If you are in the habit of buying the latest phone, you may want to look into the used and refurbished cell phone market. Verizon released the full details of what plans will be available June 28th and for all those customers with Unlimited data that will eventually be forced off, unless they buy used cell phones. The new plans are… confusing at best and expensive at worst. It seems everyone gets a kick in the wallet once this new plan kicks in, and shared plans are the ones getting the biggest hit. Below are the confusing details.
Jun 13
May 18
The used and refurbished cell phone market keeps looking better and better… Remember that article we wrote yesterday? Lots of unanswered questions and hints at moving plans to cheaper services. Well, Verizon finally opened up and released the full details on the changes they will be implementing. Some of the things we mentioned yesterday have changed and the one question I had was answered. That question was, what if I am already upgraded to unlimited 4G LTE date? The good news is I can keep it… The bad news though…
May 17
I hope you like buying used and refurbished cell phones, because Verizon adopted the tiered data plans just under a year ago, but if you had unlimited data before then, you were fine. I got my Droid X just before the tiered service started and have been enjoying the freedom of not having to keep an eye on how much data I use. Well, those days may be numbered.
Dec 23
It’s amazing how quickly the holidays sneak up on you! It feels like summer was just last week, yet here we are. We already have a few articles about safety with your cellphone and electronics, but since it has been a while and a lot of you will be taking a drive to see family, here are some tips on how to stay safe this holiday season.
Jun 02
As of June 7th, consumers who jump on the iPad bandwagon will no longer be able to purchase an “unlimited” download plan. Previously, an iPad user would drop $30 per month to send and receive as much data as they desired–but this is all going to change. The new limit is 2 gigabytes-per-month at a $25 rate. Needless to say, many consumers are frustrated.
The good news is that if you bought your iPad early, you are grandfathered in to the old rates and are not required to switch over to the new plan.
The bad news: it looks like Apple iPhone users aren’t off the hook. In an effort to weed down the number of iPhone customers holding on to their previous Unlimited Data Plans, AT&T is offering a service called “tethering” for $20 per month.
Tethering is a service that turns your portable device into a modem to provide internet access for their laptop. Put simply, if you’re in an area with no wireless internet, simply plug your iPhone into your laptop and enjoy an AT&T sponsored broadband connection. So, that’s the catch–give up your sweet Unlimited Data Plan and opt for the very-useful tethering feature.
Statistics show that on average 98% of AT&T’s customers user less than 2 Gigs per month–so, don’t be so quick to judge. Hypothetically, this change seems economically feasible…yet slightly questionable.
My opinion (since you’re obviously looking for it)?
–Keep your Unlimited Data Plan and hook up with CLEAR for your laptop wi-fi. It’s cheap, efficient, and the customer support is wonderful.
Sources: TechDirt | AT&T Wireless | Clear
-Alex
Apr 20
It seems like a lifetime since the casual–though clumsy–portable or cellular phone generation switched to Smart Phones. Everyone from the average citizen to the global corporate CEO utilizes a small pocket device for practically every aspect of their lives. But how secure are your Smart Phone interactions?
Many new and refurbished Smart Phones are equipped with some kind of rudimentary security device and it seems that most people are either comfortable with that, or simply feel that browsing the web from a phone is more secure than from their PC. Have they been lulled into a false sense of security, or are Smart Phones worthy of all of our faith?
According to |, the Apple iPhone lacks some basic but critical features when it comes to overall security. It’s operating system can be compromised due to corrupted downloads, it lacks over-air updates, and it has relatively no device encryption.
Windows Mobile phones covers a majority of basic security requirements for corporate and personal use along with the iPhone‘s full VPN support.
RIM Blackberry phones offer better consumer coverage; solid security, traffic routing, and almost flawless encryption. But how do Blackberrys hold up to the Android and Symbian?
Both the Android and Symbian phones have a very open nature when it comes to third party access; however, installed software is “theoretically unable” to do any major damage to the device without being traced to the source.
Android and Symbian users are asked permission to utilize certain protected features–and anyone who accesses these features do so with a protected private key.
If you want the ultimate in Smart Phone protection, however, be prepared to pay for it. The Sectera Edge (sold for about $3350) offers military-grade encryption and was offered to President Obama as the alternative for ditching his Blackberry.
But what does all of this mean? Well, other than the old “if it’s good enough for the President, it’s good enough for me” argument, new and refurbished Blackberrys seem to have the highest rated and most user-friendly security aspects amongst Smart Phones.
No matter what device you choose, you should always be wary of your phone’s security settings and overall management. Proper routine maintenance of your technology is crucial to a happy and long-lasting relationship with whichever device you choose. So, remember to choose your Smartphone wisely, but also take care of it–after all–it takes care of you.
Sources: General Dynamics | TechSpot
– Alex
