SIM Card

Today we’re going to learn a bit about SIM cards.

Where do SIM cards come from? Should SIM cards be allowed to enter the United States? Are they taking away American Jobs? The answers is – from factories who make them, yes and no.

What is a SIM card, anyway?

The SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card is a small piece of plastic with an integrated circuit that holds your cellular identity information and allows your phone to connect to the cellular network. SIM cards are a feature that exists only on GSM networks, as all other cellular methods (CDMA, TDMA and iDEN) have the identity built into the phone itself, bypassing the need for a SIM card.
For the end user, the SIM card is basically his number, allowing him to port his number among any GSM phone that will accept his SIM card (the phone must either be locked to his carrier, or be unlocked – meaning accept any SIM card).

SIM card sizes

* SIM card (aka “full SIM”) – this is the big card, which holds either the MiniSIM or the MicroSIM inside of it. The full SIM is almost never used for phones, (no modern phone is big enough to use it). You detach the MiniSIM or the MicroSIM from the full SIM and insert into your phone. Size: 3.37 in. (L) x 2.25 in. (W) x 0.029 (T)

* MiniSIM card (aka “SIM”) – this is the traditional SIM that has been around for the last decade and a half. Fits 90+% of the models currently on the market. Size : 0.98 in. (L) x 0.59 in. (W) x 0.029 (T)

* MicroSIM card (aka “MicroSIM”) – This is the newest type of SIM card. Mostly used by Apple since launching its iPad(1) and iPhone 4. You can turn your MiniSIM into a MicroSIM by cutting in (by using a cutter or with scissors). You can also turn your MicroSIM into a MiniSIM by buying an adapter. Size: 0.59 in. (L) x 0.47 in. (W) x 0.029 (T)

Locked devices

Most carriers these days sell mobile devices on top of their other cellular offerings (voice, data and additional services). These devices have a few purposes besides calls – customer loyalty and satisfaction, increasing revenue from each user by embedding the carrier’s services etc.
One way for the carrier to make sure their devices (which are often subsidized) are used only on their home network is locking. The carrier would essentially lock the phone through software/hardware means to be unable to accept any other SIM card that is not the carrier’s. For the user, this makes it harder to switch to a different carrier (as you have to buy a new device), harder to travel around the world (as are unable to use different SIM cards that might lower your costs), and make it harder to sell the device later on (as you have to sell the device to people who already use your carrier).
The obvious solution is unlocking the device. Sounds simple enough, but as carriers will not benefit from unlocking their devices, they might be unwilling to do so. Often you can be able to unlock your phone through local phone shops, though not all devices can be unlocked by external means as some devices have high-level hardware and software security to protect them against such actions.
Our advice is if you’re able to unlock your device, we suggest doing so – you never know when you might need to pop-in a different SIM card.

Enjoy 3Ging…

As you probably know by now, international roaming fees can unleash a minor hurricane upon your finances. And like with any storm, you need protection.
Some people begin hunting for WiFi hotspots, like some invaluable pre-historic artifacts (wasting precious vacation time in the process). Others might completely turn off their phone’s radio communications (crippling their own phones. Intentionally). But others go the smart way – they buy a local SIM card from a local carrier. Because as any experienced traveler will attest, using the local carriers is the best solution for your overseas internet needs.

So what are prepaid SIM cards, anyway? Prepaid SIM cards are regular SIMs loaded with a certain amount of usage; they can have X amount of minutes and/or Y amount of text messages and/or Z amount of internet data. You use these services until they run out, once they’ve run out you will need to contact the carrier and ask to top-up, or will need to buy a new SIM card.
This is in contrast with postpaid SIM cards which charge you after you’ve used the carrier’s network. So the difference lies in the following logic – with prepaid SIM cards you know exactly how much you will be charged and thus control your expenses, while with postpaid SIM cards you have to control your usage to know exactly how much you’ll pay. When you’re traveling overseas and expenses pile up with a staggering rate (hotels, taxis, restaurants, attractions etc.) it’s nice to know that you can control your communication expenses and avoid cellular roaming charges.

Though prepaid SIM cards are the most logical and economical solution, they can be difficult to attain – to use local prepaid SIM cards you have to work quite a bit.

