Hands-on with the OGO

Harper Reed got to play with the OGO, AT&T Wireless' new handheld messaging device which has a phone number (but isn't a phone) and is aimed mainly at the ever elusive market of pesky kids who live and die by instant messaging (you can do text messaging and email on it, as well as sign up for up to three of the big IM services). It's actually about the same size when closed as the Sidekick (it's clearest competitor—it dwarfs the BlackBerry when it's all unfolded) and he likes the bright LCD screen, but he wasn't able to try the OGO's whole Bluetooth-based Personal Mobile Gateway, except to pair it up with his phone. Oh, and that it could really stand to have a web browser.

[Ike @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

It seems like a great candidate for a cheap mobile terminal.

[AnonymousCoward @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

no phone capabilities at all? but it has a phone number? and can it ssh?

[Derek @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I don't think that ogo will be able to compuete at all with the tmobile sk2. No phone capability severly limits the little gadget. Why would someone want to go out and purchase something like that with a phone number that doesn't have the capability to function as a phone. if IM is the main reason for getting something like that.. there is a cheaper alternative put out by AOL if i'm correct.

[Bozo @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

What alternate by AOL?

[Bo Ahlberg @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

The Ogo is a full GSM phone provided you have a Bluetooth Headset and its provisioned for it. Currently ATT is not activating this capability but its technically there. I'm still playing with my Ogo right now (oh quantities are limited...)

I've had my device not for about two hours and find it useful... there are a couple oddities - but that's what feed back is for so report your concerns and issues back to ATT so they know what you want.

The keys are nicely spaced for a device this size... though for woman with long nails it might provide some challenge (but much less so than a cell phone would.) Typing is pretty easy but the one nit I have is unlike PC IM software, ogo will not allow off-line IM postings. Otherwise I find the device quite cool.

[William Volk @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Does it run J2ME? If so, MIDP 1.0 or 2.0?>??

[Besperus @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

OGO is the future, though not so practical(?)
A full screen device wth 5 gig HD (or card)w/
bluetooth and WiFi. Linux, MS or Palm 5/6 OS...component GPRS, EDGE, W-CDMA or ???
That is the future, OGO, first go effort.

[Kirk @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I looked through everything at http://www.attwireless.com/ogo/, and it seems that Ogo has no contact import/export feature. Given that it supports 500 contacts and is aimed at IM/email users, this is shortsighted. Making matters worse, the "Live Help" (or "Live Chat") feature requires that one register an Ogo before getting help. There is no place to ask about contact import/export (or about anything else) without already owning an Ogo. Again, shortsighted!

[Gideon @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Yea, if this thing had a datebook/calendar and could sync with my outlook, I'd be sold, don't care about phone capabilities. I've been looking into a sidekick II, my brother and the rest of my group have the sidekick one and they are sweet (web browsing sucks though). Price tage is steep, however. The OGO is so cheap and there is no contract or credit check I might just get one this weekend to try out. I communicate with e-mail mainly anyway.

[Ed @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I got a hold of the OGO this morning...the automated activation wizard i found very simple...and working in the wireless industry is a standard that is not far away...along with the self support...I did not have to log into the website before receiving tech support through the live chat feature...in fact the techs were very helpful and very knowledgable considering that the att reps were actually pretty naive...but the OGO overall is very fast and very effective in delivering a great product at a great price...by the way, i think everyone is overlooking the fact that this is the first mobile device that is endorsed by MSN to have your email from hotmail and MSN forwarded to the device...mix that with the AIM feature, MSN messanger, and all Yahoo capabilities...i think that att really has something...

ED

[Jim @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Really interested in getting the OGO for my wife. She is deaf and therefore does not need any phone capability. I'm just wondering how reliable OGO is. We've had sooooo many freinds with Tmobile's sidekick I with soooo many problems. That's the main reason I'm staying away from the sidekick I and sidekick II.

[Robert lewis @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I realy think it needs a web browser. I had a sidekick and I loved it! But I moved to alaska where T mobile dosent work, so I sold it.

At least the ogo is covered in anchorage and fairbanks.

I'll buy one just for that!

[akae @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

any one got any links to ogo hacks or mods?
i hear you can get free internet on a laptop with the bluetooth connection...

