Kids and cell phones, and your questions answered

Q: Cingular's Web site shows what appears to be the Motorola Razr V3i. It's dark blue, yet referred to as the Motorola Razr V3. Is this really the V3, or did they mistakenly put up the V3i? The V3i hasn't been released for Cingular yet.
—micro83

A: Micro83, I saw on the same thing on Cingular's site the other day, and I was perplexed as well. Ever since CTIA, the cell phone rumor mill has speculated that the Razr V3i--that's the Razr with iTunes--will come to Cingular at some point. Neither Cingular nor Motorola have confirmed the gossip, but when I called a few Cingular stores last month, several reps said they expect to get the V3i, though they didn't have exact dates. Then just last week, a Cingular PR rep sent me a note that said, "No launch date [for the V3i] to share at this time. We will keep you posted however if/when we do carry."

While I think it's more a matter of when rather than if, I don't think the phone you're referring to is the V3i. A quick glance at the feature list shows that the offerings are comparable to those on the current Razr V3. There's no mention of MP3 capability or iTunes support.

Q: I can't seem to find a phone that has Bluetooth and analog roaming. I can get a good deal through Sprint, so I've been looking at its phones specifically. Does Sprint (or any other carrier) offer such a phone? Or am I giving too much credit to the analog thing, and I should just forget about analog?
—Cory

A: For the most part, analog roaming is confined to lower-end phones, while Bluetooth is more prevalent in higher-end phones. As you've discovered, there's not a lot of overlap, but Sprint does offer the LG LX350. A flip phone with an attractive design, the LX350 has Bluetooth and analog roaming in addition to a megapixel camera and a speakerphone. Bluetooth doesn't support file transfer profiles, but it will work with a Bluetooth headset. Verizon, on the other hand, doesn't offer any handsets that support both features.

One reason there's such a shortage of Bluetooth/analog mobiles is that CDMA carriers tend to save the former feature for their 3G, EV-DO handsets. What's more, all their 3G handsets ditch the support for analog roaming as a consequence of the higher network speeds. In regards to your last question, it's tough to say whether you're giving analog roaming too much importance. It's going to come in handy mostly when you're in rural areas. So if you spend most of your time in cities, it's probably not worth the effort.

Q: My Motorola Razr was stolen. I canceled my SIM card with T-Mobile, but it was an unlocked model used with Cingular originally. Can I block the phone as well? I have the IMEI number.
—Fiona

A: For readers who don't know, IMEI stands for International Mobile Equipment Identity, which is a 15-digit number that identifies a cell phone for use on a particular carrier's network. All GSM phones have an IMEI, while CDMA phones use a similar code called an ESN or Equipment Serial Number. When you turn on a GSM phone or make a call, the handset sends the IMEI to your carrier's network to identify it and approve it for use. When you lose your phone, your carrier blacklists the IMEI, so even if someone inserts a new SIM card, the phone will be useless. You can find your phone's IMEI by looking on or behind the battery, by looking at the box, or by typing *#06# on your keypad.

Now as Fiona said, she told T-Mobile to cancel her SIM card by invalidating the card's IMSI, or International Mobile Subscriber Identity. The IMSI, which is separate from the IMEI, identifies the subscriber rather than the phone. So even if someone tries to use Fiona's SIM card, they won't be able to do so.

Now I'll get back to your question, Fiona. Since you were using an unlocked phone, there's a good chance T-Mobile did not have your IMEI on record. I would suggest calling T-Mobile to see if it can help.