Mobile Wiseguy
Translator
- On a Carnival Cruise for the next week. Thanks Josh Linker your vacation linker. Super bowl on the water
Verizon Wireless Plans and Accessories
Phonescoop news, info and reviews
- Sprint Signs MVNE Agreement with Simplexity February 6, 2012Sprint and Simplexity MVNO today announced that they have signed a multi-year agreement giving Simplexity the rights to resell Sprint's network products and services. Simplexity is a mobile virtual network enabler (MVNE) and this deal will allow it to act as the go-between company that interfaces with Sprint's wholesale and MVNO partners. Simplexit […]
- U.S. Cellular Now Offering Voice-to-Text Service February 6, 2012U.S. Cellular today announced that it is offering Nuance's Voice Mail to Text to its customers. U.S. Cellular customers that choose to use Voice Mail to Text will be able to read their voice mail messages via text message or email on their mobile phone rather than dial in to the voicemail system and listen to the messages directly. Customers can respond […]
- Review: Samsung Galaxy Attain 4G for MetroPCS February 4, 2012Samsung brings a mid-range Galaxy-class device to MetroPCS's network in the Attain 4G. This simpler smartphone packs some surprises, along with some disappointments. […]
Archive for the ‘data’ Category
AT&T is scrambling to save its T-Mobile merger plans
AT&T to Woo and Fight Justice Department on Antitrust Lawsuit according to NYTimes.com. AT&T needs merger because Verizon Wireless LTE network will dominate the industry with all the new products and services. If I was developing a service or product to be used on a 4G network would I not use the largest, fastest and most reliable network and if things stay the same that will be Verizon Wireless.
The future is data service in real time and LTE is the pathway that most of the world is choosing to follow.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/03/technology/att-to-woo-and-fight-justice-department-on-antitrust-lawsuit.html
Unlimited Data on Smartphones end on Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless will end the unlimited data smartphone feature on July 6th 2011. The feature is $29.99 now for unlimited data usage and after July 6th customers will be able to pick from three packages.
$30 for 2 GB of data $10 a GB for any overages
$50 for 5 GB of data $10 a GB for any overages
$80 for 10 GB of data $10 a GB for any overages
‘
What does that mean for Verizon Wireless current customers is if you already have the unlimited data feature you will be able to keep it (grandfather in) but after July 6th current and new customers looking to get into a smartphone will only have one of the three options above to pick from.
My recommendation is anyone that streams a lot of media like music and videos should jump on the unlimited data option now before its too late.
What I am hoping is with the new data plans families now can share data. If you had a family plan with 5 smartphones now you are paying $29.99 times 5 smartphones close to $150 a month for the data feature only on the smartphones but after July 6th you can spend $30 and share 2 Gigabytes of data between the 5 smartphones. I don’t recommend the 2 Gigabytes for 5 smartphones thats not much data to share unless the smartphones are Blackberry devices the other two higher data plan options should cover most users.
After July 6th 2011
$30 gives you a monthly allowance of 2GB/mo. For 90% of customers, it is more than sufficient for uploading pictures, browsing the web, checking in on Facebook, downloading and using apps, and everything in between.
What are the levels of data I can purchase?
- 2GB for $30/mo, 5GB for $50/mo, and 10GB for $80/mo. Adding mobile hotspot adds 2GB of allowance and $20/mo on top of your data package.
How can I check to make sure I won’t go over my monthly allowance?
- An app called My Verizon is included with your phone. You can use it as well as a widget included to monitor your useage and check on it anytime.
I’m an exisiting customer. Can I keep my $30 unlimited data plan if I upgrade to a smartphone from a smartphone?
- Yes you can. It stays on your plan unless you ask to change the data plan.
What if I’m going to a 4G smartphone from a 3G smartphone?
- You can keep your unlimited data plan even if you are upgrading to a 4G device.
I have a feature phone with a $30 unlimited data package. Can I keep that when upgrading to a smartphone?
- Yes you can. It stays on your plan unless you ask to change the data plan.
Any other questions, email me.
Verizon Wireless data package for the Apple iPhone
The only choice for the Apple iPhone with data is the $29.99 unlimited data. Verizon Wireless is ending the $15 150MB data package on 1/30/11 and the only choice for Smartphones will be the unlimited package. Verizon will have a new package for simple phones and that will be $10 for 75MB or the simple phones can choose the $29.99 unlimited data package.
Smartphones on Verizon will only have the $29.99 option for data. The introduction of the Apple iPhone was probably a significant factor on this decision.
That $15 150 MB data package was great for most Blackberry users. If you want to save money on your monthly bill because you don’t use much data, change your plan before 1/30/11 and that plan will be grandfather in. I would recommend any Blackberry user to check there data usage and change now.
There is also another great deal being lost because of this data change. The Palm Pixi can add the $15 data package and that also includes 5 GB of hot spot data on the Palm Pixi.
Get the Palm Pixi now!
I wonder if you get a smartphone before the $15 data package ends on 1/30/11 and switch to the Apple iPhone within the 14 day exchange policy if you can keep the $15 data package?
What is 4G?