You need to make sure your phone is unlocked. You need to locate a local prepaid SIM card that meets your criteria (for example, 2 Israeli carriers sell prepaid SIM cards, they both offer the same package, but one costs 2X than the other – how/where will you be able to compare before buying?). You will need to change your phone’s APN settings to make sure you can use use the internet (some SIM cards will do it automatically, other won’t). Most SIM cards do not offer an extension period for your balance, so you might have to go out again and look for a place that sells SIM cards. If you encounter a service problem, you’ll usually have to deal with people who might not speak English very well (or at all), this can be problematic if you need to call the company’s customer support.

Luckily for the globetrotting community, KeepGo is able to provide international prepaid SIM cards with either a 1Gb, or an unlimited plan. KeepGo save you the hassle of going out and searching for a prepaid SIM card, by delivering it to your doorstep a few days before your travel date. So you don’t have to waste precious vacation time by walking a foreign city and searching for that one SIM card that will connect you to the Internet. KeepGo also provides 24/7 English speaking support and the ability to extend your rental period and data allowance with a single call to our trained support team.
KeepGo provides you with all the benefits of a local prepaid SIM card, with out the hassle that comes with it.

With your time abroad being limited by so many factors (costs, limited vacation days etc.), KeepGo saves you time and money by providing with the best technological and logistical solution to your roaming data needs.

Enjoy 3Ging…

Like we previously wrote in our post about location based services, there are some great benefits to using them. They allow you to experience a lot more, by providing you with the content you want, tailored to your location.
As any traveler, you often feel a bit lost – you don’t know the area you’re in, you’ll probably be unable to speak the local language, and just wandering about might not be a game you would like to participate in.

That’s why we’ve gathered some of the best apps in the location services sphere, and filtered the ones that will provide travelers with the best value on their travels.

Google maps (free) – As well as being a great navigation app, maps also offers reviews about local attractions, allowing you to learn a lot about the location you’re in. Maps also provides tools that are aimed at travelers, like navigation by foot and by public transport. Make sure to download it for your next trip, it’s an awesome app at an unbeatable price.

HearPlanet ($3.99) - HearPlanet truly has the traveler in mind. It’s so touristic, it’s almost unreal. It provides you with audio info based on your geographical location – they do this by reading out Wikipedia articles directly via app. With a over 300,000 locations around the world, HearPlanet is a great tool to learn more about the place you’re currently visiting.

Accuweather (free) – This is the weather app KeepGo‘s team turns to. Accuweather provides you the most detailed and accurate information among major weather apps. Though they use a lot of indicators to provide you with the latest weather updates, as this info is always well-organized and intuitive, you never feel lost or overwhelmed.

Waze (free) – As we previously wrote, Waze is a location based app that relies on crowdsourcing to provide you with information about the roads you’re taking. This information is then used to provide you with best possible routing and navigation. The biggest problem with Waze is its low coverage – currently having full map coverage in only a handful of countries.

TripAdvisor (free) – Pretty much anyone who’s ever traveled is familiar with TripAdvisor. This website is a vast pool of travel related information. With the TripAdvisor app on your iPhone or iPad you are able to tap that information, filtered to your geo-location – enabling you to chose the best hotels, restaurants and entertainment around you.

Airbnb (free) – Airbnb is one of the fastest growing start-ups in the US. It allows you to book anything from rooms to entire castles, from private individuals around the world, bypassing the hotel experience altogether. Every seller has a rating and customer support is available 24/7. So if you encounter any problem, Airbnb won’t leave you hanging.

Travelers Quest ($0.99) – Despite having the word “traveler” in its name – this app is more of a game than anything else. A GPS treasure hunt, to be exact. Not only is it a great way to spend a few hours, it’s also a unique way discover a new travel destination. If you’re in to wandering about and discovering new places – this app is the best of its kind.

Shaloc (free) – You can instantly share your location with your friends, family and even the police (if you have a secret crush on the big brother). The app provides real-time tracking by generating a www link to send around, and you can always stop sharing with the click of a button. For the modern traveler, this is just an easier way of telling everyone, “I’m fine, relax”.

SitorSquat (free) - When you’re out and about in a foreign place, you tend to eat, drink and relax. But “what goes in, must come out”. You can usually rely on local cafes and the sort, but this app will do you one better; SitorSquat will not only locate these public toilets, but provide user reviews(!). A simple, free, app that you may find indispensable at times.

