Archive for the ‘cell phones’ Category
March 6, 2007
The best money saving practice for buying new cellular phones and service plans is to buy from a dealer, not through the cellular provider directly. Dealers compete against each other with lower prices than the actual cellular providers do.
The reason for this is that dealers are much smaller and rely solely on cell phone revenues. The actual cellular providers themselves have many other fronts, battles, and sources of revenue, so price satisfaction in any one sector is not always available.
For Example: AT&T or Verizon has cellular, but also have local phone service, long distance, satellite, and so forth. A dealer only sells cellular; that’s it. Dealers usually will offer just about every existing cellular provider’s services so the convenience of one stop shopping is an additional feature.
Online dealers are the most convenient source for shopping and comparing plans. You can shop low dealer priced plans from online and save even more.
A great and smart idea, before you buy into any cellular service plan, is to have a friend or family member let you borrow their phone(s) for a day at the least. By doing this you can travel to all of your frequent hotspots to make sure you will receive decent signaling with that cellular provider on a regular basis. Just taking someone’s word for it is not good enough, especially if they are trying to sell you the service. Try a test drive; it’s your smartest bet. Remember, purchasing the best plan will be worthless if you can never use your phone. Coverage is the first factor to any cellular plan ? period.
If you have friends with a diverse set of cellular providers, try each one out to determine which one is most reliable for your daily activities. Take your friends feedback as well; they will be very helpful on subjects of billing, quality of service, and other important consumer information.
This article was written by Aaron Siegel of TopSavings.Net which offers residential, business, and governments voice and Internet communications. Cell Phones
Services available at the site include VoIP, Internet Access, Long Distance, Local Phone Services, Toll-Free Services, Intranet Access, Cellular Services, and more.
March 1, 2007
A recent survey of the FCC’s antenna structure registration database showed that in 2001 there were roughly 89,000 antenna sites registered with the FCC. Today, there are over 109,000 registered sites. It is important to note that most towers under 200′ are not required to be registered, so there are significantly more towers in the US than this number suggests.
All of these sites are on someone’s property, whether the tower company or antenna site owner owns the land underneath it or is leasing it. Over the past 5 years, the tower companies and wireless carriers have predominately chosen to lease land rather than buy it. Assuming that the increase in antenna structure registrations constitutes just 50% or all new leases, in the last five years, that yields 40,000 new cell site leases.
From my experience in the industry procuring land and structure sites for cell towers and antenna sites, the vast majority of the landowners who are approached to lease land or space on their building have very little experience with this type of lease agreement. The landowners often inquire with their associates and colleagues to find out how they should negotiate. However that assumes that the landowner’s colleague negotiated a good agreement in the first place, which is often questionable.
So where is a landowner faced with negotiating a lease agreement to turn? First, start by asking the pertinent questions from the agent interested in leasing space for a cell tower.
What is the going rate for a cell tower in this area? What is your average lease payment? What was the amount of the last lease agreement you signed? Can you show it to me? Why are you looking at my property? Is there anything special about it?
While you may not get straightforward answers, you will at least get a sense of how this agent operates. From there, be prepared to do some research. Ask friends and business associates if they know of anyone with a tower on their property. Search the web for cell tower lease rates and for cell tower leases. Be aware that every piece of property is different and that each has its own value to a wireless carrier that may not be reflected by its total value. Call your local zoning or planning office to discuss what the requirements are for a tower and whether or not your site meets them.
Lastly, retain the services of an attorney, consultant, or both. You are preparing to sign a 25 year agreement that will tie your land up, make sure that you understand it well. The cost of a qualified attorney or consultant is minimal compared to the money recieved over the term of the lease. If you are using an attorney, ask specifically how many wireless leases they have negotiated. If the answer is less than 5, look for someone else. A wireless lease is not like a standard commerical lease even though some of the clauses will be the same. Your attorney really needs to know the difference or he/she could end up costing you the lease.
A cell tower lease can be a very lucrative proposition for you. We in the industry like to call it mailbox money- you sit back and receive a nice monthly check for doing nothing other than allowing your land to be leased, often for significantly more than any other type of use on the property. While the reward can be great, make sure that you minimize the risk by asking the questions and getting the outside help you need.
