Vodafone Data Services

echristie

I can’t get much sense out of Vodafone staff. Can anyone else help?

I need alerts of incoming emails sent to my phone.
I need to reply to the occasional email from my mobile.
I do not need to see the whole email and definitely do not want to download attachments (or view them). I get approx. 200 MB of attachments a week!

So the situation is:
I was fine with Meteor pay-as-you-go (my own phone Sony Eric T610). Their email alerts and sending basic text messages to an email address was just the level of service I needed – except that it never worked when it was really important. Also reception is West Cork wasn’t great.

Plan B: I changed to O2 SIM card as they have good reputation for data service. Reception zero.
Plan C: Trialling a Vodafone SIM card on pay-as-you-go at the moment. Reception fantastic. However, I have found out their email alerts show only the sender, so I can’t tell if the email is important or not. But, I can have all my emails forwarded to my Vodafone email and the important ones there, no problem.

However, my phone has never been set up for WAP or anything like that I have tried having Sony send settings directly and also followed instructions sent by Data Support. No luck. But noone can tell me if the service even works on pay-as-you-go. And can I view emails on VodafoneMail, but not have to download attachments?

It might sound like I need a heavyweight business solution, but I want just a phone. My voice call and text usage is extremely low – on Meteor pay-as-you-go was less than 10 euros/month. Would prefer not to have contract or locked phone if possible, but I suspect a phone already set up by Vodafone would be advisable. Can anyone relate to my questions: what actually works with Vodafone, or any recommendations for a mobile phone expert in Cork who could take long hard look at settings?

Urban Weigl

I'd get an O2 i-mode phone with free push email, of course that might be out of the question in your case, because you say you don't have any O2 reception in your area?

I-mode push email is fantastic. I use it every day. Receiving emails is free, and you can read the full messages, not just the first 160 characters! Sending emails costs 15 cents each, and you can even attach documents or photos! The best i-mode phone they have at the moment is the Sony Ericsson K610im, which I am using at the moment. It's the best phone I've ever owned.

Urban Weigl

Also have you looked at the blackberry? I know Vodafone offer it, and they might have a deal for consumers like O2 do. Worth checking out.

echristie

Urban Weigl wrote:

I'd get an O2 i-mode phone with free push email, of course that might be out of the question in your case, because you say you don't have any O2 reception in your area?

I-mode push email is fantastic. I use it every day. Receiving emails is free, and you can read the full messages, not just the first 160 characters! Sending emails costs 15 cents each, and you can even attach documents or photos! The best i-mode phone they have at the moment is the Sony Ericsson K610im, which I am using at the moment. It's the best phone I've ever owned.

Yip, zero O2 reception which is important as I am mainly contacted BY mobile when I am in the office at home, but for receiving and sending emails when on the move O2 would be fine. I unfortuately have to go with Vodafone. The problem is actually seeing phones live and in action. Then to come home an hour's drive from nearest Vodafone store only to find that something else is the case!

Pansy Potter

With Vodafoe Live on your phone you can access your @vodafone.ie emails. You don't have to download attachments. You can reply to the emails from there or you can send an ordinary sms to 51745 starting with mail joebloggs@whatever.com followed by your message. You should have free text alerts activated to inform you that you've received mail to your vodafone mail box.

flodis79

Pansy Potter wrote:

With Vodafoe Live on your phone you can access your @vodafone.ie emails. You don't have to download attachments. You can reply to the emails from there or you can send an ordinary sms to 51745 starting with mail joebloggs@whatever.com followed by your message. You should have free text alerts activated to inform you that you've received mail to your vodafone mail box.

Is it free to browse your emails on the live portal?

Pansy Potter

No it snot free. They charge you the normal being on the internet charge. The only free thing in Vodafone Live is the portal page, anything that you then click on costs you.

echristie

Pansy Potter wrote:

With Vodafoe Live on your phone you can access your @vodafone.ie emails. You don't have to download attachments. You can reply to the emails from there or you can send an ordinary sms to 51745 starting with mail joebloggs@whatever.com followed by your message. You should have free text alerts activated to inform you that you've received mail to your vodafone mail box.

