Request: airbnb experiences; mobile phone help

[feuervogel]

Hi all!

I finally have time to look into the problem of where to stay while I'm doing my practicum in Mannheim in February.

There's a place called Bed & Breakfast Mannheim which gets mediocre reviews on TripAdvisor. It's apparently an unregistered hotel, which makes me kind of ~_~. It might not be bad (and it's cheap -- two weeks would be under 500€ (about $650 at today's exchange rate)) but some reviews said it was dirty and there's mold in the shower, or the beds have hard foam mattresses. So I don't know.

So I looked on airbnb, and there are a couple rooms at similar reasonable prices, but I have no idea how I feel about using that service. The first one (a WG) is further from the GI, but about 20 minutes by transit (if I could take a direct route by foot or bike, it wouldn't be bad, but it looks like highways). The second one is closer and more expensive.

Do any of you have experience with airbnb? Is it worth it to stay in the closer flat, or should I take my chances in the WG? The flat has more reviews, too. It would run me about $760--more than the B&B (which is really a furnished room with shared bathroom & kitchen).

Mobile phones

I'm trying to figure out what to do about my phone. I want to use a German SIM in an old phone, but I'm having problems with my existing phones. My HTC One X would be great, except a) it doesn't read SIM cards anymore (which is why I have a One now) and b) it's technically still under contract, so I'm not sure AT&T will let me unlock it. I have my old Captivate, but a) it's running a ROM, so I'd need to do a factory reset to unlock it, b) it's a piece of shit, and c) it uses the old, large-size SIM cards (2.5x1.5cm/1x5/8in). I have no idea if you can still even buy those.

I want to get a prepaid, and it looks like T-Mobile has the best plan (Xtra Call; the triple whatever one would be great but it looks like it's a monthly service, and I just want to put money on the card as needed), though Vodafone has highly competitive rates. Both providers have prepaid phones you can buy, but I'd rather avoid buying yet another goddamn phone. Especially because the ones that use the non-monthly service are crappy old phones just like the ones I already have. (Like my old RAZR flip phone. Just newer.) I'm going to be back in Germany in June, so I can use it then as well.

The main thing I can't figure out is if the XtraCall option is available in the old, large-format SIM (not micro- or nano-) card. Do any of you know? Or can you wander over to a Telekom shop and ask? (Or a Vodafone shop for the CallYa Talk & SMS one.)

Also, do the minutes/does the money expire?

Are there better plans with better coverage? How does o2 compare, for example?

(Also what is with all this Denglish? Oy.)

Comments

[lian]

I have Xtra Card prepaid, it's just a regular old SIM, so no trouble there. I don't know about rates, tho, since I don't really use it for calls.

re. accommodation, have you looked for Zwischenmiete at WG gesucht or such? Is that not an option?

[feuervogel]

Oh, good; it comes in the old, big size. That means I can figure out how to get my old phone unlocked. Though there are a few software updates that need to be applied, and I'm not sure how to do that since that phone doesn't currently have a functional SIM (the tiny ones won't fit in the case, and the old ones were deactivated.) That isn't something you can help me with, though.

I looked at wg-gesucht, but I couldn't find any Zwischenmiete. Or any offers in February at all right now, actually...Am I just searching wrong?

[cathexys]

LOL about you doing airbnb, bc I was just about to suggest that. A good friend of mine rents out her apartment, and it works really well on both sides, it seems.

We got Sims cards the last two summers (2 this year actually), and they were dirt cheap--as in 10 Euros and you had 10 euros on there. You can get them anywhere (I got one at Lidl and the others at random electronics markets). However, we did have unlocked phones (the iphone required the smaller Sim card, but they cut it for me and it worked easily both times). One of the cards had minutes left from the year before but given how cheap it all was, I didn't mind getting ones this year that expired. It really is cheaper to start anew rather than reconnect after a year. But...this was with unlocked phones! Is there any way you can borrow one? (We got a second phone from one of my husband's colleagues, bc three of our 4 phones were still under contract)

And yes, you buy the old Sims card and they make the micro (I'm not sure about the nano...my phone's still under contract and it seems like it's so small that cutting it in the store even would too easily harm the card)

All of this is for inner German calling. Once you get outside of Germany it gets much more expensive (and, as we found out, nearly impossible). But if you're around a decent WLAN connection, you can always just skype home and really use the phone for SMS and calling in town only...

[cathexys]

And i agree, the first one looks like it'll be a pain to get anywhere without a car. As for the service--I'll be happy to put you in touch with my friend who rents our her place with them if you have any questions about the service...I mean, YMMV clearly, bc it depends on both sides and the service is just a go between, but it might help alleviate some of your concerns...

[feuervogel]

I have an old phone I can unlock--if I can figure out how to get the stock software back onto it! The unlock codes will only work on stock, and it's running CyanogenMod. A really OLD CM, so nothing will update. And all the tutorials require Windows :/ And the guy who modded it for me moved to Austin a few months ago.

