S60 Sat Nav/Phone: How does the GSM phone work?

[011ienw]

Hi all,

I don't know what the Parrot is that people keep mentioning, but I've looking at buying a used S60, S80 or V70 and would like more info on the GSM integrated phone system please, as I tend to get lots of calls so it's relevant to me to have a good system.

1) Does it accept a SIM card from any network, or does the GSM integrated system only work with certain makes like Nokia and certain networks like Vodafone? I'm on the three/3 network. Should I just be able to take the SIM out of my phone and insert it somewhere? I do have another PAYG phone and SIM on three/3 as well, so if anyone comes back saying it's a faff taking the SIM in and out, I can use the PAYG one.

2) Are there any charges as such, or does putting your SIM into the GSM system just allow the car to be used as a giant phone, with the speaker in the headrest etc? I don't want to insert my SIM and use it for a month only to be landed with some kind of bill...

3) And if the SIM insertion route works, it's irrespective of bluetooth, right? I mean, if my phone is quite old or the bluetooth doesn't work very well, should I still be able to use the Volvo GSM system inserting my SIM?

Cheers

[ptruman]

It should let you use any SIM, at whatever contract/PAYG rates your SIM is on.

If the privacy phone in the armrest, you will lose some space, and obviously the in dash cupholder/cubby-hole, but thats it

The major annoyance with the (non-Bluetooth) phones is that you have to move the SIM from the phone to the car and back, unless you have a Voda dual SIM on one number affair, then you can dial a * code and one SIM will be active, the other won't - so you just tell the network which is primary when you get in/out of the car.

[oilburner]

No extra costs or complexity with using your sim in the built-in GSM phone. It's exactly the same as using it in any other phone. You can even browse/edit the list of phone numbers in the sim memory, send and recieve text messages (although some are garbled with special characters and see missed calls etc.

I like it. I'm happy to use an old PAYG sim in my car and then divert calls from my normal mobile if I need to. Not as good as an automatic integrated bluetooth system, but it works for me.