Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle" - Consumerist Comments

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

lilyHaze — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 11:17:24 EDT

To this day I can't manage to stop laughing when I think of his "tubes" comment. Anyone watch the "Daily Show" coverage? Hilarious!

Seriously, this wi-fi thing on the cellphones sounds pretty cool.

lilyHaze

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

methane — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 09:19:04 EDT

two things. First, why have two people mentioned 'wireline' in a mocking tone? Ask any Sprint engineer or employee and they will tell you that they have two businesses, wireline and wireless.
Second, how do his questions make him the "Devil's Advocate" more than a "crotchety old man who doesn't understand technology and refuses to make the attempt?"

methane

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

shiwsup — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 08:51:40 EDT

Some of the latest cell phones, including the upcoming Blackberry Curve 2 for T-mobile, have Wi-Fi capability. This is basically what he's talking about. It uses a Wi-Fi network (rather than your minutes) when it is available (say, at home), then switches to cell tower when you need it. The call (currently) gets billed to wherever you were when you started the call. So if you start the call at home (on your home network) and then leave, the call is still free.

shiwsup

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

blimblim — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 01:46:20 EDT

These are exactly the kind of comments I expect to see from the backward cellular world of the US. Here in Europe exactly these kind of FMC (Fixed Mobile Convergence) technologies are beginning to appear (UMA, MVoIP, DMH, VCC, 3G femtocells). This is not fantasy, perhaps you lot will see some of this stuff in 10 years or so?

blimblim

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

☠Gяяя I love funky unicode symbols☺RRR! — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 23:43:38 EDT

@Moosehawk: Some of us live out in the boonies where the cell coverage sucks rocks and the cable company refuses to put cable down the road because there aren't enough houses (need the DSL).

☠Gяяя I love funky unicode symbols☺RRR!

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

scg — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 21:53:49 EDT

Some observations:

#1 - In theory you can already do what the good tube-surfer has suggested. Call transfer (different from call forwarding) allows you to transfer a call off of one line to another line. It's not typically something you would order on residential wireline service, but we put it on business service occasionally. To transfer a call, you flash the switchhook and then dial the transfer code and the number to receive the transfer. Once the other person answers, you hang up and the call continues on the other line.

#2 - Wireline phone is not incorrect. Although it's not commonly used, that is a proper way to describe a wired telephone. Curiously enough, Cisco (big networking vendor -- you might have heard of them) has a whole class of equipment designed for ... "wireline carriers."

#3 - MercuryPDX - They do typically call it "call following." In technical terms, they set up a no answer transfer to another number to trigger after a certain number of rings. (This is the exact same way that Qwest Voice Messaging works except the ring/no answer goes to the voice mail switch input instead of your cell phone.)

#4 - Moosehawk - Two reasons for a landline: (1) They're called children. I'm not getting each of my four children a cell phone. At this time, I'm firmly opposed to six year olds carrying them. (2) There is that whole reliability factor.

Rosy, I'll take the bet. You owe me ten bucks.

scg

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

runcibleshaw — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 19:40:29 EDT

I don't think Ted Stevens is that crazy. I mean, he's crazy, but I'm with him on this one. Cox Communications here in San Diego has something called Pivot which allows you to take your cell phone calls at home without using your plan minutes. If there were something that let me have the same number on VOIP, Home and Cell lines with a little switch that would let me choose which phone I wanted the calls to go to I would be all over it.

runcibleshaw

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

rosy501 — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 18:47:28 EDT

"Wireline!" omgwtfbrblmao!!!11! Just when I thought it couldn't get better than tubes of teh internets.

Like R. Kelly, Stevens is either a genius or total moron. My money's on the latter.

rosy501

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

frogpelt — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 16:50:13 EDT

@csandreas:
"Hello Grand Central."

Good call!!!

frogpelt

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

PhilK — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 16:28:56 EDT

@obbie: Helio allows you to do that. You just tell it which phone to use and it switches over like clockwork.

PhilK

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

TechnoDestructo — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 16:05:16 EDT

@DanGross:

It's Bittorrent clogging the tubes.

Also, it sounds to me like Mr. Stevens may finally be starting to understand all these new fangled teleophones. Starting to, not finishing to.

BTW, I voted for him. As bad as Stevens is, I wouldn't have wanted Alaska to lose its whole delegation at once, and I sure the hell wasn't going to vote for the other two. Stevens may be an idiot, but Young and Murkowski were scum. And Murkowski proved it when they elected him governor.

TechnoDestructo

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

DeeJayQueue — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 15:39:50 EDT

I can hear someone ichatting in the background of the clip... drove me nuts thinking it was mine, when the program wasn't even open!

DeeJayQueue

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

Electoral College Dropout — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 14:46:16 EDT

"No, Senator, we could not do that. It would lead to a mixed up series of tubes."

Electoral College Dropout

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

Dewb — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 14:26:55 EDT

This isn't at all ridiculous. T-Mobile sells a couple of cell phones that, with their "Hotspot @ Home" service, will switch to VoIP-over-Wifi when you're at home or near a Starbucks.