I'm planning to take my normal phone (and turn off mobile data and see about blocking texting), which I can use for wifi and skype or gchat or whatever (or my laptop). I mostly want something I can use to call locally or other cell phones or whatever.

If it keeps being a pain in my ass, I'll just get an old non-smart-phone unlocked. I have a great texting phone that I loved.

[cathexys]

Oh yes, that's exactly what we did last year. We used an ancient phone that only called and texted and that got the GErman SIM card. And the iPhone had everything blocked so that it basically worked as an ipod touch...email and all when on WiFi and the kids even figured out how to text when on WiFi, so they were happy :)

[lian]

Good luck with the phone stuff tho :)

I took a quick glance at the "befristet" filter option (right hand side) in Mannheim around February and there are quite a few results. Course, I did a "+/- one month" filter, because I don't know your exact requirements, but it's Semesterferienzeit and honestly, that's exactly when people need an interim tenant for 1, 2 months. So give it another try? or do lmk your dates and I can do a better search :)

[feuervogel]

I found the sort by Stadtteil filter, but I couldn't find befristet :/ I fail at wg-gesucht. (http://www.wg-gesucht.de/wg-zimmer-in-Mannheim-Neckarau.3866016.html came up, but the Anzeige says "bis 35 Jahre," and I'm 37 :P

I'm going to be there from 6. Feb to 21. Feb. The Goethe Institute is in Neckarau (there's a tram stop called Goethe-Institut), so I'm looking in the area east of the river and south of this park (Lindenhof, Neckarau, Rheinau, Almenhof).

Or maybe http://www.wg-gesucht.de/wg-zimmer-in-Mannheim-Almenhof.2978995.html ? Shit, that one's in walking distance. (I need non-smoking, with internet & preferably washing machine.) Though I don't know how people feel about a 2-week sublet (Untermiete/Zwischenmiete).

ETA: Is it worthwhile for me to make a Gesuche profile? Do people use those?

[lian]

Hmmmm I had a look and yeah, the short time might be a major issue. People'll probably try and get other subletters first for the entire x_months; plus there aren't all that many 2014 vacancies up yet.

And you'll want to wrap this up soon, no? So putting up your own ad might be a good idea, even if I can't tell how useful they are in generally -- I've only ever advertised a flat. Sorry /o\
Personally, I'd write to whichever ad seems most promising even if it's not a 100% fit (eh 35, 37, who's counting.), just to see if one could work something out. I understand if that's too much hassle though.

[ckd]

Technically, nothing has used the real "old, large-format SIM" for a long time.

You know that credit-card sized card you snap the SIM out of? That's the original form factor. THE WHOLE CARD. I actually used a phone that had that size slot once.

Naturally, phones stopped using that as soon as they could, leading to the "mini SIM" or 2FF (second form factor), which is what passes for a "large" "old-style" SIM these days. :-)

Micro/3FF can be cut down from a 2FF card if your hands are steady or you have a card puncher.

Nano/4FF is slightly thinner plastic, so if you ever get a new phone that wants that you'll need to get a new SIM to match.

[feuervogel]

Huh! I've never had a phone that used the whole credit-card-sized thing. Now I'm trying to get my crappy-ass Captivate to a place where I can run the unlock app on it, or even just install a goddamn thing on the phone. I've confirmed from a German who uses the Xtra Call that they're the 1" size, so I have until about mid-January to make it work before I decide to just take another old phone to get unlocked, even though that means taking a second charger.

You wouldn't happen to know anything about repairing a phone that decided it doesn't want to read (micro)SIM cards at all, would you? The internet suggested putting tape over the back of it so it would be closer to the reader, but that didn't work.

[ckd]

Check the contact pins, see if they're bent back or covered with crud. If the latter, a pencil eraser might help (it was one of the go-to solutions for expansion card contacts back in the day) assuming you can get in under the SIM card retention bracket somehow.

[feuervogel]

I need a tool to take the screen off, since it's one of those solid-case models (HTC One X), and I'm not sure where to find one. These might work.

[angelamori.livejournal.com]

Airbnb is awesome. I use it all the time. Just check the other reviews for how they felt about the experience. I like how it's a more "native" experience than a hotel, and you tend to save on food since you can get the kitchen and all...

airbnb

[schwaasarasara.livejournal.com]

When Terriberry put me in charge of figuring out where to stay in Paris last year, we wound up going with a listing from airbnb. We stayed on a boat. On the Seine. Basically across the bridge from the Musee d'Orsay. It was about the same cost as a hotel, close to a lot of things, we had nice hosts, and, y'know - we were on a boat in the middle of Paris. I shared alcohol and snacks with the hosts and their family and friends, we talked about what little I knew of French music, and overall they were very welcoming. They did allow us space, but I thought it was cool to spend time with them.

I think it probably depends on each listing, but I'd definitely use airbnb again. Before I stayed with these folks, they didn't have any reviews on their listing, btw.