International Charges on iPhone

I've decided to outline some of the things I learned today, about using your iPhone abroad.

If you wish to use your iPhone for voice, text messaging, email, surfing the web or using apps that access the internet, while you are in Edge or 3G mode, then you will be charged.

• If you receive a VoiceMail, you will be billed per minute and if you listen to that voicemail, you will be billed per minute.  Note: You can have this Voicemail disabled by calling AT&T.  It is nice to have this feature, assuming you don't have a lot of friends calling and leaving you messages all the time.  A good reason to consider leaving this option enabled would be if you need to hear from someone back home. 
• Any calls you make overseas to overseas or the US will incur a charge per minute for each call based on the roaming fees associated with that country.  To receive discounted per minute roaming rates, you can take out a World Traveler Plan costing $5.99 per month or you can be charged the standard rates for that country which a generally higher rate for the countries without taking out this plan.  Therefore, if you just plan to make a few calls or only for emergency, it might not benefit you to also have the additional $5.99 monthly plan.
• Text messages are received and billed as well.  Check the ATT site for international costs and plans.  Usually text message options will offer a cheaper alternative to incurring costs for lengthy voice calls.
• When using email, surfing the web, streaming movies, or using apps that rely on data transmission you can rack up some pretty hefty charges.  If you do not use these services on your iPhone while in the voice mode and only while using wifi, you can avoid these added costs.  You should try to take advantage of free hotspots and inexpensive wifi services in cafes, hotels and restaurants during your trip.  If you plan to access these services while under Edge or 3G, then it is advisable to get a plan offered for international usage which currently includes:  

• 50 MB for $24.99 Monthly Charge
• 125 MB for $49.99 Monthly Charge
• 225 MB for $99.99 Monthly Charge
• 800 MB for 199.99 Monthly Charge.  
• Once you exceed the data by 1MB, you will be billed $10 for an additional 10MB 

• Note:  The only way to keep your iPhone from automatically transmitting data is to keep both the "Data Roaming" and the "Fetch New Data" settings to OFF. Even if you change these settings to the OFF position, you will still be able to use your phone for voice and text. You also have the option of using wifi when available. To turn off data roaming please select Settings-General-Network-Data Roaming. To turn off data fetch Settings, Mail-Contacts-Calenders, Fetch New Data, Change push to off and select to Fetch Manually. 
  
  Note:  The monthly plans for discounted rates per minute on voice calls and plans for data downloads can be added or removed at any time and do not involve a cancellation fee.  
     
  You are able to add and remove international features by accessing your online account or calling AT&T International Care at 1-800-335-4685. or if you are out of country you can dial 001-916-843-4685. 
  
  Note: 
  
  If you need to speak to an International Care Representative you can always chat with one online at the AT&T site. You can also send us an email by logging onto your online account at att.com/mywireless>contact us. Or you can reach a representative by dialing +1-916-843-4685 while you are outside of the country.
  
  
  To reduce costs while overseas consider using wifi when available, using Skype or FaceTime type apps when wifi is available to make your calls, emailing or texting while using wifi.  If you need navigation, see if your current handheld GPS devices are up-to-date with maps of the regions you plan to visit and use instead of incurring charges for downloading maps while using 3G or edge connection on your iPhone.  Yes, Google Maps can be expensive to use while on data roaming charges are incurring for large data downloads of maps.  I often download maps and use with GoodReader in the form of pdf file.  That way, I can zoom in on city maps much like we did when we used paper maps.  This can also be done by storing your pdf maps in your iBooks and can be accessed without using wifi or expensive data roaming plans.
  
  
  Happy traveling.  Remember with a little pre-planning you can enjoy your trip and avoid any unexpected expenses or surprises when you get home.
  
  
  
  
  
  

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Testing iPad 2 Audio and Camera Photo Post to Cinchcast.com

I was given the option to take a photo with the rear or the front facing cameras. This was a photo using the rear camera that was posted on cinchcast.com

If you haven't tried cinchcast.com it is a site that allows audio posting, via your computer or phone or iphone/ipad or android apps. Tweet

Will I Buy the New iPad 2?

