Since OICUR12 posted about the usefulness of Skype, an app and program that I love and use all the time when I’m overseas, I thought I’d share about an app for smartphones that I just discovered the other day through a friend of mine.
I find when I’m overseas and in port that I like to text friends and family back home rather than call. Conversations can take place over hours and it doesn’t cost nearly what a phone call would - although at .50/message (for AT&T at least), it does add up pretty quickly. But [WhatsApp](http://www.whatsapp.com/) seems to have solved that problem. You simply download the app on your phone (iPhone, Blackberry, Android), and ask the people you text to download it as well. For the iPhone it cost .99, I imagine it’s a similar price for the other phones. Then use the app to text back and forth, and the only cost is for the data usage.
Certainly a lot cheaper than $.50 a message! Anybody else out there use this?
I just got a international sim card through http://www.telestial.com. Its actually an Estonian cell phone number, voicemail, texting, ect. Alls you need is an unlocked phone, which you can purchase on the website. I got the Kit V520, came with the phone, charger, and the EXPLORER sim card. http://www.telestial.com/view_product.php?PRODUCT_ID=MSIM-EX02.
Every country has different rates starting around 40 cents a minute. I set it up to add $ automatically once i get a low ballance. I dont know about other ships but the satellite phone on our ships costs about $1.00 a minute so it was worth it to use. I had service all through the med, suez, red sea, Persian gulf.