Thanks, I have tried the 51745 thing, but it came back --51744: VAS Unkown command ---. I entered email address, couple of spaces, then some text and sent to 51745. Am I missing something? Which "free text alerts" do you mean? Vodafone Mail? Other text alerts?

Just received this from helpful chap at Vodafone Data Support:
The settings that i mailed you for E-mail Client should provide you with theservice you require. It will allow you to access and respond to your vodafone.ie mails or should you choose eircom or g-mail.
The service can be used with pay as you go and can be set not to download attachments. You will not need to get a business package to use e-mail client. Unfortunatly i am not familiar with any stores in Cork but i would imagine that all the agents should have adaquete training to deal with your query. Email client is a handset feature however and as your phone is not a Vodafone handset we cannot guarantee that it will work.

I would prefer to use Gmail rather than VodafoneMail. Vodafone have the Sony T610 settings on their website, so surely WAP/Email client should work? Went to Vodafone shop in Cork yesterday. No evidence of any training or knowledge. Just wanted to sell me a Blackberry business package. Of course, I am a dummy when it comes to mobiles, but I am a dummy with money to pay someone to sort it!!!

Pansy Potter

When sending emails by SMS you must go like this
mail [single space] email address [single space] your message.
While your SE phone has an email client, Vodafone won't let it be used on RTG accounts. You must be billpay.

BigMoose

Pansy Potter wrote:

Vodafone won't let it be used on RTG accounts

What exactly cant you do on RTG? The ISP/office APNs are available to RTG subscribers...

Pansy Potter

The settings may all be there, but the email client on a RTG phone can't be used (Vodafone rule)

echristie

Pansy Potter wrote:

When sending emails by SMS you must go like this
mail [single space] email address [single space] your message.
While your SE phone has an email client, Vodafone won't let it be used on RTG accounts. You must be billpay.

Pansy Potter you are genius! Email by SMS now working. So you reckon, if I just upgrade to Billpay, I could access the services I need? Thanks a lot.

Why is it that I consistently get more help with this and broadband and MAC/PC issues from Boards and Forums than from any manufacturer support?? A big thank you to all posters everywhere. Happy Xmas

Pansy Potter

echristie wrote:

So you reckon, if I just upgrade to Billpay, I could access the services I need?

You will be able to use email client if you upgrade to billpay. But you can still view emails through vodafone Live if you have set yourself up with a Vodafone email account. You can get a text alert telling when emails have arrived and just hop in and look at them. You can either reply from within Vodafone live, in which case it will be sent from yourself@vodafone.ie, or you can use the text to 51745 where it will be sent from your phone number.

echristie wrote:

Why is it that I consistently get more help with this and broadband and MAC/PC issues from Boards and Forums than from any manufacturer support?? A big thank you to all posters everywhere. Happy Xmas

Many manufacturers only pay lip service to after sales support. They take the view that you have got your money when you bought the product and why should they now give you extra service for free. Always remember that phone shops are just shops. The assistants are there to sell the phones. They know a few things about the phones they sell - it has a 2MP camera, it has bluetooth, but they rarely know anything about problem solving. They could just as easily be selling shoes. There are very few skills required.

BigMoose

Pansy Potter wrote:

The settings may all be there, but the email client on a RTG phone can't be used (Vodafone rule)

I've just configured my 6680 email client and it works perfectly fine with a postpaid and a prepaid SIM. I've never heard of this "rule" and there is nothing in the network that blocks particular traffic for RTG subs as far as I'm aware.

flodis79

Pansy Potter wrote:

No it snot free. They charge you the normal being on the internet charge. The only free thing in Vodafone Live is the portal page, anything that you then click on costs you.

News and sports etc is free on the Live portal. Is it the same with reading emails? Does it fall in the free category as long as you don't click on links and attachments?