6/30/11 Due to Virgin Mobile closing an account of ours that had funds in it, that should have been active for 365 days we can NOT recommend using Virgin Mobile at this time!
Finally, there are several choices for smart phones for those of us who would prefer to not be tied down by contracts, and go the prepaid route. The downside to this is that the phones are not subsidized and that the whole cost of the phone must be paid in advance, BUT often times the savings had with the monthly bill compared to contract phones will offset the added cost of paying the full purchase price of the phone within the first 2 or 3 months.
Leaving out Metro PCS, because there coverage is not that good I will provide you with some carrier approved smart phone devices that are currently on the market.
The first real prepaid smart phone on the block was the Boost Mobile Blackberry 8330. Its upfront cost is $250, and the monthly unlimited plan is $60 per-month. Compare that with sprint's unlimited simply everything plan at $100 and you save $40 per month, so it would take just over 6 months for the phone to be "free" or for you to start realizing the savings.
The next smart phone that came out also came from one of sprints prepaid companies. Virgin mobile is now offering the Blackberry 8530 for $300, and has plans for $35 for 300 minutes + unlimited text and web, $50 for 1200 minutes + unlimited text and web, and $70 for unlimited everything. Making the $35/month plan one of the cheapest blackberry plans available. Yet even if you decide that you need unlimited everything, comparing the $70/month plan with Sprint's unlimited simply everything plan will still save you $30 per month. This will take 10 months to get the phone for "free" or see the savings potential, or even quicker if you choose one of the lower cost plans.
The latest smart phone to reach the prepaid market is not a Blackberry, but an Android phone, and is available by Boost Mobile. The previous 2 Blackberries mentioned above are on Sprint's CDMA network, this one is on the NEXTEL iDEN network. I am not sure why Boost choose to put a smart phone onto the older iDEN network, instead of putting it onto the Sprint CDMA network. The model number is i1, and pricing for the device is not yet posted on the website. I would assume that they would keep the cost of the device to the $250-300 price point, as they are a prepaid company and cater to people looking to save money compared to contract phones, and people are used to having there phones subsidized by the carrier, and to not like to spend that much for there phones. The Plan pricing is also not posted on the website, but I would assume that you would be able to get this device with the $50 plan, because unlike the Blackberries Boost does not need to pay an outside company for PUSH email, or other features.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
FREE cell phone service for low income people
I mentioned on a previous post about cheap cell phone service here about Safelink Wireless a life line cell phone service provided by TracFone. Since that time another company has begun offering free life line cell phone service, Assurance Wireless
Assurance Wireless is provided by Virgin Mobile, which is now owned by Sprint. They offer 200 minutes per month for free, and additional minutes are 10 cents each. Text messages are 15 cents each or $5 for 200 messages.
Safelink Wireless minutes vary by location, but NY only offers 68 minutes per month. Tracfone Wireless minute cards can be purchased to add time to the phone a 60 unit Tracfone card will give you 100 minutes of service that expires in 90 days, and a 120 unit Tracfone card will get you 150 minutes that expire in 90 days. Sounds stupid, but two 60 unit cards will get you 50 more minutes.
So my conclusion would be to apply for the Assurance Wireless phone. Not only will you get more minutes per month for free, but you will also be on Sprint's CDMA network, unlike Tracfone, which mostly operate as an MVNO on AT&T's GSM network. (People who have read previous posts from me will notice that I am partial to CDMA, and critical of GSM, even though HSPDA is a GSM technology, and supposed to provide faster 3G data speeds.)
Assurance Wireless is provided by Virgin Mobile, which is now owned by Sprint. They offer 200 minutes per month for free, and additional minutes are 10 cents each. Text messages are 15 cents each or $5 for 200 messages.
Safelink Wireless minutes vary by location, but NY only offers 68 minutes per month. Tracfone Wireless minute cards can be purchased to add time to the phone a 60 unit Tracfone card will give you 100 minutes of service that expires in 90 days, and a 120 unit Tracfone card will get you 150 minutes that expire in 90 days. Sounds stupid, but two 60 unit cards will get you 50 more minutes.
So my conclusion would be to apply for the Assurance Wireless phone. Not only will you get more minutes per month for free, but you will also be on Sprint's CDMA network, unlike Tracfone, which mostly operate as an MVNO on AT&T's GSM network. (People who have read previous posts from me will notice that I am partial to CDMA, and critical of GSM, even though HSPDA is a GSM technology, and supposed to provide faster 3G data speeds.)
Thursday, February 25, 2010
helpful links
Have a Boost Mobile iDEN phone (or NEXTEL), and want to install a software that you downloaded from the internet on your computer to the phone? You can with this link...
http://144.230.114.35/adp1/FUN/index.jsp?output=100
Want to search for a phone number from an address? Perhaps you want to search for a name or address from a phone number?
http://www.whitepages.com/10866/reverse-lookup
Need to know how to dial an international number from anywhere in the world, to anywhere else? Or look up what country a person is calling you from?
http://www.howtocallabroad.com/
Want a FREE DID?
http://www.ipcomms.net/product-freedid.html
http://www.ipkall.com/
What about some FREE VoIP?
http://www.voipbuster.com/en/index.html
Just want to make a free call from your PC to someone in the US or CAN?
http://callingamerica.com/ [no longer provides FREE calls]
Want to know what phone company currently controls a phone number, and what carrier originally owned that number?
http://tnid.org/
Want to know what central office serves a certain exchange? Perhaps you want other detailed information about a certain rate center, or other telephone switching equiptment? There is lots of interesting information to be found at this site.
http://www.telcodata.us/telcodata/telco?npa=&exchange=
Don't want to be bothered with telemarketers?