Ken Schmidt is the owner of Steel in the Air, a cell tower consulting firm. Steel in the Air provides expert consultations on cell tower valuation, cell tower lease negotiations, lease renegotiations and lease buyouts. Ken has been quoted on cell towers in the NY Times and numerous other publications.
February 26, 2007
Cell phone accessories would include antennas, batteries, cases, faceplates, holsters, holders, hands free kits and a few others. Antennas are to boost your signal and an additional battery may be a good precaution. A car charger could be a good alternative to an additional battery.
With the convenience and pricing of cellular phones and the new long life batteries, many people are choosing to eliminate the use for a home phone altogether. There is no reason to pay for one phone, when you already have one in your pocket that has the same purpose. Although some cell phone accessories are trends, most are very beneficial to the cell phone user.
Consider what and when you use the cellular and how cell phone accessories would be a convenience to you.
Cell phone accessories need to be charged all the time. When your cellular phone batteries aren’t kept fully charged, it will die in the middle of conversations. If your cell phone batteries haven’t been adequately charged over time, you will have to spend more money and time replacing them
Cell phone accessories include different parts. Of all these, the hands free kits are the most important. In some states, it is illegal to drive while talking on your cellular. Hands free cellular accessories allow you to mount your phone for easy dialing, answering and wear a headset or microphone for convenient talking.
About The Author
Mike Yeager Publisher http://www.a1-cell-phones-4u.com/
mjy610@hotmail.com
February 21, 2007
Cellular phones are used by millions of people in the United States and around the world. They are such a great device! With a cell phone, you can talk to anyone on the planet from just about anywhere! These days, cell phones provide an incredible array of functions.
One of the most interesting things about a cell phone is that it is actually an extremely sophisticated radio. Cellular phones are more popular in European and Asian countries than they are in the United States — more than ninety percent of Europeans or Asians own a cell phone, compared to about fifty percent of Americans.
Cellular phones have different plans to use. If you are an infrequent user of cell phones select a low usage plan. In many areas, wireless phone plans are quiet affordable. The competition among the many cellular companies has been a tremendous benefit to the consumer, since it has brought the per-minute costs down. Only get the features you need with your wireless phone plan. Cellular phones and mobile phones are more of a novelty for the younger generation.
Cellular phones provide a wide range of services for security or trouble situations. Since it works in nearly any area you can be reached, you can also call for assistance if needed for any medical or mechanical problem. Prepaid cell phones and prepaid cellular phones are also great options. Cellular service has become so popular mainly because of the reduction in price for airtime.
About The Author
Mike Yeager Publisher
http://www.a1-cell-phones-4u.com/, mjy610@hotmail.com
February 16, 2007
Trends in music come and go, but the crown jewel of musical accomplishment has been a mainstay since its creation. The Grammy Awards are the music industry’s biggest night. Winning a grammy carries the same weight for musicians as the Oscars do for actors - there is no greater achievement.
Over the past decade, the Grammy’s have become a greater reflection of music that is not only critically acclaimed, but popular as well. According to AllMusic.com, seven of the previous 10 winners of the grammy for Album of the Year have reached number one on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart. 2003’s Album of the Year winner, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below by Outkast, has sold over 10 million copies since its release in September of that year. Norah Jones’ 2002 Grammy winner, Come Away with Me, has sold over 18 million copies worldwide, also according to AllMusic.com.
One of the best ways to gauge what music is popular today is what music listeners are downloading. The internet has become a virtual candy land for music lovers, and the acronym “MP3″ can be heard as often in conversations about music as “CD.”
MP3’s themselves have become more mobile as technology advances, and are now making their way from the desktop to the cell phone. MP3 ringtones are the latest advancement in the ringtone industry. One of the fastest growing industries worldwide, ringtones are worth about $3.5 billion dollars, according to Deloitte Accountancy.
“Record labels and artists really rely on the revenue ringtones can generate,” said Bob Bentz, Sales and Marketing Director for MonsterTones (http://www.monstertones.com). “It’s a new found source of income for them in an era of overall declines.”
