The WoW ads were fun! I know a lot of people don't like William Shatner, but I think he's gotten cooler as he's gotten older. ^_^

I get the feeling it was more the acting and the singing than anything else!

Oh! No phone means you probably didn't get my text.. i was wondering if you wanted me to reserve you a spot at the next Dr Sketchy. It's this Wednesday, and it's the last one for the year.

I got your text, but I couldn't reply to it. I don't know if I'll go or not. Last time was a bit crap, but it was nice spending time with friends. Argh. Don't reserve a place for me and I'll decide on the day if I want to turn up, I guess.

Out of curiousity, how was it? Were fewer people there this time?

Definitely fewer people than last time, but still pretty crowded. I really don't care for the new hostess... :/

She didn't get any better? That's sad...

*Will give it one more go when I have money*

Have seen the ads. Loved them. Have you seen the WoW Toyota truck one yet?

I haven't, no! I'll be sure to check it out when I have time. ^^

Man, I love Mr. T. He doesn't take shit from anyone, much less the game programmers.

Sorry for the length, but here's what I know about cellphones and plans. Not sure how much of this applies in Japan.

One thing I do know about cells in Japan is that you can get a lot better navigation options than here in the states. GPS is grand, and there's one carrier over there (can't remember which) that offers a search program linked to your GPS. You basically call a code (like *## or something) and tell it "noodles" and it'll tell you the closest noodle shop to wear you are. Or the closest police. And other stuff like that. Soooo nifty. Not sure how much it costs. The niftiest thing, is it will give you pedestrian directions.

Alright, the absolute most important thing is to find someone who has a cellphone with the carrier and ask them about any dead spots in the area? Get them to go with you to the places that you go the most to make sure there's reception there with that carrier. AKA check your work, the local supermarket, your doctor's office and any social place you hang out at more than once a month. Also, along your normal commuting route. Japan does have one of the best network of cellphone towers in the world. Couldn't tell you about carriers over there, but I've never had any problems here in the US with Verizon, and the family seems to be really happy with T-Mobile. I've had bad experiences with Sprint and Cingular/AT&T.

OH, back to the plan. Whatever you decide to go with, Go into a store, don't mess with people over the phone. Just keep in mind that the people in the store WANT you to buy from them. Now, here the salespeople get a commission on the hardware and the plan that you get. This can work for you as long as you're careful not to give in to things you don't need, because you can wheedle concessions (like discounts on the plan or hardware and/or free options) out of them. Just get it in writing if they promise you something!

Don't accept a plan that has anything less than free nighttime and weekend minutes (and check what time those start) - your plan should also have a basic data package so that you can at least receive or send a few text messages a month without penalty because they can be quite handy at times. Don't get a more expensive data package unless you already know that you do a lot of texting/downloading stuff.

Check to see what their options are for upgrading your plan at a later point - don't settle for anything that tries to penalize you by charging a fee or extending your contract if you do.

Don't settle for a two year contract, hold out for a one year. Yeah, the two year locks in your monthly price, but it also hurts if you have to drop it for some reason.

Now, about cellphones.

Also, they often include a phone with your new plan. Upgrade, upgrade, upgrade. Save up if you have to before you get the new plan if you can't afford to upgrade at that time. Because first, you'd get penalized for getting a new phone at a later point (I've yet to find a carrier that doesn't charge a fee for that on top of the price) and the basic models are crap.

And uh, they're kinda fun, but don't get a chocolate phone if you're with Verizon. They've got respectable prices, but that particular type of phone is actually not that durable. My husband's has gotten hard to slide open, while mine pops open even when it's just in my purse.

And onto optional stuff for cellphones.

If you think you'd like to take photos, don't settle for less than 1.5 megapixels as anything else looks horrible. 2.1 megapixels is even better.

Bluetooth headsets have never worked well for me, but think about it if you usually have your hands occupied.

If you have an iPod or plan on getting one soon, don't worry about getting MP3 player capability with your phone - iPod's are much easier to use and just outright play better. Now, if you use a generic MP3 player, your phone having that would probably be more convenient. But just remember that it'll eat up your battery power

Get a cell phone charger for your car!! Sooo good if you forget to charge it or something, and you can even find ones that'll double as a handless set so you can talk and drive safely while charging and having it accessible.

That's it!



Edited at 2007-11-25 21:13 (UTC)

Wow, thanks for all that information! I'll see what I can do...

Well, if you have a phone for a while, you receive points every month. Kinda like air miles. When you have a bunch of them, you can get a nice discount. I have to go to an AU shop sometimes this week, what company do you use? I could go with. I only have Tuesday or Wednesday though as I work all day Thursday and have to pick my sister up at the airport Friday.

Ah, thanks for explaining it. Good luck with your sister.