GSM vs CDMA – Is There a Clear Winner

Posted on March 10, 2013 by admin

Every industry definitely has its eternal debate that never seems to end. Hey, can you blame people for being passionate? Of course not! However, when you’re new to the industry and all of these terms get thrown around, it can be hard to figure out which technology is actually going to be the best.

In the mobile technology field, the eternal battle is over two main technologies: GSM and CDMA. It’s a battle that has two very passionate sides. Some people will never own a CDMA phone if they can help it, while others love them to pieces. Which one is right for you? Let’s find out, shall we!

A few pieces of information to start us off: GSM stands for Global System for Mobile Communications, and CDMA stands for Code Division Multiple Access. GSM is the older technology that has a longer history, while CDMA is seen as the young upstart. However, you’ll find both types of networks in North America. Yet GSM rules the roost if you go overseas; just something to think about.

What a lot of people like about GSM is that they can retain their information on their SIM card and switch phones as they see fit. CDMA phones store everything on the phone. So when you upgrade, you’re going to have to hope that you can uplink your information to your computer and then replace it onto the phone. Sometimes that works, but often it doesn’t. This can lead to a lot of frustration — especially when you’ve paid for premium content like ringtones, games, and wallpapers. However, most carriers will allow you to send your ringtones to a new phone, as well as all of your games and wallpapers. It would be a bad day to have to pay for all of that content all over again — some people have spent literally thousands of dollars on ringtones over the years!

One area that both technologies focus on is definitely speed. On the GSM side you have EDGE, and on the CDMA side you have EVDO. GSM’s EDGE technology goes up to 340kbps in theory but only 140 kbps in practice. The speed you get will depend on a lot of different factors, including the distance from the towers that you’re currently standing at. If you’re in a rural area, then EDGE service will be harder to come by than if you are in the middle of a big city with a lot of easy EDGE coverage.

Yes, there is 3G coverage, but we don’t mention it much because it still needs to be expanded to other areas outside of major cities. We’re not saying that 3G isn’t powerful, but it’s something that can be on multiple platforms.

When it comes to figuring out which one is better, you have to think about what you actually value in your cell phone as well as your actual carrier. If you find that you want to switch phones a lot, you might want to go ahead and get a GSM phone, as this will let you switch phones a lot easier than if you stuck with CDMA. Of course, when you’re talking about smartphones, you actually have a lot more options because many of these phones allow you to upload your personal information to your computer. This way you don’t have to worry about losing a thing if you want to switch phones. However, we recommend still going with a GSM network to be on the safe side.

It might take you some time to figure out a balance that works for you, but this guide should help you out just fine!

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Buying a Used Phone Online – Are You Up to the Challenge?

Posted on February 27, 2013 by admin

There’s something exciting about a great deal. In fact, if you find a great deal online, you’re essentially hitting two main peaks of excitement. The first one is that you will be saving money, and by going online you’re getting the convenience of not having to go out into town. We don’t know about you, but we really hate going into town if we can help it. For one, gas prices aren’t necessarily cheap right now, which means that we’re burning through money just to get a good deal. In addition, there are a lot of crowds out there — far more people than we would personally want to deal with. Hey, we love being social but not when we’re actually trying to run errands!

So when you really want to get a new phone without having to pay new phone money, there does come a point where you want to go online instead of hitting the store. The only time that you might not want to do this is when you really do know that you’re going to get the best deal by going to the sales kiosk or over the phone. However, if you’re going to go over the phone you’re still avoiding those crowds, right?

Right! So, let’s go into the online part a little bit more. Where you get your phone from matters. You see, eBay is a great source for a lot of different things out there, but that doesn’t mean that every cell phone you see on eBay is going to be the one for you. Some people feel that they would be better suited to hitting up an auction, but the problem is that an auction can bring out our inner competitor a little too much. It is quite easy to end up paying far too much for a phone, only to find that we didn’t save any money at all. We paid too much, and there’s no one to blame but our own human nature. It would be better to avoid that by really looking around at what the phone would go for, and then deciding on how much you’re going to spend. Sure, it’s true that no one wants to miss a good deal. However, you really don’t want to find yourself losing money just because you’re trying to chase that great deal — that just wouldn’t make very much sense at all!

If you’re going to hit up a classified site like Craigslist, you will need to make sure that the phone is “clean”. In other words, the phone needs to be able to be activated by your carrier of choice. With a CDMA phone, you need to make sure that the ESN is clear — you can ask the seller for the ESN ahead of time and then have the phone activated. If the ESN is locked or otherwise not clean, then you’re not going to be able to get the phone in your name — it just won’t work.