Ringtones have become such a strong gauge of song popularity that Billboard gave its first Ringtone of the Year Award in 2003. The inaugural winner of the award was 50 Cent for his single, “In Da Club.” 50 received five grammy nominations in 2003. Although he didn’t win any, three of those were for “In Da Club.”
Can ringtone popularity predict Grammy victory? Or is the crossover popularity that a hit ringtone signifies a death wish on Grammy night?
Kanye West has been described over the past year as “cocky.” He believes he is the best. His Grammy nominations prove him right. West leads the field with ten noms for songs from his debut album, The College Dropout, and his work as a producer for artists like Alicia Keys. Kanye is nominated for Song of the Year and Best New Artist, and The College Dropout is nominated for Album of the Year thanks to hit singles and ringtones like “All Falls Down.”
Usher earned eight nominations, and will look to continue his award season success in some of the biggest categories on Grammy night. He is nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, and his seven times platinum album, Confessions, is nominated for Album of the Year. According to a source to the Times UK, Usher’s single “Burn” (nominated for Best Male R&B Performance) was one of the top ten ringtones of 2004.
Alicia Keys avoided the sophomore slump with The Diary of Alicia Keys, and also garnered eight grammy nominations. In 2002, Keys won five grammys for her debut album, Songs In A Minor, and should have mantle space cleared for more grammophones this year. She is nominated for Album of the Year, and Song of the Year for her single “If I Ain’t Got You.”
Green Day re-introduced themselves to fans in 2004 with the release of their seventh album, American Idiot. They will try to win their first grammy since 1994 with six nominations, including Record of the Year for their politically-themed single “American Idiot.” American Idiot is also nominated for Album of the Year and features the hit single “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” which is currently the seventh top selling ringtone on MonsterTones.
The Grammy Awards are becoming a more accurate reflection of music that is both popular and creative each year. As the awards show makes that shift, the popularity of ringtones could begin to play a role in which artists and songs receive nominations. There could even be a possible grammy created for Ringtone of the Year.
“Rap music is the best music since the ’60s, and the Grammy’s took a few years to recognize it as a musical category,” said Bentz. “If ringtones continue to help shape what music becomes popular, who knows what could happen?”
The 47th Annual Grammy Awards are on Sunday, February 13. All the songs mentioned above, plus ringtones from other nominated artists like Hoobastank, NERD, and the Killers are currently available at MonsterTones for 47% off. For more information on MP3 and cell phone ringtones, please go to http://www.MonsterTones.com.
Jonathan is a starving, struggling writer who aspires to work in public relations when he graduates from West Virginia University. He is a marketing intern with Advanced Internet and a stringer for the Associated Press.
February 11, 2007
Okay, I’ll admit I have been pushed over the edge. This morning, while reading the newspaper, I learned that a major airline is going to allow the use of the cell phone while taxiing to the gate! Can you imagine what that is going to be like?
For two years I have thinking about doing a seminar on cell phone etiquette. Back then; I was sitting in a restaurant waiting for my luncheon companion to arrive. There were two men in the booth next me having a quiet lunch when one of their cell phones went off.
Not only were they oblivious to the fact that I was sitting behind them, they continued to talk on the phone for a half hour. Guess what? They we negotiating a major contract.
It was impossible not to hear them, the terms of the agreement, and what they would give if the going got tough. Hmmmm. Just imagine had I been one of their competitors. How could they have possibly known I wasn’t? For that matter, how did they know the person at booth on their other side wasn’t a competitor or relative of their competitor?
Yes, I have cell phone. Now I cannot imagine working without one. Yet, not even my daughters have my cell phone number. They know I check my home answering often and they know I will get back to them.
My friends, at first, made it a game to see who could be the first one to get the number. One of them did get it by checking their “who just called” notation. They recently laughed and said, “A lot of good it does me, and you never answer it anyway.” That’s right I don’t.
When I am out and about, I’m out and about. I do not have to be in constant contact with my phone. One woman recently said to me “Kathy, I have to available for my clients.” Of course, you do, yet that does not mean that they have to have immediate access to you. When that is necessary, I stay close to my office. I learned long ago clients are flexible and realize I have a life too. In fact, that is probably one of the things that surprised me the most about being self-employed. I thought I had to be available when the clients wanted to make an appointment. Instead they are wonderful about accommodating my schedule.
