I continue to blabber this time on phone savings.. Although I wait for students to join, I have been informed to help students even more on international phone calls, Airtel has announced another first. Per second billing when you call to India. The $6.99 calling card, which includes an administration fee of $0.49, enables the customers to make calls at just 0.03 cents/sec with the $6.50 on the card. The calling card is valid for 30 days.
Not only in the US, Airtel CallHome is also available in the UK, Canada and Singapore.
Have any of you tried it and found the service reliable. Is their anything else available that beats this offering..
Keep us informed..
Cheers
The Quote: I like my new telephone, my computer works just fine, my calculator is perfect, but Lord, I miss my mind! ~Anonymous
Monday, November 30, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Calling Home
All of you must have already made your phone calls home. What services have you used. I have heard good feedback on Airtel prepaid. How about any feedback on Reliance/Matrix calling cards when making your international calls to India. Good/Bad and the ugly.
Also any call drop/overbilling issues with the standard phone companies within the US or the popular ones that you use to call India.
Has anyone considered using skype for making those calls. And that too for free. All you need is a computer and headphone on both sides. And your international calls are free. How is the sound quality if any of you have used it.
This is a recurring expense and whatever we can save for everyone is wonderful. Isn't it.
Keep me posted on any other options that all of you have used on calling India.
Also any call drop/overbilling issues with the standard phone companies within the US or the popular ones that you use to call India.
Has anyone considered using skype for making those calls. And that too for free. All you need is a computer and headphone on both sides. And your international calls are free. How is the sound quality if any of you have used it.
This is a recurring expense and whatever we can save for everyone is wonderful. Isn't it.
Keep me posted on any other options that all of you have used on calling India.
Friday, November 6, 2009
LIGHTEN UP!
Hello everyone,
Lets face it. Life does sometimes become drab and nothing perks life up than a dash of humor.
Cross accents, how you doins' from strangers, the overt American friendliness, no trash thrown around does take time getting used to.
I remember how my Indian roommate would try very hard to teach me the correct pronunciation of Cool (Kewl). He would go. "Sharad, stress on the o, say it slow, say it fast, get it right". He did try hard. Maybe not as hard as Kishore Kumar in Padosan, teaching Shorrrrrrrrr. Arre baba Shor. Did I get it? No. But when I look back, his serious efforts to teach me to pronounce the "correct" way was funny at the very least.
And please don't think you are facing life's music alone. When an international student moves to an alien culture, it’s a ready-mix of fauxpas waiting to happen. And if that is not enough, Anurag mathur's classic "The Inscrutable Americans" ensures that an international students experience are remembered for posterity.
Consider these lines from the book.
As I am picking up bags he is looking directly at me and saying "Watch your ass". Now, brother, this is wonderful. How he is knowing we are purchasing donkey? I think they are knowing everything about everybody who is coming to America.
Or
They are rolling down a screen and showing a film but I am not listening because air hostess ladies are selling head phones for 2 dollars which is Rs.60 and in our beloved Jajau townwe can sit in balcony seats in
Regal Talkies for only Rs.3. I am asking lady if they are giving student discount but she is too busy. I am also asking her for more Coca-Cola but she is looking like she is weeping and walking away. I think perhaps
she is not understanding proper English.
It’s a must have in your book collection. Of course you can borrow it from the library or buy it used or have a peek online at http://download-bookz.blogspot.com/.
While some Americans have criticized it for killing the language, it does tickle the funny bone.
Have you had any recent experiences that could count as "funny"? Maybe not when it happened but in hindsight. A visit to the supermarket, a misunderstood accent, throwing trash, jaywalking or maybe at the airport. Do write in and let’s vote for the most humorous one.
More later..
My promised quote
"Smartness runs in my family. When I went to school I was so smart my teacher was in my class for five years." George Burns
Lets face it. Life does sometimes become drab and nothing perks life up than a dash of humor.
Cross accents, how you doins' from strangers, the overt American friendliness, no trash thrown around does take time getting used to.
I remember how my Indian roommate would try very hard to teach me the correct pronunciation of Cool (Kewl). He would go. "Sharad, stress on the o, say it slow, say it fast, get it right". He did try hard. Maybe not as hard as Kishore Kumar in Padosan, teaching Shorrrrrrrrr. Arre baba Shor. Did I get it? No. But when I look back, his serious efforts to teach me to pronounce the "correct" way was funny at the very least.
And please don't think you are facing life's music alone. When an international student moves to an alien culture, it’s a ready-mix of fauxpas waiting to happen. And if that is not enough, Anurag mathur's classic "The Inscrutable Americans" ensures that an international students experience are remembered for posterity.
Consider these lines from the book.
As I am picking up bags he is looking directly at me and saying "Watch your ass". Now, brother, this is wonderful. How he is knowing we are purchasing donkey? I think they are knowing everything about everybody who is coming to America.
Or
They are rolling down a screen and showing a film but I am not listening because air hostess ladies are selling head phones for 2 dollars which is Rs.60 and in our beloved Jajau townwe can sit in balcony seats in
Regal Talkies for only Rs.3. I am asking lady if they are giving student discount but she is too busy. I am also asking her for more Coca-Cola but she is looking like she is weeping and walking away. I think perhaps
she is not understanding proper English.
It’s a must have in your book collection. Of course you can borrow it from the library or buy it used or have a peek online at http://download-bookz.blogspot.com/.
While some Americans have criticized it for killing the language, it does tickle the funny bone.
Have you had any recent experiences that could count as "funny"? Maybe not when it happened but in hindsight. A visit to the supermarket, a misunderstood accent, throwing trash, jaywalking or maybe at the airport. Do write in and let’s vote for the most humorous one.
More later..
My promised quote
"Smartness runs in my family. When I went to school I was so smart my teacher was in my class for five years." George Burns
Thursday, November 5, 2009
CALLING HOME
Hello everyone,
My last entry requested information on telecalling experiences. Since our blog is not indexed yet, I will continue from where I left and you can join in once we are live. So here are some tele-alternatives.
More later
My last entry requested information on telecalling experiences. Since our blog is not indexed yet, I will continue from where I left and you can join in once we are live. So here are some tele-alternatives.
- VOIP: Besides skype (incase you haven't tried, download from http://www.skype.com/ and voila you can free calls to skype users anywhere and cheap calls to regular phones), another interesting one that I found is http://www.mydigitallife.info/2008/07/04/free-international-calls-from-pc-to-phone-with-google-talk-and-talkster-gtalk-to-voip/. Has anyone tried this, any good/bad/great experiences. Considering both these options are free, the sound quality is excellent. Have you experienced it otherwise. Any tips.
- From Phones: I am told Airtel one happens to have the best rates (1 cent/min), giving about 600 minutes for about $10 (inclusive of monthly rentals). Although difficult to believve, I also hear there are some issues with customer service, call drops etc but the voice clarity is top of the line. Any interaction
- Calling Cards: Obviously there are many providers but callingcards.com seems to have excellent options.
More later
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