Traveling is a great experience. But knowing how to take full advantage of it was a lot more difficult just a few years ago. Today, by using technology, travelers are able to tap into online and locations-aware tools, and use them to be more organized, knowledgeable and save hundreds of dollars in the process.
Though, mobile technology has advanced rapidly in the last few years, roaming prices have not kept up with this new playing field, and remained as high as ever. We at KeepGo, believe these technologies should be much more affordable than they currently are – so we decided to “disrupt” the roaming data market and offer 1Gb and unlimited international data SIM cards for as low as $7.99 per day, with 24/7 support and a 100% satisfaction gurantee.
Give us a try for your next overseas trip, we’re sure that once you experience what it’s like to be an KeepGo customer abroad, you’ll never settle for anything less.

As always,
Enjoy 3Ging…

What are location based services (LBS)? LBS are a way for service providers to let the user know what’s going on around him.
What is required for LBS to work? A mobile device with location based capabilities (GPS, preferably), a service provider that will provide the content, and an internet connection to be able to receive said content.
For example – let’s say you’ve just arrived in Barcelona. You get to your hotel, put your bags and head out to see the city. How will you know where to go (without planning ahead)? Which places are worth seeing? Which neighborhoods are too residential?
That’s where location based apps come in – you take your phone out, and use Google maps to search for the nearest place to eat, drink or catch a show. Since Google maps knows where you are, it can tell you what’s around you. And if an app knows your likes and dislikes, it can even provide you with tailored recommendations, based on previous interactions, or users similar to you.

There are a few specific examples of LBS – Waze and Yelp are the probably the most successful implementation of this.
In Waze’s case, a user base of around 11 million “wazers” provides never-ending updates about the roads in the area you’re driving in. The result is a steady influx of information that is relevant to the people driving these roads – information like; traffic, accidents, police speed-traps etc. The driver benefits by becoming extremely aware of what’s going on around him, and most importantly, ahead of him. Not only will Waze provide you with that information, it will also take these pieces of information into account when providing you with a navigation route to your destination.

Yelp is another demonstration of location and crowdsourcing, but with a totally different service. Yelp provides information about local business – so if you are looking for a local tailor, or want to know the best restaurant in downtown Indianapolis, Yelp can provide you with that information. But Yelp’s real strength lies in the reviews and feedback users provide it with, allowing for quick access to this stream of data about the places near you and their ratings.

Besides location crowdsourcing services (like Waze and Yelp), there are other ways LBS can be benefit consumers: Foursquare, is a social network – one that is built around users interacting with each other based on their location using their smartphones.

HearPlanet, is an app that enables the user to listen to recorded tours about the location they’re in – it’s like having a tour guide wherever you are. One of the most initial uses for LBS has been the weather – applications like AccuWeather are able to tell you the weather where you’re located – though it may seem basic, this service could not have been possible just 6-7 years ago.

So what are location based services? they’re services that provide you with information about the location you are in. If you’ve been living in the same place for 50 years, you probably won’t need them to learn anything new – but the next time you venture out (overseas, or not), download a couple of location aware apps to help you learn and experience more about your surroundings.

One last thing. All location based services use the web to provide you with the information you need. If you’re going abroad, the roaming charges will cost you quite a bit. Grab one of our international data SIM cards and save yourself the hundreds of dollars on all your travel data needs.

Enjoy 3Ging..

Honestly, we never got the point of using GPS navigation to find your way around places you already know very well (unless you use for real-time traffic, naturally). But if people get a kick out if it – who are we to judge?

You can argue about the pros and cons of asking people for direction vs. using GPS navigation. But one thing is clear, navigation is a necessity abroad. And, if you happen to visit Rome you’ll know that navigating by yourself there is a nightmare. That’s where GPS apps come to the rescue, it’s not fool proof, but it’s the best thing available.