Now let’s talk about how you finally arranged a luncheon meeting with someone that you find interesting, perhaps a business associate or just a friend you want to get caught up with. You are starting the conversation and their cell phone goes off. They dig the phone out and say, “Just let me see who this is.” They look at it and say “I going to let that one go.” Ten minutes later the phone rings and it is a call they decide they need to take. Five minutes goes by (How significant do you feel, being the one sitting there?) and they hang up and say, “I am sorry, that was so and so.” As if I give a rip?.Then they say, “Here, let me turn off this phone.” Ahh, peace at last.
What people don’t seem to realize that in most case, the people all around you can hear exactly what you are saying. Recently at an airport two colleagues were talking about another colleague in unflattering terms. What difference does that make? What would you say if I told you they used names and one on the cell phone near me was wearing a shirt proudly displaying his company’s logo?
Then there is “Let me take a moment before we begin to make this phone call.”
Keep in mind we had a total of half hour to get our business conducted. They call home, the child begs for something, the adult gets uptight and an argument pursues. You are sitting there “a prisoner” to the conversation. You colleague is upset when you begin the conversation, takes a while to get on track and you have to build up positive rapport again before you can be heard.
Finally, you are at the stop sign. The person turns “Right” in front of you and you can tell his/her mind is not on driving?.The cell phone is up to his/her ear. More than once I held my breath as the car barely brushed by me. They were not concentrating on swinging out farther to make the turn.
I have made a rule for myself to not talk on a cell phone while driving. Not too long ago I was running late and I thought I’d listen to my messages on my home answering machine while driving. Then, I thought to myself, no I have my rule. So I pulled into one of our Waterfront parks. Stopped the car and looked at the river as I listened to calls. After I was through, I no longer felt rushed and that unexpected stop?served me so well.
Finally, if you look around, you will see the people with “Real Power” in our community rarely pull out their cell phones in public. They have found ways to be in touch without having the cell phone being an interruption in their business days. They use them, yet they use them discreetly.
I guess in retrospect that is what I want to convey to those reading this article. I totally believe in cell phone, delighted I have one-yet, when you use them think about the people with you and around you. People are craving to feel significant. When answering the cell phone in their presence, you have decided the person on the other end of the phone is more important than the person sitting in front of you.
Kathy Condon, GCDF, is a Vancouver, Washington based Career Facilitator, International Speaker and Trainer and private coach. She recently developed a new Talk/Seminar on Age/Gender as they relate to the Corporate world. She can be reached at (360) 695-4313, http://www.kathycondon.info kathycondon.info
February 6, 2007
The time has come and your teenager has asked for one but you’re not sure if you should supply one or not. No were not talking about a car. This is the digital age we mean the cellular phone. Perhaps no other decision has caused so much alarm and grief (aside from a credit card) then if you should give your teenage their own cellular phone. The cellular phone companies would advocate for allowing your teenage the use of a cell phone. And certainly there is merit to that suggestion. After all teenagers can use the cell phone in times of emergency such as breaking down on the side of the road or needing a ride home. Don’t forget that nearly half of today’s teenagers already have a cell phone. Leaving your teenager without one could affect their cool factor with their friends and other teenagers. There probably exist many other emergency situations in which your loved one would need a cell phone.
Unfortunately many teenagers seem to think there is always a crisis going on and ultimately end up using their cell phone for almost everything to include calling and text messaging their friends in no time flat. They may even call you every once in a while. This can result in their using all of the minutes allowed in the cheap, just for emergencies calling plan you selected before the month is halfway over.
For this reason many parents are advocate the use of prepaid cellular phones for teenagers. With a prepaid cell phone, the phone comes loaded with a set number of minutes when you buy it. You add more calling minutes as you need them. There’s no annual contract or monthly bills to worry about.