AT&T turned on its 4G wireless network Wednesday. The switch, however, was in the company’s marketing department. By relabeling its existing 3G network, the country’s second-largest wireless carrier joined the other major wireless players with so-called fourth-generation wireless technology, which promises mobile Internet speeds so fast that huge files can be downloaded in minutes and streaming video can be watched without the interruptions of earlier-generation technologies. As recently as September, AT&T executives had referred to the company’s current network, which runs on a technology it calls HSPA-plus, as 3G. But AT&T has subtly shifted its marketing message since then, now proclaiming “the nation’s fastest mobile broadband network” instead of the fastest 3G network. The 4G network claim is already being used by all the major wireless carriers but what is the real definition of 4G.
4G is downloads speeds of 100MB per second and at this time Verizon Wireless which has the fastest network with their LTE network rollout only has downloads speeds of 5 to 12MB per second less than one quarter of the 4G definition. The marketing departments of the major carriers did a great job changing the definition of 4G.
In March 2011 a satellite company Viasat will be introducing a true 4G network with downlink speeds of 100MB per second but at the beginning it will be only for military use and consumer use will still be a few years out.
I wonder if they will claim to have 5G.
how to use your smartphone as a wireless modem
The other day I needed another internet connection for my laptop so I downloaded an application called PDAnet on my laptop. PDAnet allows you to teather your PDA to your computer and use the PDA as a wireless modem. Now I can use my Motorola Backflip as a modem to access the internet on my laptop and desktop.
I have heard about this application before but I never took the time and looked into it. I have a Verizon Wireless data card that I use for my laptop and desktop computers. I have used the Verizon Wireless data card for all my internet needs for a few years now.
My girlfriend is always using my data card on the desktop so I tried out PDAnet and to my surprise it was as easy as 123.
I did a Google search for pdanet and the first website I saw on the search I clicked on it and download the software specific for Vista and Android. The installation process took less than 5 minutes to get it up an running. The internet speed is remarkably fast and it has not given me any issues as of yet, plus because I am using an at&t Android phone I still can talk on the phone while surfing the web from my laptop.
I do have a warning at&t has limits on your data now and you can easily go over using your phone as a modem. I have unlimited data with at&t that I am grandfather in on but I will still have to be cautious because at&t and the other wireless carriers do not want you to do this with your PDA phone without paying for the teathering feature. The teathering feature with most wireless providers range in price from $20 to $30 a month and the usage is limited to 2Gb to 5GB.
The PDAnet application that I downloaded is a great solution for anyone who needs to use a computer on the road. I now have another option to connect my computers to web.
The PDAnet allowed me to surf sites on any computer with my Backflip but it would not let me go to secure sites (https) unless I upgraded the PDAnet for a one time fee of $15.95. I paid the one time fee of $15.95 and now I am able to go to any site without any problems. This fee is transferable if you change Android phones and it can be used on any computer.
PDAnet works with most smartphones and operating systems (Blackberry, Apple OS, Android and Palm).
Tiered data plans are being offer by three of the top four wireless providers
The wireless price war continues with data plans. Three of the top 4 wireless carriers are now offering tiered data plans to better suit there customers needs.
At&t started the tiered data pricing followed last week by Verizon Wireless and now T-Mobile is jumping on the bandwagon.
http://www.rcrwireless.com/article/20101101/CARRIERS/101109996/t-mobile-usa-set-to-roll-out-tiered-data-plans
Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.
how to put videos on the web from a cell phone
I wanted to do quick video and post it to the web using my cell phone. I thought it would be easy to take the video and then upload it from the phone to YouTube so it can be used on my Blog.
I only can take a short video with my Blackberry Bold 9700 and send the video through MMS to YouTube. The video is sent as a multimedia message to YouTube and the anyone can see your video on YouTube. After the video is uploaded to Youtube it can be link to websites and or Blogs.
The issue I have is that a MMS video is only 30 seconds and the quality is not as good as normal videos that can be taken with the Blackberry Bold 9700. A normal video can be hours long as long as you have room on your media card.
I have a few other ways to upload longer and better quality videos to YouTube. First is after taking a good quality video with the phone take my media card and use the SD adapter to upload the video from my laptop to YouTube.
Secondly is my Motorola Backflip an Android device let’s me upload videos taken with it directly to YouTube without the 30 second restriction. I am sure it has something to do with Google owning Android mobile operating system and Youtube. My first test was a 5 minute video I took waiting for the draw bridge to open. I realized later more than 2 minutes took way too long to upload directly from the cell phone.
Then I remembered using an application on my Blackberry Bold 9000. It is called Qik, this application allow you to stream the video live and the video can be an hour or more. I stopped using Qik only because it is not supported on my Blackberry Bold 9700. Qik works on many devices Android, iPhones, Windows Mobile and some models of the Blackberry.
Qik is the easiest way to put videos on the web.
Check out some videos on my Qik website.
Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.
Clearwire is rolling out clear.com 4G mobile home and mobile internet
Clearwire has started a roll out of a company called Clear. They will offer WiMax internet for the home and mobile (laptops). CLEAR has built a brand new WiMAX network that covers entire cities with super fast mobile internet. With average speeds 3 to 6 Mbps and burst over 10 Mbps, you can stream movies, play online games and video chat on the go.
This will give the big two Verizon Wireless and AT&T competition for wireless internet in the cities offering Clear . All of the available wireless data offered by Verizon, AT&T and Sprint now currently have a 5 GB monthly limit. Clear is now contacting existing wireless dealers in Miami, Fort Lauderdale for a November 2010 launch date. Clear is a Sprint partner in the deployment of WiMax.
Clear WiMax plans