Quote Originally Posted by Doc Alan View Post
I have a Smart "Plug N' Talk" USB communication device which lets me call + text from a PC to any mobile or landline in the Philippines. It offers close to local call and text rates from as low as P6.50 / minute and P1.00 /SMS to the Philippines.
For around 19.50 GBP it comes with Smart SIM and P300 load. E-load prices are P300 for 5 GBP (valid up to 75 days), P500 for 8.50 GBP (valid up to 120 days) , and P1000 for 16 GBP (valid for up to 120 days).
More details on www.callingnow.co.uk , phone 0207 987 3749.
The device wouldn't work on my new laptop, or a friend's laptop, after working previously on my netbook ( which "crashed" last week due probably to hard drive failing). Callingnow informed me the device could be corrupt, and offered to send a replacement for 5 GBP. This I received by first class post the next day (today). I simply removed my SIM, retaining the +069 number, and it now works perfectly. So I can still recommend the device, and the backup service offered should things go wrong.
Alan the Plug n Talk often runs ok for a little while then gradually builds up a lot of cross linking between files on the dongles file system, at that point you need to back up the .dat files in the MyPhone folder (hidden folder on the dongle) and delete the MyPhone folder.

Once you do that the loader detects that the folder is missing and downloads and reinstalls the Phone software. You then need to copy back your chsty.dat contacts.dat and groups.dat files to the new MyPhone folder and you will have your phone back up and working.

chsty.dat is call history
contacts and groups are obvious
shsty.dat is the complete log of all SMS text messages sent via the Plug n Talk.

It gets corrupted as easy as looking at it but it's a good device, I've had these problems on 2 copies of the device.

I did write a very crude program to parse the old shsty.dat files to allow me to back up my text message history, it was good enough but not perfect, in part because of the corrupted characters that gradually wreck the files.

I will try to put a short guide to fixing these beasties together and maybe I will polish up my little program to make it fit for other users (in other words make it not be an embarrassment to a professional programmer )