emergency Alerts:

  1. From any of the home screens, tap "All apps"
  2. Tap "Emergency alerts" > "Settings"
  3. Press the "Menu" icon located at the lower right corner of the screen
  4. Tap "Settings"
  5. Enable or disable the following:
    • Show Imminent threat
    • Show Extreme threat
    • Show severe threat
    • Show AMBER alert

Note: Presidential alerts are enabled by default and can't be disabled

How-to: Back Up and Restore Apps, and Media Files on the Alcatel One Touch Evolve

Posted: 14 Oct 2013 06:35 AM PDT

Backing Up Data

Backing Up Applications:

  1. While on the home screen, tap "All apps"
  2. Select "Settings"
  3. Under "Personal", tap "Backup and reset"
  4. Mark the check box associated with "Back up my data"
  5. Tap "Backup account"
  6. Tap "+ Add account" to set the desired backup account
  7. Follow the on-screen instructions to use an existing Google account, or to add a new one

Backing up Media Files:

  1. Connect your handset to your computer using the USB cable that came with your smartphone
  2. On your computer, click "Import Pictures and Videos"
  3. Click "Import"
  4. Once the transfer is finished, safely disconnect your smartphone from your PC

Restoring Data

Restoring Applications:

  1. While viewing any of the home screen, tap the "All apps" icon
  2. Tap "Settings"
  3. Under "Personal", tap "Backup and reset"
  4. Mark the check box associated with "Automatic restore"

Restoring Media Files:

  1. Connect your handset to your PC using the USB cable
  2. On your computer, click on "Open device to view files"
  3. Navigate to where you have backed up your files
  4. Navigate to the phone's internal memory. (Note: if you have an SD card installed, you will see two removable drives instead of one)
  5. Copy the backed up files from your computer, and paste them on the desired location on your phone's storage. (Or the SD card)
  6. Once finished, safely disconnect your phone from your computer

How-to: Manage Your Emails (and Email Accounts) on the Alcatel One Touch Evolve

Posted: 14 Oct 2013 06:19 AM PDT

Account Management

Adding an Email Account Manually:

  1. While viewing the home screen, tap the "All apps" icon
  2. Select "Settings"
  3. Under "Accounts", tap "+Add account"
  4. Tap "Corporate" to add an Exchange email account, or tap "Email" to add another email account type
  5. Type in your email address and password, then press "Next"
  6. Select the email checking frequency
  7. Mark or unmark the check boxes associated with: "Send email from this account by default", "Notify me when email arrives", "Sync email from this account", "Automatically download attachments when connected to Wi-Fi"
  8. Tap "Next"
  9. Optionally, edit the account name and then tap "Next" to complete the setup

Adding a Hotmail, Gmail, AOL or Yahoo Account:

  1. From any of the home screens, tap "All apps"
  2. Open "Email"
  3. Select the desired email account type: "Hotmail", "Gmail", "AOL" or "Yahoo"
  4. Type in the username and password, then tap "Next"
  5. Select the desired email checking frequency
  6. Choose days to sync, and then mark or unmark the checkboxes associated with:
    • Send email from this account by default
    • Notify me when email arrives
    • Sync email from this account
    • Automatically download attachments when connected to Wi-Fi
  7. Edit the account name if you desire, then tap "Next" to complete the setup

Deleting an Email Account:

  1. From the home screen, tap the "Apps" icon
  2. Open "Settings"
  3. Under "Accounts", tap "Email"
  4. Tap "Account settings"
  5. Select the email account that you wish to delete
  6. Tap "Remove account" and tap "OK" to confirm

Email Messaging

Attaching a File and Sending an Email:

  1. Tap the "All Apps" icon located on the home screen
  2. Select the desired file location: "Gallery", "File Manager" or "Downloads"
  3. Tap the file, image or picture that you wish to attach
  4. Tap "Email"
  5. Type in the recipient's email address or contact name
  6. Tap the subject field and enter the subject
  7. Write your message in the text field
  8. When ready, tap the "Send message >" icon located at the top of the screen

Deleting Emails:

  1. From any of the home screens, tap "All apps"
  2. Select either "Gmail" or "Email"
  3. Select the emails that you want to delete, then tap the "trash can" icon located at the bottom of the screen