Phone features are something you should really look for when deciding on what prepaid cellular phone provider to use. Some of the free features you should look for include the following:
FREE Roaming
FREE Long Distance
FREE Voice Mail
FREE 3-Way Calling
FREE Call Forwarding
FREE Caller ID
FREE International Calling to over 50 countries
FREE Incoming Text Messaging
NO Activation Fee
NO Programming Fee
NO Monthly Bill
NO Credit Checks
NO CONTRACTS
NO TAXES
We hope this information has been helpful in your decision on whether or not to purchase a cell phone for your teenager. Now you only have to worry about the cellular phone accessories that they want to get for their new prepaid cellular phone.
Timothy Gorman is a successful webmaster and publisher of Cellular-Phones-Online.com. He provides more free cell phone information and cell phone accessories that you can research in your pajamas on his website.
Other websites operated by Tim
Military-Loans-Online.com - Trusted provider of military loans and VA loans.
Best-Free-Insurance-Quotes.com - Offers discount auto, life and home insurance.
February 1, 2007
It’s no surprise If you’ve become interested in the new camera phones being advertised by cellular service providers on television. They have quickly become one of the fastest selling technologies in U.S. history and are well on their way to becoming one of the must have cellular phone accessories. Almost 6 million cellular phone users within the United States now have camera phones. Surprisingly this number is extremely low when compared to Japan where the camera cellular phone has become a trademark in almost all of the cellular phones. Don’t be alarmed though, camera cell phones are here to stay in the United States and with the cellular phone providers making it easier and cheaper to mass produce them an estimated 50 to 90 percent of U.S. cell-phones will contain built-in cameras by 2007, according to market research.
Like all new cellular products initially their price was rather high but now many cellular companies are actually giving them away for free when you sign up for their cellular phone service. The ease of use has also sparked an interest among users of the camera phone. In many cases a simple point and click is all that’s needed to be able to send a picture of a family member or event to someone else. This ability to capture the moment has helped sales soar on camera cellular phones but will that novelty wear out anytime soon?
Unfortunately there are still a few drawbacks to having a camera phone. The pictures aren’t near the quality of what a regular camera can take. There is also the problem of storage space. Until the photo is downloaded into a computer it eats up the cellular phone’s memory. There is also the cost factor some carriers, such as Verizon and T-Mobile, charge 25 cents per photo sent or received. Although as in many previous technological advances the few minor problems should clear up and the cost should go down as the technology improves.
There are several camera cellular phones on the market. The Sony Ericsson T6106, the LG VX6000, the Sanyo VM 4500 represent some choices. Additional features can be found on the Motorola V300 and the Nokia 3650.
Whichever camera phone you choose there is no doubt that the technology is here to stay and judging from the current consumer demand and the commitment of the cellular phone providers to supply that demand camera cellular phones will soon be as common place as the current regular cell phone.
Timothy Gorman is a successful webmaster and publisher of Cellular-Phones-Online.com. He provides more free cell phone information and resources that you can research in your pajamas on his website.
Other websites operated by Tim
Military-Loans-Online.com - Trusted provider of military loans and VA loans
Best-Free-Insurance-Quotes.com - Offers discount auto, home and life insurance
January 31, 2007
How many times have you heard of people spending hundreds of dollars on the latest and greatest cell phone only to be disappointed by the bad signal? Dropping calls is another very annoying occurrence with cell phones. You need to look very carefully into the cell phone carrier that you wish to sign up with. You will be signing a contract usually for one year so make sure it’s money well spent.
Who are the main cell phone carrier?
·AT&T
·T-Mobile
·Verizon Wireless
·Cingular
·Nextel
·ALLTEL
·Sprint PCS
The above carriers are only a hand full in and every expanding mobile world. All will approach with special offers and incentives with camera cell phones etc to sign you up. The positives are obvious. You get a free cell phone and maybe some extra minutes talk time but they get a customer for a year. Most carriers have good coverage but it is worth your while looking at your options.
If you rely on your cell phone for work such as sales reps or drivers etc you need to look into the roaming charges. Some people think the charges may only vary slightly from one carrier to another so why bother. This is a lazy approach and untrue. You could save yourself hundreds of dollars per year simply by looking around. You can check the rates out online on most of the carrier’s websites. Roaming rates can be expensive so look long and hard before you decide.
