National Geographic's Talk Abroad global phone
By Chris Ziegler 
posted Feb 22nd 2007 9:08AM
posted Feb 22nd 2007 9:08AM
This phone looks so boring, we can't actually look straight at it -- we kinda have to aim our eyes just right or left of it and take it in with our peripheral vision. Then again, gearheads don't appear to be the target demo sought out by Cellular Abroad with its new National Geographic-branded Talk Abroad candybar; the upshot here is keeping global roaming relatively cheap and simple (as in, prepaid simple) on an equally simple, no-frills handset. For your hard-earned $199, you get the phone (a quadband GSM piece -- we'd expect no less when they're playing up the global angle here), a set of plug adapters for whatever countries the average National Geographic reader might visit, a UK-based phone number, and thirty minutes of outgoing talk time. Best of all, incoming calls are allegedly free of charge in 65 countries, though the countries aren't spelled out. Look for the Talk Abroad handset to ship next month; if you've got it in your heart to accept an exceptionally uninteresting cellphone, that is.[Via Mobilewhack]
what sites can you purchase this phone on?
There's a cheaper way to go. Buy a tri-band, unlocked GSM phone that looks like an English telephone booth - all for $79.
www.cdwireless.net
When traveling abroad I prefer to rent a cell phone, I don't have to worry about bands, plug adapters, what service is cheaper or has the better coverage, etc, etc. Last time I rented a French cell phone from www.phonerentalusa.com, they sent a Samsung X507, which was a nice cell at that time.
sorry, url is http://www.phonerentalusa.com
What I needed was a European cell phone I could use during my trips abroad.
And after doing some research I decide to stay with http://callineurope.com/; the rates they offer look more competitive compared to few sources I verified. And I won't have to pay any monthly fees and will be able to reroute my US number.
A bit pricey.
The phone's at www.joltwireless.com are significantly cheaper - ~$50 compared to ~$200.
When I go abroad, I take my unlocked 3-band or quad-band phone with me, buy local prepaid sim card and off we go! In England, for example, it was O2 card for 20 pounds. I did that in most of Europe, incoming calls are free and expenses are low.
So there is a much cheaper alternative to this - just own a three- or quad-band phone, unlock it and get cheap local sim card. If you really want your domestic number to work, just set call forwarding. Unlocking is free with some providers in USA (i.e. T-Mobile) if you have a plann for more than a year. If its not free, you can unlock it for $20 or so. I used Ericsson phones and Cingular 2125. RAZR will work too.
I really doubt you need this National Geographics service at all.
Who cares what it looks like, you can use it while looking at jesus atop an African cell tower and thats what counts!
Does it work in Japan?
It will next month when EMOBILE launches in Japan - Japan's first ever GSM network!
The one thing that's nice about this are the free incoming calls in 65 countries (if that's really the case). Most of the country-specific prepaid SIMs charge you for receiving calls everywhere outside of that country's border.
An ugly phone, but a Good Deal if it does indeed come with free incoming calls in 65 countries. Most networks charge quite alot for incoming calls when roaming.
I wonder if your number expired after a certain time without refilling?
http://www.startblue.net
Go to the phone's website in the article and you'll find a link to the list of countries (http://www.cellularabroad.com/cellAbroadppsc.php#zone1). Then more reading tells you you're really buying an unlocked quad-band phone and an international SIM card that expires 9 months after last use. I suppose the ideal customer is someone who doesn't have a mobile phone (or a quad-band) or doesn't want a contract.
It is a very useful when you go abroad. But I think compare to other similar phones, a bit pricey.