Shoes and mobile phones
Sunday, 18 February 2007 19:00![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
strange_complexTo celebrate having a free day on Saturday, I first enjoyed a big fat lie-in, then took a leisurely breakfast, watched some TV, noodled on the 'net, and finally headed into town to complete a few shopping missions I hadn't had time to attend to for the past week or so. I needed to stock up on things like shampoo and so on from Boots, but it had also become urgent that I buy a new pair of actual boots. So urgent, in fact, that I'd got to the point of being faced each morning with the choice of wearing either a) a pair of boots with one missing sole, a broken shank1 and a rapidly disintegrating interior or b) a pair of boots with the bottom of one heel missing. Usually, pair b) won out - but it was clear that this state of affairs could not go on.
I wasn't really looking forward to the boot shopping very much, as I have terrible trouble finding boots I like which are appropriate for work. I've railed in this journal before about those stupid heels which are placed right at the back of the boots, I don't like wedges, and I don't want to wear anything more than about 2.5 inches high for the sake of comfort. So there's not much on the contemporary high street which I really want to wear.
However, yesterday the Shoe Gods were clearly with me, as I walked into Clarks, saw a pair of boots I liked straight away, tried them on and found that they fitted beautifully. I can't find a picture of them online that I can link to, but they're Victorian-looking black leather ankle-boots, with cosmetic laces up the front, a practical zip up the side and a nice-looking heel about 2" high. Plus, they were in the sale. Yay!
Thanks to Clarks, I'd got everything done I needed to do within an hour of leaving the house, so I used the time I'd expected to spend trudging gloomily around boot-shops checking out mobile phone deals instead, with an eye to the upcoming end of my current contract with Vodafone on 27th February. This is what I found, in the sort of price-range I'm willing to pay and with the sort of features I want:
Given that I'm currently paying £30 per month for a mere 25 minutes, 250 texts and no internet allowance, those all look pretty tempting. In fact, I think I'm most tempted by the T-mobile Flext deal. Although the numbers of minutes and texts are a bit lower on that deal than some of the others, you can actually use up an overall 'allowance' on whichever you like, which is rather nice, and I very much doubt on current usage levels that I'd feel restricted by it. And that lovely, ripe 1Gb of internet usage is very tempting! Although my current phone can theoretically access the internet, I never use it, because I have no idea how much it will cost me, and suspect it might be rather a lot. A 1Gb allowance basically means being free to surf as much as I like, in practical terms, and the web browser the guy in the shop showed me looked pretty decent, too. Although I probably won't make as much use of it now as I might have done a year ago (when I was spending at least nine hours on trains a week), I can still see how it could be really handy for things like house moves (which I know needs to happen again fairly soon), trips away and so on.
If anyone has any thoughts on that deal, or any of the others, or any general experiences with any companies other than Vodafone (the only company I've ever used so far) which you think I should know about, speak up!
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1. The steel 'backbone' of most heeled boots. You know it's broken when the heel no longer stays solid in relation to the boot, will move about if pushed by a hand and feels like it's slipping out behind you when you walk.
I wasn't really looking forward to the boot shopping very much, as I have terrible trouble finding boots I like which are appropriate for work. I've railed in this journal before about those stupid heels which are placed right at the back of the boots, I don't like wedges, and I don't want to wear anything more than about 2.5 inches high for the sake of comfort. So there's not much on the contemporary high street which I really want to wear.
However, yesterday the Shoe Gods were clearly with me, as I walked into Clarks, saw a pair of boots I liked straight away, tried them on and found that they fitted beautifully. I can't find a picture of them online that I can link to, but they're Victorian-looking black leather ankle-boots, with cosmetic laces up the front, a practical zip up the side and a nice-looking heel about 2" high. Plus, they were in the sale. Yay!
Thanks to Clarks, I'd got everything done I needed to do within an hour of leaving the house, so I used the time I'd expected to spend trudging gloomily around boot-shops checking out mobile phone deals instead, with an eye to the upcoming end of my current contract with Vodafone on 27th February. This is what I found, in the sort of price-range I'm willing to pay and with the sort of features I want:
| Network | Vodafone | O2 | 3 | T-mobile | Orange |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan | 150 Anytime | Online 25 | X-Series Silver | Flext | Dolphin |
| Monthly charge | £25 | £25 | £22.50 for 8 months, then £40 | £27.50 | £35 |
| Insurance | £6.95 | £7.50 | £5.99 | £5.99 | £6 |
| Minutes | 150 | 200 | 300 | c. 85 | 250 |
| Texts | 500 | 500 | 1000 | c. 170 | 250 |
| Internet allowance | Really unclear | 1Mb then £3 per Mb | 1Gb | 1Gb | £1 per Mb |
| Handset | Sony V630i | Any | Nokia N73 | Nokia 6253 | Most |
| Contract | 18 months | 18 months | 18 months | 18 months | 12 months |
Given that I'm currently paying £30 per month for a mere 25 minutes, 250 texts and no internet allowance, those all look pretty tempting. In fact, I think I'm most tempted by the T-mobile Flext deal. Although the numbers of minutes and texts are a bit lower on that deal than some of the others, you can actually use up an overall 'allowance' on whichever you like, which is rather nice, and I very much doubt on current usage levels that I'd feel restricted by it. And that lovely, ripe 1Gb of internet usage is very tempting! Although my current phone can theoretically access the internet, I never use it, because I have no idea how much it will cost me, and suspect it might be rather a lot. A 1Gb allowance basically means being free to surf as much as I like, in practical terms, and the web browser the guy in the shop showed me looked pretty decent, too. Although I probably won't make as much use of it now as I might have done a year ago (when I was spending at least nine hours on trains a week), I can still see how it could be really handy for things like house moves (which I know needs to happen again fairly soon), trips away and so on.