I don’t need to travel so roaming charges are not a worry to me: If you are happy enough using your phone mainly from the house or just plodding around you are not going to have any concern of high charges for roaming, but there are other ways to save money and lots of it. Many people never think too much about the SMS Text messages they send. Yes it saves money rather than calling and it is fast and generally reliable, however, different carriers have different text rates. You might not think that one-cent saving in not much and rightly so but if you are a regular Text user you need look at the overall yearly saving. Most cell phone carrier companies will offer special saving incentives on SMS Text so look into it.
Where else can I save money?
The latest and the greatest, the camera phone is as popular as a DVD. Everywhere you look people seem to have them. Great fun and very handy for that special moment for when you only wished you had a camera but very I repeat very expensive you decide to send many pictures to friends and family. Here by looking at your different options you can save plenty of you hard earned dollars. All it takes is a quick look around the web or a phone call; most of the carriers have free toll numbers. Monthly service rental will also vary from one company to another.
Another Tip
With so many cellular phone stores around you will be spoiled for choice. Remember stores make commission so if you are in a large shopping mall the chances are that there are a number of different cell stores. Check out the different rates and you will see a difference. Money is not everything, going back to the start of this article you need to make sure that you have an exceptional signal. If you are going to be a loyal customer for a year or so you should expect nothing but the best back in service.
What if I already have my own cell phone?
This is not a problem. If you are out of contract with one of the cell phone carriers you are free to look around just like from the beginning. You can either use your own cell or take them up on their offers, as most will offer you a free cell phone as a new user to the network.
What if I want to terminate my contract before it has officially ended?
Look long and hard at your contract before you sign, especially the smaller print. All carriers have different clauses in their contract but if you want to terminate early there usually is a penalty charge of some sort. One way out of this is to get a prepaid cell phone where you have no contract. You are free to swap from one carrier to another as you please. Be aware prepaid cell phones are more expensive pre minute talk time and Text than if you where on a monthly fee.
About the Author
Declan Tobin is a successful freelance writer providing advice for parents and consumers on purchasing a variety of Cell phone plans which includes Cell prepaid plans, Carriers, and more! His numerous articles provide a wonderfully researched resource of interesting and relevant information for all of your phone interests and needs.
January 11, 2007
Discounted Mobile Phone Accessories
Mobile Phones have become a part of everyday life with more and more people enjoying the service and extra freedom they provide. Their popularity has prompted BB Shopping ? a leading UK online store to offer mobile phone accessories as gift items at discounted rates to our customers.
These mobile phone accessories add-value to mobile phone sets ? making them a lifestyle item. Some of the accessories that are immensely popular, amongst shoppers of Christmas gift items all over the UK, are:
Hard-Plastic Holster: This stylish swivel holster enables the mobile phone user to attach the phone on his/her belt. This holster enables the mobile phone to turn round instead of jabbing at the waist. Plastic prongs secure the phone to the belt clip and ensures safety and convenience. This holster comes with a swivel belt clip.
Mobile Phone Leather Case: A genuine leather case encloses the mobile phone and protects it against scratches and normal wear and tear. This case can be attached to a belt clip and easily carried around.
Vehicle Power Charger: This lightweight and easy-to-carry charger is ideal for re-charging your mobile phone in the car. This top quality charger with an integrated chip charges a 600mAH phone battery from empty to full in less than an hour. The Switching Circuit has been designed to recognise a full battery and will automatically switch off.
The Bluetooth Headset: This headset is a trendy Handsfree kit with LED display and voice dialling functions. The display also contains caller ID for incoming calls. A swivel clip can clip it on to clothing.
FM Radio Handsfree: This kit is engineered to guarantee superior sound quality. It also supports voice dialling. A standard phone cradle in the kit enables all models and brands of mobile phones to use this Handsfree kit. This kit comes with a compact FM radio set that can be pre-set to play favourite radio stations.
Antenna Booster Sticker: This microcircuit can be attached to the back of the phone to increase reception of signals and voice clarity.
We have on offer a diverse range of mobile phone accessories that can be ideal Christmas gift options for loved ones. We are committed to providing you the newest lifestyle items at discounted rates.
Ian Williams
Mobile Phone Accessories