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
Mar 02
Why was my phone free and now I have to pay so much? Fine print says "with new account".
You recently got your new phone for free on a promotion at your local phone store. 3 months later you were drunk and left your phone in a taxi cab. The next day you proceed to go into your local Verizon store only to find out your phone is going to cost you $599.99 to replace the device. The sales person in the store says you are not eligible for an upgrade on your phone for another year and 9 months! The sales guy says the only reason you received your phone for free was because you agreed to a 2 year contract with your phone carrier. Oh no, what am I going to do you think to yourself.
Jan 12
The moment we have all been waiting for has finally come. For years we have had our hopes raised and then crushed. Tech blogs have spurred the rumor mills and created ongoing disappointment for those not wanting to sacrifice service bars for the next hot phone. It was announced yesterday that the iPhone 4 will be released for Verizon on Febuary 3rd for existing Verizon customers and on Febuary 10th for everybody else. Since 2007, the Apple iPhone has ruled the technological world. AT&T customers have enjoyed the advantages offered by the iPhone while Verizon Wireless customers remained loyal, touting their superior network. Withyesterday’s announcement of the new iPhone 4 on the Verizon network, will the loyal Verizon customer base be rewarded witha superior device on a superior network, or will Verizon mismanage the influx of users and bandwidth as AT&T reportedly did when they added the iPhone to their network? Continue reading »
Apr 06
I’m a little late on this, but I’m definitely interested in how this is/will be playing out. Verizon Wireless has officially announced that they will be releasing their own app store, called the V Cast Store, which will first be available for new and refurbished Blackberry phones. I’ve read several articles claiming that the V Cast Store would be unveiled on March 29th, yet five minutes of Googling (which the maximum amount of time I’m willing to Google any particular subject in this day and age) has yet to reveal anything exciting (and it’s April 6th).
I did go to Verizon’s website and found a tiny little link for apps but if the page it took me to is there new “big app store” that will compete with the iPhone and Blackberry’s app stores, my only response is, “Really?”
Now, I understand that Verizon has been around for a long time and that a lot of people who live in remote areas of the US have been loyal to Verizon and are thankful that Verizon covered them when no one else would but, for me, Verizon has always been a day late and a dollar short. Their phones are always the biggest versions in size and at the bottom on the “cool” list. The only thing keeping them in the game, as far as the technological forefront is concerned, is the Android platform, but it seems inevitable that Google will offer their own service via Voice Over IP in the near future, so who knows how long the Google/Verizon thing will last. If I were a Verizon customer, I’d be counting the days until my contract was up.
Feb 17
Well, kind of. It is true that Skype Mobile is now available for new and refurbished cell phones but until March, you need to have an iPhone or a Nokia Symbian phone. For the iPhone you just download the app, but I’m not sure how it works for Symbians. Maybe someone can comment with more info. If you have the iPhone app, you can now make free Skype to Skype calls from any WIFI zone.
What’s most exciting for Blackberry enthusiasts is that in March, Skype mobile will be integrated with Blackberry via Verizon Wireless. One-upping the iPhone, Skype for Blackberrys on Verizon will be fully integrated, meaning you can make free Skype to Skype calls anytime, anywhere – not just from WIFI. I know I keep saying this but if Skype remains free, I don’t see how Skype mobile won’t totally change the cellular industry as we know it. It can’t be long until Skype mobile is available for all devices.
To promote the release of Skype Mobile, Skype has launched an interesting (and kind of strange) promotional campaign. Basically, they have five artists from around the world on stand by, waiting for you to call them and via Skype and tell them something. They then take your message and transform it into art. There’s a little video about it at http://outside.skype.com/.