https://donotcall.gov/
Want to file a complaint about someone who violated the do not call list, or some other issue with a tele-commerce issue?
https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/
Want more info on how telephone numbers are assigned, or some other similar questions?
http://nanpa.com/
Want information about laws governing the telephone? You can check the FCC website linked below, but you should also search for the Public Service Commission (PSC) or Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for your state.
http://fcc.gov/
EDIT- 2-27-10
Got a Magic Jack and need some more help than there "customer service" provides?
http://www.magicjacksupport.com/
EDIT - 6-13-10
Free conference service http://www.freemagicconference.com/
EDIT - 6-24-10
Want to know how to get a real person on the phone, instead of having to press 1 for this 2 for that?
http://gethuman.com/
Looking for a vanity toll free number? Look up if what you want is available by using this tool, don't worry, you can order your toll free number from whatever carrier that you choose if it is available.
http://businessesales.att.com/products/lookup_toll_free_results.jhtml;jsessionid=RCRZG20MXP40JB32A5NSKT2HXQD3GJLW?grp=additional&_requestid=197365
http://144.230.114.35/adp1/FUN/index.jsp?output=100
Want to search for a phone number from an address? Perhaps you want to search for a name or address from a phone number?
http://www.whitepages.com/10866/reverse-lookup
Need to know how to dial an international number from anywhere in the world, to anywhere else? Or look up what country a person is calling you from?
http://www.howtocallabroad.com/
Want a FREE DID?
http://www.ipcomms.net/product-freedid.html
http://www.ipkall.com/
What about some FREE VoIP?
http://www.voipbuster.com/en/index.html
Just want to make a free call from your PC to someone in the US or CAN?
http://callingamerica.com/ [no longer provides FREE calls]
Want to know what phone company currently controls a phone number, and what carrier originally owned that number?
http://tnid.org/
Want to know what central office serves a certain exchange? Perhaps you want other detailed information about a certain rate center, or other telephone switching equiptment? There is lots of interesting information to be found at this site.
http://www.telcodata.us/telcodata/telco?npa=&exchange=
Don't want to be bothered with telemarketers?
https://donotcall.gov/
Want to file a complaint about someone who violated the do not call list, or some other issue with a tele-commerce issue?
https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/
Want more info on how telephone numbers are assigned, or some other similar questions?
http://nanpa.com/
Want information about laws governing the telephone? You can check the FCC website linked below, but you should also search for the Public Service Commission (PSC) or Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for your state.
http://fcc.gov/
EDIT- 2-27-10
Got a Magic Jack and need some more help than there "customer service" provides?
http://www.magicjacksupport.com/
EDIT - 6-13-10
Free conference service http://www.freemagicconference.com/
EDIT - 6-24-10
Want to know how to get a real person on the phone, instead of having to press 1 for this 2 for that?
http://gethuman.com/
Looking for a vanity toll free number? Look up if what you want is available by using this tool, don't worry, you can order your toll free number from whatever carrier that you choose if it is available.
http://businessesales.att.com/products/lookup_toll_free_results.jhtml;jsessionid=RCRZG20MXP40JB32A5NSKT2HXQD3GJLW?grp=additional&_requestid=197365
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
free conference calling
[EDIT 5/15/11: newer article HERE]
I do not believe that I have ever posted about http://talkee.com before. Talkee is a website that has local access numbers all over the country for chatlines. These chatlines offer you the ability to talk to total strangers, or meet up with a bunch of your friends, and talk together. Most of them seem to be a place for perverts to hang around and try to solicit for sex, kind of like how most internet chat rooms are (not pointing any fingers, or judging any of you).
What has recently come to my attention however, is that the people who brought you the Magic Jack are offering a free conference service. The MJ service, seems to be free from the issues that might plague other chatline services like Talkee. The MJ service is only promoted on there website with a small link at the bottom of there main page, which links to a different domain http://www.freemagicconference.com/ This service seems to be geared more towards personal conferences, or professional conferences. I only just called in to see what the menu options are like, and have yet to conference with anyone on there yet. It mentions that you are using the Magic Jack conference upon calling into it, but the service seems professional enough to be able to use for a business conference calling service. The best news about it, the service is NOT limited to MJ customers, so you do not need to be calling from a MJ line, you do not even need to own a MJ device to use the service. So give it a shot, to dial in call 305-848-8888 to start a new room dial 2 then the 3 digit room, to join a room dial 1 then the 3 digit room number...
I do not believe that I have ever posted about http://talkee.com before. Talkee is a website that has local access numbers all over the country for chatlines. These chatlines offer you the ability to talk to total strangers, or meet up with a bunch of your friends, and talk together. Most of them seem to be a place for perverts to hang around and try to solicit for sex, kind of like how most internet chat rooms are (not pointing any fingers, or judging any of you).
What has recently come to my attention however, is that the people who brought you the Magic Jack are offering a free conference service. The MJ service, seems to be free from the issues that might plague other chatline services like Talkee. The MJ service is only promoted on there website with a small link at the bottom of there main page, which links to a different domain http://www.freemagicconference.com/ This service seems to be geared more towards personal conferences, or professional conferences. I only just called in to see what the menu options are like, and have yet to conference with anyone on there yet. It mentions that you are using the Magic Jack conference upon calling into it, but the service seems professional enough to be able to use for a business conference calling service. The best news about it, the service is NOT limited to MJ customers, so you do not need to be calling from a MJ line, you do not even need to own a MJ device to use the service. So give it a shot, to dial in call 305-848-8888 to start a new room dial 2 then the 3 digit room, to join a room dial 1 then the 3 digit room number...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)