If anyone has any thoughts on that deal, or any of the others, or any general experiences with any companies other than Vodafone (the only company I've ever used so far) which you think I should know about, speak up!
-----------------
1. The steel 'backbone' of most heeled boots. You know it's broken when the heel no longer stays solid in relation to the boot, will move about if pushed by a hand and feels like it's slipping out behind you when you walk.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: Sunday, 18 February 2007 19:46 (UTC)no subject
Date: Sunday, 18 February 2007 19:49 (UTC)no subject
Date: Sunday, 18 February 2007 19:51 (UTC)no subject
Date: Sunday, 18 February 2007 20:01 (UTC)no subject
Date: Sunday, 18 February 2007 20:46 (UTC)I'm thinking of changing from Orange. I pay £35 a month.No free texts,I have to buy a bundle of 60.
I tried to get a second pair of my Clarks boots because I like them so much. All sandals and slingbacks now!
no subject
Date: Sunday, 18 February 2007 21:10 (UTC)no subject
Date: Sunday, 18 February 2007 22:06 (UTC)no subject
Date: Sunday, 18 February 2007 22:31 (UTC)A tip for internet browsing though is to use Opera Mini (operamini (http://www.operamini.com/)). It's a small java app that acts as a web browser and is much better than the browsers built into most mobile phones. I use it quite a lot for checking LJ on the move, and it renders most sites pretty well on a small screen.
no subject
Date: Monday, 19 February 2007 09:36 (UTC)no subject
Date: Monday, 19 February 2007 09:47 (UTC)This is worth knowing for things like Vodafone live. Vodafone live is Voda's own portal area which (if I remember correctly) doesn't count towards your internet usage, it's free. I doubt you could access this 'live' area via OperaMini, only using the phones built in browser. If you could access the live area via OperaMini then it would probably start costing you via your internet usage.
This really isn't that important though, as OperaMini doesn't replace the phones existing browser, it is just an additional option. So there would be nothing stopping you using OperaMini for checking LJ and the phones built in browser for that networks services like Vodafone live.
I feel like I'mjust rambling about geek stuff now so I'll shut up :)
no subject
Date: Monday, 19 February 2007 10:43 (UTC)no subject
Date: Monday, 19 February 2007 10:56 (UTC)Your comment/concerns are pretty much exactly whats stopping most people using data services. Most operators have never made it clear what costs money and how much things like data will cost you. Quite often thier own web sites are terrible in explaining these kinds of details as well.
In the states quite a few operators have have fixed cost (almost) unlimited data plans for thier mobile networks, very much like broadband is priced in the uk at the moment. I think UK operators have been scared to implement such tarrifs as they think it'll cut into thier current profits from data charges (and are probably right).
no subject
Date: Monday, 19 February 2007 11:10 (UTC)no subject
Date: Sunday, 18 February 2007 23:02 (UTC)Now Telewest has morphed into Virgin Media, they're offering mobile phones as well - I already get TV, landline and internet off them. Abby's mobile contract is about to run out, and the Virgin Media deals look great, so I must check them out.
no subject
Date: Monday, 19 February 2007 02:05 (UTC)My advice is to talk to people in your own area (and others you visit frequently) about their experiences with various companies. Coverage may or may not be a problem for you; also, some companies may be cheap but have poor customer service etc.
no subject
Date: Monday, 19 February 2007 10:51 (UTC)no subject
Date: Monday, 19 February 2007 10:45 (UTC)I'd want one with 'net access, as using WAP to get to emails is a pain in the bum.
Are we still on for thursday, btw?
no subject
Date: Monday, 19 February 2007 10:49 (UTC)Given what I found out over the weekend, it looks like you could get a better deal out of a contract. The deals I've listed up there aren't the only ones, of course - just the stuff that looked about right for me. I recommend walking up and down that street which leads to Boots from New Briggate where the phone shops all cluster, and checking out what each will offer you. They're generally very eager to get your custom!
no subject
Date: Monday, 19 February 2007 10:51 (UTC)no subject
Date: Monday, 19 February 2007 10:53 (UTC)For me, that's the crux, really. I decided when I first got my phone that I didn't want to have it but feel resricted about using it. So I've always been on a contract, even though I'm quite a low user and suspect that often I'd be paying less on pay-as-you-go.