Today we’ll compare 3 (very different) navigation apps, and see which one delivers the best value to the traveling individual:

Google Maps – Probably the most intuitive of them all, has excellent maps, supports usage by public transport, has the best POI database around, and on top of everything- it’s actually free. Besides the biggest advantage of being free, Google Maps is a leader due to it’s support of almost any mobile platform today: iOS, Android, Blackberry, Symbian, Windows Phone 7 and even the most basic version of all – Java. But the biggest help it offers travelers is the support of public transport and by-foot routing. If you are away from home and traveling through a major foreign city, chances are you won’t be doing it by car- you’ll be walking, taking a cab and using the cheapest method which is public transport. Google Maps doesn’t support the public transport feature in every single city around the globe, but most modern cities are represented. Another significant advantage Google Maps offers travelers is the ability to navigate by foot. Unlike a lot of other GPS apps who are geared only towards cars, Google Maps allows you to choose navigation by foot – enabling you to walk through public squares and walkways, thus making the distances much shorter and making you feel a lot more “local” than you really are. The biggest drawback for this app comes from the fact that it currently doesn’t support turn-by-turn navigation for iOS. The 2nd biggest drawback for this app, is that it uses the web to download maps and information. Though If you took our unlimited or 1Gb plan that won’t be a major issue, but it would still use data compared to maps that are stored on your phone. In our personal view – this app is the benchmark: Because of the price, because of the features, because of the constant updates and the huge development team around it.

Navigon - We’ve chosen this Navigon app because we think it is the best of it’s breed (an endangered breed, really). It has been around for a while, and has a deep portfolio of maps on offer: Continental US (and sub-regions within that), North America, Europe (and sub-regions within that), Australia and many many more. This brilliant range of maps does come at a price, and a pretty steep one at that, as each map costs between $29.99 and $119.99. For the price it charges, it offers a  few cool features like: Brilliant Turn-by-turn function. Active lane assistant, that shows you which exact lane you need to be in. Reality view pro, which gives you a realistic view of the exits and junctions ahead of you. 3D view, enabling you to view more info of the road ahead. Another cool feature is the ability to download specific maps  before the trip to store offline. As iPhones have a cap on how much data they can hold, this feature allows you to optimize your space – that can be great as we tend to stuff our iPhones with photos, music, travel guides when we’re traveling. So if you’re on your way to Belgium, you don’t have to have all of Europe’s maps on your iPhone. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
Navigon has a few disadvantages, but they mostly come down to the fact that it isn’t as big, or well connected as Google. For instance, POIs – though Navigon claims to have millions of POIs at your service (sounds plenty, on paper), in reality, that’s just too few compared to the competition, which offer up to 12 millions POIs. The local search option pales in comparison to Google, as well. There is no online access to read reviews, and it isn’t synced with other online/cloud services as Google is. All-in-all, Navigon is a great navigation service to people who will spend most of their time abroad driving and do not need a comprehensive POI database. It does offer walking navigation, but not something that is as though out as Google’s. Another point to consider is the price- if you’re traveling to a different country every year or so – you’ll have to buy new maps for every new trip, which will add dozens of dollars to your trip costs, just for navigation.

Waze - Though Waze is the youngest contender between these 2 juggernauts, it offers some unique features that the other two lack. It provides voice turn-by-turn navigation, just like Navigon. But it differs from all other apps by relying on its users to provide real-time crowdsourcing traffic data like speed camera, accidents, traffic jams etc. Waze analyzes this anonymous incoming data to route users through the best possible path to save time. The most interesting facet about Waze (and its biggest disadvantage) is the way it uses maps – unlike most Navigation apps who buy maps from Navteq or Telemap (and roll these enormous expenses on to it’s clients), Waze actually lets users “record” their own maps to benefit others. But this is also its downside as entire areas might not be covered by Waze’s maps – currently, Waze offers its maps in Israel, US, Canada and a few European countries.
So how does it navigate? as a stand-alone navigation app pretty good, it offers the driver plenty of information and uses other drivers information to your advantage. It has voice guidance and even reads street names in the US. Is it worth using it on your next trip? Well, if you’re an American and you’re traveling anywhere except Israel we would have to say no (being that Waze hails in Israel). If there isn’t a big Waze community in that country, the app becomes rather limited – and with only 11 million users around the world, the coverage isn’t that consistent. Tthe more Waze expands to other markets, and the more users Waze gets on board, the better it will become. In the meantime, we’d recommend getting a different solution.

In the end, it comes down to a most basic question: what kind of trip you’re planning (city or scenery)?. If you’re planning on walking most of the time rather than driving – get Google maps, it’s free and is really a helpful ”pocket knife” of features for any traveler. But if you’re planning on doing a lot of driving, go for Navigon, it will cost you a pretty penny but Google maps will simply not be able to compete with the turn-by-turn capabilities of driving overseas.