On GSM networks, all you have to do is pop your SIM card into the new phone and it should start working. Of course, if you have any problems at all you can call your customer care representatives for your carrier of choice. They would be more than happy to answer any questions that you have before you actually go and buy a phone.

Be sure to look at the auction or classified listing carefully to make absolutely sure that the phone in question is in good condition. While you don’t have to be meticulous about avoiding scratches and dents, you don’t want to pay premium prices for a beat up phone. This is just something that makes sense no matter how you look at it. Why not play things to your advantage?

Another point that you will want to keep in mind as you look through the selection of phone sis that you don’t always have to have the most cutting-edge, new phone. You can still get a great phone that’s a little older but in sparkling condition. When people love their phones, they really go out of their way to protect the condition. Screen protectors and cases can keep a phone looking like it came out of the box fresh yesterday. When it comes to smartphones, many people feel that keeping the phone “clean” will preserve its market value. However, as new phones come out, older phones can go for pretty cheap. So don’t count out those phones that are a few years old but still have all of the features that you’re looking for — you really might be surprised at how nice they really are!

Overall, you really can indeed get great deals on cell phones online. However, you will need to practice a little common sense in order to keep moving forward. What phone will catch your eye? There’s only one way to find out — get started today!

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Virtual PBX Services Are A Real Treat!

Posted on February 23, 2013 by admin

When you’re starting a business, you can’t just sit there and assume that all of the pieces are going to fall together just right. If you really want to plan to be a success, you have to plan ahead of time. How much planning? Well, the major components of a business need to be addressed. For example, what about trying to get your communications down pat? People can’t buy from you if they have no way of actually reaching you. So instead of just assuming that there’s no way possible that you will ever be able to reach the outside world, you need to make communications a priority.

Why not think about a virtual PBX service? They’re really a treat. However, when you’re just starting out you might not know anything about virtual PBX services, or why every small business owner needs to invest in one.

Have you ever called a major corporation and gotten the nice phone tree with all of the options and extensions? That’s a PBX system in motion. The virtual aspect comes in because the whole system is handled by computer technology rather than lots and lots of old school telephone hardware. This means that the cost of virtual PBX is a lot less than you might expect, and that’s definitely a good thing.

Instead of worrying about the cost completely, why not start thinking about the features of the service? The last thing that you really want to do is only look at the price. You have to think about it from this point of view — a virtual PBX system can make you business sound a lot more legitimate and real to your customers than if it’s just you answering the phone directly. Or worse — a family member that may or may not have the training to actually handle the work. Yes, everyone remembers what it’s like to actually have to worry about the costs of setting up a business, but some things are just too important to skip over.

You’ll need to pick a plan that’s going to give you the right blend of features vs. minutes. If you know that you’re going to be taking on a lot of calls, you might want to go ahead and spring for an unlimited plan. It can be costly in the beginning, but you’ll recoup the costs in terms of customer satisfaction and referrals.

Features that matter would be customization, extensions, and the ability to forward the number to any existing number you want. This means that you could have a department that really doesn’t exist — it just forwards to your cell phone. Another department could forward to the office line, and yet another department could be for your top sales person to handle. It’s completely up to you — customization is going to be one of the top features that you will want to look for.

Don’t be afraid to read some online reviews of top virtual PBX services. You want to make sure that real people have used the service and actually gotten something out of it. Far too often new business owners think that they can just jump into a service and everything will be okay. Be actually taking the time to figure things out, you’re definitely going to be ahead of the curve. These systems aren’t hard to set up, but selecting the right service is going to be most, if not all of the battle.

You do have what it takes to use a PBX service to the fullest, so why not look for the service that’s right for you today?

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Have You Checked Out The Power of VOIP?

Posted on January 15, 2013 by admin

Technology has been moving at an alarming rate…and we absolutely love it! We’re firm believers that life is a lot easier with technology, especially in the communications department. If you want to make clear calls from your home computer, it’s time to check out the power of VOIP.

VOIP, you say? Yep, that’s what we’re talking about today — Voice over Internet Protocol. It’s essentially using the Internet connection you already enjoy to make phone calls and even do video teleconferencing. It’s really the wave of the future and how things will probably be done from now until the end of the world. Okay, we’re being a little over the top.

