T900 - Whatchoo Talkinbout?
Written: Dec 26 '01 (Updated Feb 11 '04)
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Pros: Easy to communicate. MUCH more private than a cell phone.
Cons: Overcalls can run up easily if you're on the wrong plan!
The Bottom Line: Excellent for personal and small business use, keeping track of teenagers, and keeping in touch with family & friends.
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| Tamara99's Full Review: Motorola Talkabout T900 2-Way Pager (Black) |
What a cool little device!
WHAT IS TWO-WAY?
First of all - what is Two Way Messaging? It is the ability to SEND as well as RECEIVE email from a wireless device. No more stopping by a pay phone, getting off the freeway, racking up cell time, no big laptops to carry around. You simply type out a message on your 2way device, enter the email address (or use your address book) and hit send. It is then transmitted to the tower and voila - your email has been sent. And when email is delivered to you, it is right there, right now. You don't have to remember to log in, or find a connection. No ISP charges. Nothing extra. And yes, this is REAL email - you can send & receive to/from any email account, including Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL, and MSN.
There are about half a dozen different styles of two-way devices out there - everything from the GlenAyre Accesslink (garbage, IMHO) to the P935 TimePort to the Blackberry (like a Palm Pilot). Here is what makes the T900 a good introduction to the world of 2way service.
The T900
First off, it's made by Motorola, one of the more reliable manufacturers out there, and Motorola offers a 1 year warranty on all of their products. (Motorola's number is 1-800-848-9954 if you need assistance). Motorola offers a whole line of pagers under the Talkabout name - the T900 is the two-way device.
Secondly, it has a full QWERTY keyboard on it (unlike a cell phone or an Accesslink), yet because it is a foldup style (like a laptop), it is much smaller than the TimePort or the Blackberry which makes it easier to carry around.
While it doesn't have all the fancy internet & ringer functions of the Timeport, it does have 250 address spaces, nationwide coverage including over 600 metropolitan areas (international coverage is being developed) and guaranteed delivery for up to 72 hours. What that means is that if you go out of the coverage area, it will keep trying to deliver your messages for up to three days. With an ordinary pager, if you miss a message, it's gone - too bad, so sad.
They are also programmed with a free service from Motorola with general news, information, weather and sports.
Extended Information Services
But - if that's not enough for you, you also have access to optional information services such as Oraclemobile.com, PocketGenie.com or StockBoss.com.
These are free services which allow you to access news, weather, sports scores, flight information, horoscopes, stock quotes for the areas that YOU want. When you want it, you send a quick message to their automated email address and within three minutes, you will receive a response.
I have my pager programmed with the weather in Billings MT, Los Angeles CA and London, MLB scores for the Seattle Mariners, and my birth sign. Last time I flew out, I was able to check the status of my flight while driving down the freeway - I sent off a query, and received the response "on-time".....and I was, because I didn't have to get off the freeway to call the airline, nor did I have to be on hold for thirty minutes waiting for them to answer.
Service Providers
The first thing you should know is that there is only ONE two-way network in this country, and it is owned by Weblink Wireless. Weblink filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy back in May 2001, and recently announced plans for emerging from the bankruptcy, which means they are currently short on cash to handle much in the way of upgrades or expansions. Like any new piece of technology, there are glitches and bugs to be worked out - but it's going to take time.
If Weblink goes under, however, the two-way network is not going to disappear - it will simply be sold off to the highest bidder, most likely either Metrocall or Arch.
EVERY other company that offers any kind of two-way service is a reseller for Weblink. So when you go looking for a service provider, you are looking for a reliable billing company with good customer service at the best possible price. Different features are optional, and not all companies offer them - but the underlying structure is the same.
UPDATE ADDED 2/10/04: Weblink Wireless was purchased by Metrocall in November, 2003.
Troubleshooting
The T900's are a little more fragile than the other more expensive devices available, with a weak point being the hinge. If you're used to rough-housing with your pager, you'll find you have to be more careful with this. Treat it with respect, and it will last.
If you are not receiving, DO NOT TURN THE BATTERY AROUND. That only works with one way pagers; it can harm two-way pagers to do that. To reset it, just turn it off for a few minutes, then turn it back on. If you're still having difficulty sending or receiving, try going to another location. You may be out of the coverage area.
Call your service provider, with zip codes, to check coverage.
If you can receive, but not send, you may be on the edge of the coverage region - close enough for the tower to talk to you, but not enough for your double-A battery powered device to talk back. Try moving to another area.
Things that interfere with radio frequencies are going to interfere with your pager coverage, because all wireless devices run off of radio waves. Thick walls, radiation equipment, lightning, dead areas, mountains, valleys, and lots of skyscrapers all can get in the way. Basically if the radio reception sucks, your pager reception probably does too.
Each message is considered to be "up to a hundred characters" - so if you get a message that is 450 messages, that is five messages. If you reply to it, you are sending out all 450 characters again plus whatever you wrote back. You may think you only got ten messages, but it may have counted as 100. (Ten 500 character messages sent and received). Because of this, it is very easy to wrack up overcalls if you aren't careful.
Simple ways to alleviate this are: Every message over 100 characters will give you a character count at the end of the message. Pay attention to this. Start a new message instead of replying. Use the default responses instead of custom replies. (The default responses don't count.) And make sure that you are on the right plan. It's better to pay an extra $10 a month for a higher limit than to end up with $200 in overcalls because you were trying to save money.
Next, because they are all the same frequency, Weblink has assigned a section of serial numbers to each reseller so that none of them are over-lapping. The reason this is important is that you must pick out your service provider FIRST, and then go looking for equipment. If you purchase a pre-owned 2way pager, you may find yourself stuck with a service provider you don't like or who is really expensive. Check it out first.
Optional Services Available
Remote Email Manager - you can actually check your other email accounts from your two-way device, filtering some or all messages to and from your two-way pager. When you reply, the reply to address is the original Yahoo, Hotmail, home or work account....yet still accessible from your 2way device.
Text 2 Voice - This feature just debuted in Oct 2001, and allows you to type out a message which is then translated into a voice message that is delivered to a telephone or voice mail. This is just a 1 way delivery, but it allows the deaf or hard of hearing to communicate with the hearing world.
Conclusion
The T900 is an excellent communication device for those who want to keep in touch with the world. While some of the more expensive 2ways have fancy features like games, internet access and other programs, the T900 simply offers a wide variety of ways to get your messages where they need to go. What more do you need?
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 99.95
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Epinions.com ID:
Tamara99
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Reviews written: 25
Trusted by: 24 members
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