As an KeepGo client you can get a 1Gb or an unlimited data package that would be more than enough to download maps while you’re traveling, and let you save some serious cash on all your other data needs. Though Google maps doesn’t offer turn-by-turn navigation, you can still trace yourself on a map. Also, once the trip is over, the money you spent on buying the maps won’t go to waste like it would with dedicated navigation apps.

So our advice is this – go with Google maps for your next trip together with our 1Gb, or unlimited plans. Google will do its part and help you navigate abroad with ease, and we’ll also do our part and save you a couple hundred dollars on all your other data needs.

Enjoy 3Ging…

In a utopian world, we’d all have ability to talk, text and use the web for free – anywhere around the world. But in the real world, we don’t have such luxuries. Cellular networks are often expensive at home, and outrageous roaming prices are a fact of life for travelers.

We, at KeepGo, have made it our business to allow people to communicate much easier and less expensively than ever before. Today KeepGo is able to cover more countries than any other roaming solutions provider. Essentially, if you want to go someplace (where humanity exists, naturally)- we will have you covered.

But as most people continue to rely on their home carrier to provide them with connectivity while being abroad, we decided to compile a list of the major 4 cellular providers in the US. And just to compare – 2 of the biggest carriers in Europe.

So what do all these number mean?
If we rely on some figures published by UTexas (to help their students better utilize their weekly bandwidth allowance), we can see how it will affect your expenses while going abroad.

Send 1 plain text email via Gmail – 200 kb. = $3.6
Talk via Skype for 1 min. – 1024 kb. = $18.43
Upload 1 photo taken by iPhone 4  - 2048 kb. = $36.86
Video chat via Skype for 1 min. – 2048 kb. = $36.86
Watch a 3 min. YouTube clip – 3000 kb = $55.29
(Just for kicks) Stream a 2 hour movie via Netflix – 2,048,000 kb. = $36,864

Let’s assume you and your significant other, went on a 7 day holiday to France. You guys uploaded 5 photos a day, sent about 5 emails per day, watched 1 YouTube clip a day and called your friends and family back home via Skype for about 20 minutes per day (because you knew better than to use the Hotel’s phone).

How much will that cost you if you use your own carrier? $4374.72

Now you’d think that with these kind of figures, no one would be reckless enough to use their phone abroad (or at least be aware of what they’re doing). But this, this and this cases suggest otherwise.

So what do you do? It’s actually not that hard, do some quick research:
• Call your carrier and inquire about getting an overseas data plab. That can bring about some savings.
• Use WiFi networks. Though the good ones cost about $5 per hour. And hotels might charge you upwards of $20 per day for the privilege.
• Get a local SIM card when you go abroad. It’s cheap, but that has it’s own risks-  Is your phone unlocked? How much do you really trust a foreign phoneshop with your credit card details? Did you understand what signed up for?

We, at KeepGo, believed that there is a better solution out there.
But back in reality, there wasn’t one available at all.
So we had to make one, from the ground up. And today we think we have a real solution for the modern day traveler – one that is affordable, reliable and most importantly: mobile.

So next time you go overseas, and you simply want to enjoy the trip without having to stay put for one place to use the web. Or if want a reliable service with 24/7 English support. Or have to worry about enormous bills flooding your mailbox.
If you simply want to use your own phone, like you are used to back home – KeepGo has a smart solution for you. One that has all the benefits of using your own carrier, but without the fear of filing chapter 7 by the end of your trip.

Enjoy 3Ging…

Getting ready to do some travel?
Got everything you need?
Made sure your Passport hasn’t expired?

So now that you accomplished those feats, and checked that to-do list of yours – it’s time to face one of biggest headaches that any traveler faces: the electricity issue.

As most modern travelers tend to take their iPhones, iPads, Anroids and Laptops with them when they travel, the quiestion arises – which converters should I take for my trip abroad? What is the local electricity system? what kind of outlets do they have? and why on earth are they so different from each other?

I mean, just look at the this photo, who can navigate through all of these sockets?

Luckily, Apple (and pretty much all other phone manufacturers) has it’s chargers made to suit every electricity system out there – Between 100 to 240 voltages, and between 50 to 60hz frequencies.