How-to: Create, Manage and Transfer Contacts and Groups on the Alcatel One Touch Evolve

Posted: 14 Oct 2013 04:14 AM PDT

Adding a Contact:

  1. While on the home screen, press the "Phone" icon
  2. Tap the "Contacts" tab
  3. Tap the "+ Add Contact" icon
  4. Select either "Google", "USIM" or "Phone"
  5. Enter the contact's information as you desire, then tap "Done" to save the contact

Adding a contact to Speed Dial:

  1. While viewing the home screen, tap the "Phone" icon
  2. Tap the "Dialer" tab"
  3. Press the "Menu" icon depicting three vertical dots
  4. Tap "Speed dial"
  5. Press a number on the dialer to assign it as your contact's speed dial key. (Note: you can't assign "1" as a speeded dial key, as it is used for voicemail by default and can't be changed)
  6. Select the contact that you wish to add to speed dial

Deleting Contacts:

  1. Tap the "Apps" icon located on the home screen
  2. Tap "People" and select the "Contacts" tab
  3. Press the "Menu" icon located at the bottom-right corner of the screen
  4. Tap "Delete contact"
  5. Select the contact(s) that you want to delete, and then tap the "trash can" icon
  6. Press "OK" to confirm

Importing / Exporting Contacts From SD Card

Copying Contacts from Phone to SD Card:

  1. From the home screen, tap the "Apps" icon
  2. Tap "People"
  3. Go to the "Contacts" tab
  4. Press the "Menu" icon and select "Import / Export"
  5. Under "Copy Contacts From", tap "Phone"
  6. Tap "Next"
  7. Under "Copy Contacts To", select "SD Card"
  8. Select the contact(s) that you wish to copy to the SD card
  9. Tap the "Export contacts" icon (depicting two squares overlapping)
  10. Press "OK" to confirm

Copying Contacts from SD Card to the Phone's Memory:

  1. From the home screen, tap the "Apps" icon
  2. Open "People"
  3. Go to the "Contacts" tab
  4. Press the "Menu" icon
  5. Select "Import / Export"
  6. Tap "SD Card" under "Copy Contacts From"
  7. Tap "Next"
  8. Under "Copy Contacts To" select "Phone"
  9. Choose the contact(s) that you wish to copy
  10. Tap the "Export contacts" icon and tap "OK" to confirm

Importing / Exporting Contacts from the SIM Card

Copying Contacts from Phone to SIM Card:

  1. Tap the "All apps" icon located on the home screen
  2. Tap "People" and go to the "Contacts" tab
  3. Press the "Menu" icon
  4. Select "Import / Export"
  5. Under "Copy Contacts From", tap "Phone"
  6. Press "Next"
  7. Select "SIM Card" under "Copy Contacts To"
  8. Choose the contact(s) that you wish to copy
  9. Tap the "Export contacts" icon depicted as two overlapping squares
  10. Press "OK" to confirm

Copying Contacts from SIM Card to Phone:

  1. Tap "Apps" while on the home screen
  2. Tap "People" and tap the "Contacts" tab
  3. Press the "Menu" icon and tap "Import / Export"
  4. Select "SIM Card" under "Copy Contacts From"
  5. Tap "Next"
  6. Under "Copy Contacts To", tap "Phone"
  7. Select the contact(s) that you wish to copy
  8. Press the "Export Contacts" icon and tap "OK"

Group Management

Creating a Caller Group:

  1. While on the home screen, tap the "Apps" icon
  2. Tap "People"
  3. Go to the "Groups" tab
  4. Press the "Menu" icon
  5. Select "Options" > "Groups"
  6. Tap "Add New Group"
  7. Type in a name for the group
  8. Select "Options" > "Save" and tap "Yes" to confirm

Adding Contacts to a Caller Group:

  1. While on the home screen, tap "Apps"
  2. Tap "People"
  3. Select the "Groups" tab
  4. Press the "Menu" icon
  5. Select "Options" > "Groups"
  6. Choose a group, then tap "Options" > "Add"
  7. Mark the check boxes associated with the contacts that you wish to add
  8. Tap "Done" when finished and then tap "Yes" to confirm
Posted by IMers at 1:40 PM

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