[luther blisset @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

well I found on deafpager.com that you can get the new sidekick II for only 50 bucks and then with the rebates you wind up making 70 bucks and so you dont really pay anything in theory!
but you say it has problems? gee, I never used any of these phones and they would make my life so much easier and fun. Esp when I like using VCO as well as the IM and texts..
so the ogo looks kewl. whats better?

[Olivia @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I purchased the OGO for my grandson for Christmas. I wanted to partly activate it before wrapping it up. I wanted to do Phase 1, Power Up and Phase 2, Getting Connected. Then I wanted my grandson to do Phase 3 & 4 after opening his gift. When I called to ask if this partial setup would be possible, the ATT service reps (2) couldn't answer this with any certainty. They suggested I waited till my grandson received it and then do all 4 phases. I was disappointed because I wanted him to be able to start messing with it right away, without me having to be part of it since I knew I would be busy on Christmas Day. I really wish that ATT could have trained their reps more thoroughly so that they could answer questions with more cetainty.

[Joseph Garth @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Garth Mobile is the leading provider of wireless pagers for the deaf and hard of hearing. They have some of the lowest prices, and provide fast service!

[Olivia @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

I am still trying to activate my grandson's OGO. It seems that because I have a cingular account the OGO does not recognize my address and considers it invalid. It appears that I have to set up an AT&T account. I wish that this had been explained to me at the time of purchase, but again it seems that personnel were not properly trained on this new apparatus. I am getting tempted to just return the darn thing. I have gone through care specialists, data support personnel, technical support personnel, and I still don't have it activated. However, I will attempt to set up an AT&T account and see if that works. Strange that AT&T and Cingular have merged but yet they are still so seperate. Go figure!

[Justbought_an)ogo @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Cingular/AT&T has been having problems for the last two or three days activating phone service (new) as well as Ogo service.
As far as calling AT&T, it's luck of the draw which representative you get.
Some are rude and total idiots (one beotch hung up on me) and some are very polite and very familiar with the way their company and the Ogo works.

How it was explained to me by the most knowledgable rep (a man) I finally got hold of.... the Ogo is a fairly new device to AT&T representatives. I told him that I thought they'd had the Ogo for over a year now and he said "that may be but our reps were not handling it until recently"

So it's going to take a while before the reps are familiar with this item. My best suggestion for getting help is to contact them through chat. Yes, you have to register with a name first but their techs are extremely helpful.

http://forums.attwireless.com/attws/chat?chat.id=tschat

But you need to register before you can go into chat.

If you're still activating, I'd suggest calling 1-888-288-4202. Ask for a department or rep who's familiar with the activation of Ogo. You may not get a good rep the first time but if you run into a rude idiot (like I did once), don't hesitate to hang up and call back. Chances are you will eventually hit a rep who knows what the hell they're talking about.

I'm happy with the device. During the wait period (that it's activating- they say wait 24 hours), I received false error messages on it that said "connnection didn't work, blah blah, call customer care" or whatever but the knowledgeable rep I finally got a hold of told me to ignore those messages and to just keep it plugged in (the battery does go down fairly quickly, the one down side to this device) until it activates.

What I did, is that I actually turned it on and off frequently during the wait period to maybe see if it would somehow reset the activation. I don't know if that worked or not but the last time I turned it back on (from turning it off), the activation was initiated.

There's a set up wizard for your IM and stuff. I won't lie, there's a lot to learn at first.
It doesn't come with comprehensive instructions, so again I say contact the guys/girls (techs) in the chatroom or look up the instructions at
http://www.attwireless.com/ogo/index.html

I think the instructions are under "support" or something. Just keep looking around on that page and you'll bump into the drop down list for instructions eventually.