Dewb

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

jitrobug — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 14:21:02 EDT

Actually, it sounds like what would satisfy Ted is if he could connect devices from anyone to his cell phone connection, instead of having to use the one phone associated with the number.

Like we can do with a land line.

Who would have thought he'd be on the right side of anything.

jitrobug

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

endless — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 13:50:39 EDT

[www.telekom.com]

i am not overly clear on it, but it sounds like that would be the same?

endless

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

DanGross — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 13:41:09 EDT

Doesn't Mr. Stevens realize that it is those darn VOIPers that are clogging up the tubes?

Anybody get the impression that he's the only person in existence with a rotary cell phone?

Was it Sprint or MCI that had the "One" system way back when, where you have one number and it fell through (after a set number of rings) a series of phone numbers until you answered...?

DanGross

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 13:27:12 EDT

@Moosehawk: Old people and people who live in places that don't have good cell phone reception (like Alaska, for example).

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

psm321 — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 13:21:14 EDT

@obbie: Just get a GSM provider (AT&T or T-mobile) and you can just swap out the SIM card. Though you'd have to get new phones for that...

psm321

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

yg17 — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 13:04:05 EDT

Its possible with something like GrandCentral. Or you could give everyone your cell number, and then set your cell to forward to your home number in case your cell is off, out of service, or you don't answer it in time.

yg17

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

Kryndis — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 12:32:41 EDT

@csandreas: Yeah, I thought the same thing. If they do this Google's acquisition isn't going to look too smart.

Kryndis

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

Moosehawk — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 12:26:21 EDT

Why even have a landline anymore? Everybody has a cell phone and there isn't really any advantages of a landline besides reliability and pretending you aren't home if it's somebody you don't want to talk to.

Moosehawk

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

MercuryPDX — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 12:15:23 EDT

I got an "Amazing DSL offer from Qwest!" which turned out to be bogus, so while I had them on the phone we reviewed my account to see if I can give them less money every month. One of the things they mentioned was dumping my current cell provider and getting a Qwest Wireless phone. The CSR told me they can even set it to have the same number as my landline and even pick the order in which they rang (call the landline first and after 4 rings switch to the cell). I think they called it 'call following', but I'm not sure.

MercuryPDX

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

Serolf Divad — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 12:14:38 EDT

So every time you daughter's boyfriend calls your house, it rings on your cellphone at work and your wife's cellphone as well? Not good.

Serolf Divad

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

Saydur — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 12:08:51 EDT

Even if Ted Stevens is for the throttling of America's internet services (Which are already embarrassing in the face of international services), and he wants bridges built to nowhere, he has a good idea once in a while.

Same number, different phones. Sadly, it'll only come either when Congress regulates it or the people finally get restless enough to demand it so much that one company gives in. One gives in, the rest usually follow.

Saydur

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

Moonshine Mike — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 12:08:47 EDT

@obbie: The problem I see with call forwarding is the cell companies charge you for the time your call is forwarded. At least the one I used did this. They may of stopped this practice.

Moonshine Mike

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

obbie — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:55:33 EDT

I want to have the ability to switch between phones... on the same line... that way during the week I have my pocket pc, and then during the weekend I can use a slimmer, more portable phone.
I know you can just forward your calls, but that requires having another dedicated phone number. I want to be able to essentially switch ESNs with my carrier on the fly. Since I have Verizon, I can not see that happening any time soon.

obbie

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

Trai_Dep — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:50:40 EDT

I have a mental image of a senile, cranky, ill-informed old codger holding a Princess phone in one hand, cranking his saddle-bagged CHIPS style cycle, phone cord dangling behind until... Crack That Whip!

Alaskans are only second to Texans for foisting incompetents upon our country to set national policy over things that shape our lives in painfully fundamental ways. Can the other 48 of us vote to expel them? Please?!

Trai_Dep

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

queen_elvis — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:46:36 EDT

I strongly advocate that Ted Stevens talk on the phone while riding a motorcycle. In thick ice. While drunk.

queen_elvis

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

Chicago7 — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:43:24 EDT

BY B AT 11:35 AM

I'm all for personal freedom, but isn't using a cell phone while riding a motorcycle a profoundly bad idea? No wait, Ted Stevens should be doing that all the time.

If possible, while shaving!

Chicago7

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

csandreas — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:42:35 EDT

Hello Grand Central.

csandreas

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:35:49 EDT

I'm all for personal freedom, but isn't using a cell phone while riding a motorcycle a profoundly bad idea? No wait, Ted Stevens should be doing that all the time.

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

alpha — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:31:27 EDT

it's called call forwarding.
but instead of "flipping a switch" you dial a little sequence of numbers.

alpha

Ted Stevens Wants To Switch Between Phones "As I Ride My Motorcycle"

missdona — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:30:08 EDT

I need to queue up outside Wireline for the release of the Wireline Phone.

I neeed it!

missdona