I will definitely be in line at my local Apple Store to purchase the new iPad 2. I have always in the past been one to buy the latest and greatest Apple equipment. Apple has kept me one step ahead of most, always on the edge of technology. I chuckle at those that have just recently discovered what Apple has offered for years. So many are converting from PC's to Mac's and Apple devices.

The iPad 2 offers some pretty neat features for my needs. I am excited about the ability to use the front and rear facing cameras for Facetime calls from my iPad to other iPads, iPhone 4's and Mac computers. As far as the debate over the resolution of using the iPad camera for photo taking this is not top on my list, as I have nice digital cameras I use for taking most of my travel photos, family photos and such. If I need to take a photo on the go when I do not have one of the fancy digital cameras with me, I will continue to use my iPhone.

I will probably use the video camera capability and purchase the iMovie and Garageband software for use on the iPad 2. It will be fun to try out and explore movie making on the go for those short clips that one might want to send via email or post on websites such as youtube or facebook.

As far as the smart cover, which looks rather interesting, my concern would be how slippery is the back of the ipad when it goes sliding to the floor when placed quickly on a table top. This was the one reason I purchased the Apple cover for my first generation iPad. I immediately noticed that at one point if not protected on the back as well as the front of the ipad, that it would ultimately go crashing to the floor, possibly damaging my favorite device. I may have to add some sort of non-skid pad or sticker on the back for preventing this.

What will I do with my other iPad? That is an interesting question as I have grandchildren that could enjoy it or I could use it as a digital photo frame, clock, alarm, or a multitude of options, even as a cookbook reader in the kitchen. Will I part with it or keep it for use in some other manner, that is the question.

I have already marked my iCal with March 11, 5PM appointment!

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How to Capture Your Facetime Photo

Today I was using the  FaceTime application on my Mac to talk with my son. I was thinking that there should be a quick way to take a photo of the FaceTime image.

I remembered one of the tips that another blogger and fellow tweeter known as MacBlend had posted a few days ago. He tweets tips for Mac users. Often we read these tips and don't think about the mere way we might use them. All of a sudden I realized that his helpful tip would allow me to capture the image on my FaceTime window.

Here is my self portrait for today thanks to MacBlend's tips. Check him out on MacBlend Twitter and his blog page as that is pretty informative as well. He offers some neat Mac lessons at reasonable pricing.  I know you will enjoy his helpful tips and blog posts and tweets!

Tip: To capture a specific window on your Mac, hold down the command-shift-4 key and then hit the space bar and select the window you wish to capture. Tweet

Love the New Facetime for Macs

Just tried the new FaceTime application for my Mac. It is very easy to use, has excellent video and audio reception. Kudos to Apple developers for a great new application that I will be utilizing with family and friends on a regular basis.

Setting up the app and installing was fast and easy and automatically connects with simply choosing person I wish to call with my contacts list that was automatically interfaced, loaded, and accessible from the app. This will be a great way for my family to communicate via our Macs and iPhone 4's.

I especially like the 'Favorites' tab, where you can use the + sign to select contacts to add to your favorites list. I set up my family in the 'Favorites' list and now can just do a simple click to call either their computer or iPhone 4 numbers to video conference with them. There is also a 'Recents' tab.

The quality is much better than using iChat. You can increase the size of the FaceTime display by using the lower right-hand corner to stretch the viewing area and the quality is still superb. Or you can use the option 'Zoom' from under the 'Window' menubar or use the 'green button' in the upper left corner of the FaceTime Screen. Under 'Video' menubar, you can also select 'Portrait', 'Landscape' or Full Screen mode and it seems to also change it on the receiving Mac as well.

Under the FaceTime Preferences, you can add additional email addresses for you account ID if you wish to give out different emails for your Contact info.

The Beta version .9 looks great and look forward to more options being added in the future.

It is amazing how far technology has come since my first experience with a video phone in 1968 when I visited the San Antonio Texas HemisFair, more than 35 years ago where I saw myself on a phone for the first time.

Can't wait to be able to use this on our new MacBook Air while traveling. What a great way to video conference with the children, grandchildren and especially the new grandson. Tweet