But that still leaves us with a slew of different outlets to adjust ourselves to – the Brits, the Italians, the Germans, the American, the Russian and many other countries have their own sockets to work with.

One solution for travelers is the adapter kits – allowing for a universal comparability with different sockets. It does require you to carry a lot of spare adapters, but on the other hand you can take it for your international travels without worrying about getting stuck without the proper socket solution.

One other solution is the universal adapter - it is much more compact and easy to carry, but it support a few less sockets (still covering most of the world’s countries).

Remember, for your iPhone/iPad to be charged overseas you’ll need 3 things:
1 – A charger that works with the local electricity grid (Check! supplied by Apple).
2 – A suitable socket adapter (Usually needs to be bought).
3 – Something to transfer that electricity from the adapter/socket to your device (Check! supplied by Apple).
If you have all three- you’re cleared for take-off and enjoy your travel.

Though you can always charge your iPhone/iPad via your USB port – but to charge your computer you’ll still need an adapter, if you’re in a foreign land that doesn’t support your plugs.

As most of our globetrotting customer will attest, being prepared is a good thing. So do some quick research about your destination’s electricity system, and arrive prepared to enjoy the trip with your smart device by your side.

We, at KeepGo, will make sure you have a reliable data SIM card for your destination/s. One that will allow you to stay connected, at a fraction of the cost you can expect using your own carrier.
You just make sure you have all the right adapters and supplies to keep your smart device charged up and ready to go.

And as always,

Enjoy 3Ging…

We continue our posts about how to upload photos to Facebook and Twitter with how to upload photos to Flickr – the biggest online site to share and store your photos.
Already a veteran of the online scene (8 years old) – Flickr has been a leader of the photo sharing world, even before the widespread existence of the cameraphone.

Here’s how you can upload photos to your Flickr account right from your iPhone:

Step 0 – Download the flickr app from the app store.
Step 0.1 – Open a Flickr account, if you don’t have one.
Step 0.2 – Log-in to your Flickr account from your app, and authorize the uploading of photos from your iPhone to your Flickr account.

Done? Good. Let’s get going..

Step 1 – Click on the upload camera icon.

Step 2 – Choose whether to take a new photo, or if you want to upload an existing photo.

Step 3 – choose whether you want to use the existing photo or upload a different one.

Step 4 – Once you press “use” (step 3), you have different fields to fill if you want to. fields like title, description, sets, tags, image size, include location and privacy level. You can either fill all of these fields, or none of them – it’s up to you. When you’re done, click “Upload” or “Add Item” to add another photo/video.

Step 5 – Wait for the upload to finish.

Step 6 – And you’re all done!

Following our “How to upload photos to Facebook”, we’re going to continue with the contender to the Social throne  - The blue bird, Twitter!

Follow these 5 easy steps to upload a photo, a tweet, or a link.

Step 1 – Launch the app, and click the “new tweet” icon..

Step 2 – Share your thoughts.

Step 3 – Click the camera icon and choose whether to take
a new photo or upload an existing one.

Step 4 – Once you’re done editing your tweet, just click
on “Tweet” to post.

Step 5 – And you’re all done!

We’ll continue our “How to upload photos to..” with the biggest photo sharing site out there – Flickr.

Enjoy 3Ging..

Some people travel to relax, some people travel to do business, some people travel to experience new things. Whatever your reason to go abroad, you want to stay connected to the people back home. In a word – you want to “share”. And that is what we are here to show you this fine day – how to share your photos while you are abroad.

We’re going to post a few articles shortly that will show you how to upload photos to Facebook, Twitter, Flicker and Google+

The first contender is the king of the social swamp – the all mighty book of faces!

Just follow these simple steps to upload a photo to your wall -

→ 1. Launch the Facebook app and hit “share photos”.

→ 2. Choose to “take a photo” or upload an existing photo from “choose from library”.

→ 3. If you chose a to take a new photo, now you can choose whether to take another photo or use the one you already took.

→ 4. Step 4 is for writing a caption for the photo and for tagging people. It’s really helpful if you can tag people right away and not have to waste time on that later on. Once you’re done, hit “upload”.

→ 5. Wait for the photo to upload…

→ 6. And you’re done! Congrats!

Next up is Twitter..

Enjoy 3Ging…