Good luck. I'm happy with mine. Still learning. Great way for families, couples, friends to stay in touch.
It's got a decent coverage area (according to the coverage map, anyway) and I'll be testing it out this week in a small town (hope there's good towers ou there).
I live in a suburb of houston and it' working great right now.
Have IM'd and emailed it from my computer and used it to text message my cellphone and my mother's cellphone and she'll be able to text message me after I give her the Ogo's phone number.
Remember that sending text messages from cellphones will usually cost you but receiving them does not usually cost.
The Ogo sends and receives text messages (unlimited) within the USA with no charge.
I use AT&T's website or the text messenger in YAHOO to send a text message to my Ogo and it doesn't cost anything to send that way.

http://www.mymmode.com/messagecenter/init

Works great for those who are "typing challenged". Thanks to the Ogo and my thumbs, I'm now a fleet fingered typist.
:)

[NJNGuy @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

The Ogo may be marketed toward the youth segment, but this 50-something is impressed! Elegant OS by IXI Mobile (ixi.com). I keep finding new features and shortcuts. Downloading the manual from the ATT Wireless website is a must (it's not in the box) - http://www.attwireless.com/ogo/ogo_manual_r1.pdf .
Cool things I've observed: Three-second pop-up banner at top of display tells you about new mail or IM messages when you're in another mode. Summary screen shows how many emails and IM's are unread. Event sounds and vibration on/off are customizable. Screen contrast and some font sizes are adjustable. Keyboard has raised buttons - easier to use than Sidekick or Blackberries. Battery life is about two days with average use. Battery easily replaceable (behind sliding panel) - you can always buy a spare. Anybody selling a DC car cord yet? Incoming messages are pushed directly to the device by using the Ogo's two addresses: its cellphone number for text messages or [e-mail] for email. Up to five POP3 accounts (like Comcast.net, Gawab.com, etc.) can be added for free. You can view POP3 inboxes and send from their addresses with the Ogo. These accounts aren't pushed - they must be polled for new mail - either automatically by the Ogo or manually with three button clicks. Polling intervals are adjustable. You can delete mail on just the Ogo or both Ogo and POP3 mail server. "Address clipboard" scans incoming mail for phone numbers and email addresses to help you build your address book. Graphics and attachments are not received by the Ogo. Enterprise email users: if you configure Outlook to forward incoming mail to an external POP3 account, you can see your company email on the Ogo! Live help (using IM format) is available right from the Ogo menu. Very good response times the three times I tried it. That's how I found out about the @mobile.att address for the Ogo. Slips into man's shirt pocket easily. ATT/Cingular GSM/GPRS data service good throughout populated areas of NJ. For deaf people (like my daughter) the Ogo is miles ahead of the little Blackberry 2-way text pagers and a lot cheaper (monthly service, activation) too. Quibbles: Locked up on me once during the first week (blank backlit screen). Just popped out the battery and put it back in - everything still there. Backlit display could be a little brighter for outdoor use, but it's readable. Keyboard backlighting is not uniform (at least on mine), but OK overall. Yes, ATT activation time is long: took 8.5 hours over a Friday night/Saturday morning. Mini-USB jack on unit is for power only - PC doesn't recognize it when connected via USB cable. Long emails are downloaded parts at a time - good if you just want to read the first paragraph, tedious if you want to read a report.

[roslynn jacobs @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

hello service ..
i would like buy order ogo pager already . i looking for register send for order shipping .. cant fine it .. please you let me know by soon thank you rozie

[leilani kauhane @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

i just recently bought and ogo how to you get it activated?

[Deborah @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Deborah M. Ray W5553 Harbor Rd Lt#34 Chilton, Wisconsin. 53014 Please send to me for free of pager ogo

[henrene cromie @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

i have hard time with this ogo and fail to send text message to my friends and family and when i check on my computer and so surprise that i have 77 unanswered messages and wonder why it didnt come on my ogo. wonder what is the problem is. sms and aim are just fine except the email to person or the person send me a email and never receive... wonder why i have trouble with it... if to look up and it will be on my son's account and he brought for me and keep pay the payment for me and his name is donald cromie and have no other information from him unless you will find in the file..... pls email me back... at first my son did said the computer connect to my ogo and fail to see it.

[sheena @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

my ogo recently has broken for the second time & my warranty is over so ive been searchin purchase a new one but i cant seem to do so.. ogo.com constantly says theyre out of stock & you're saying theyre now 50bucks but i cant find where to purchase an ogo.. yeh, ive found you can on ebay but i was looking for a different way, haha..?

[Mary @ Dec 19th 2005 12:04AM]

Does any body activate new OGO accounts now? I cant find a service carrier.