However, when you look at the stunning advantages of VOIP technology, can you really blame us? It’s a lot more flexible than standard telephone work, and it’s much cheaper to deploy VOIP on a grander scale than it would be to just have to stick with regular telephone operations. It’s just a matter of saving money while experiencing a higher state of quality. Now that’s something that we can definitely get behind!

When you’re really trying to figure out what’s going to work out for your home or business, VOIP should be at least on your list of options. You might assume that since VOIP is the better technology, it’s going to be difficult to install, manage, and even repair if things go wrong. This couldn’t be further from the case at all. You just need to step back and make sure that you plan your VOIP system from the ground up.

If you own a business, why not delegate this task to a trained professional that’s handled hundreds or even thousands of VOIP installations? That’s the better way to go because you won’t have to think about any of the maintenance.

For the consumer side, there are already managed systems available that basically take the work out of the equation, leaving you to enjoy your new system as you see fit.

Even classic Internet companies are getting into the VOIP craze — Yahoo and AOL alike both offer you the power to call people from your computer for free. That’s a lot better than trying to rely on telephone service when you’re trying to save money. It’s powered by the quality of your Internet connection, so if you have a great Internet connection and low latency, then you’re going to be in for a treat — good phone calls are right around the corner.

Is VOIP going to be for everyone? We’re the first to tell you that that is not the case at all. However, we definitely think that everyone should at least look closer into VOIP and see if it would be a viable option for their needs. Why not check it out for yourself today?

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Don’t Be Afraid of Touchscreen Cell Phones!

Posted on December 10, 2012 by admin

In the market for a new phone? You’re definitely in good company. A lot of people right now are taking their kids back to school and realizing that it’s a great time to pick up a new phone. Yet the sheer amount of phones to choose from can be daunting. If you’re someone that hasn’t had a new phone in a few years, you might even be surprised at how far technology has come in the mobile sphere. Now is the perfect time to check out touchscreen phones, even.

Touchscreen phones? Is that a misprint? No, we’re dead serious about touchscreen phones. They’re actually pretty cool — responsive enough to react to a firm touch or a soft touch. You definitely need to exercise some care when it comes to a touchscreen phone, but they’re a lot more rugged than when they first came out. Also, there are screen protectors that can keep those nasty oils and dusts from clogging up your screen. You will just need to clean the screen with a soft cloth every once in a while.

So, what type of touchscreen phones are out there? We’re definitely glad that you asked!

How can we start any touchscreen conversation without covering the iPhone? It’s now the iPhone 4, which means that the technology has definitely come a long way. When we got our first generation iPhone, it really wasn’t anything to write home about. However, the 4th generation iPhone brings an even brighter Retina display, along with superior app support and FaceTime, a very fun app that allows you to keep in touch with your friends — and actually see them! It’s like Skype on steroids, and then some.

In the past, people avoided the iPhone because they would have had to contract with AT&T and only AT&T, but that is fast changing. Verizon is now getting the green light to sell iPhones as well, which means that you will have two different carriers to choose from. Considering that AT&T is in the middle of trying to purchase T-Mobile, you will actually get an even wider selection.

Let’s move on to the HTC Sensation 4G, a very cool touchscreen that brings a lot to the table. It’s on T-Mobile, if that helps you make up your mind. Whoever said that T-Mobile doesn’t have rocking phones hasn’t checked out the Sensation. HTC has a proven track record of making awesome phones and being very cutting edge, so there’s definitely a lot to love with the Sensation. There’s a huge 3.4-in. screen to go with the experience, along with a fast dual-core processor — could you want anything more than that? Wireless connectivity? Definitely on the list — T-Mobile allows you to use the Sensation to even make calls over Wi-Fi, which can save you a lot of money in the long run. You can use the Wi-Fi instead of your regular minutes, thus creating an essentially unlimited phone without having to pay an unlimited price. It’s worth looking into, for sure.

The last phone that we just had to include was the Samsung Galaxy S II. It’s considered one of the most expensive unlocked phones around, but it’s definitely worth the money — if you’ve got the money, that is. A lot of people are looking for budget phones, but it’s nice to know that Samsung has put out something for us to save our money for. A dual-core processor, 8MP camera, and massive 4.3-inch screen take center stage. However, at $799, there are other alternatives that might be friendlier to your wallet.

The main point that we’re trying to make here is that you shouldn’t be afraid to choose a touchscreen phone. Most of these phones have virtual keyboards that are pretty easy to get used to. Once you’ve used to the touchscreen phone for a while, you’ll definitely see just how easy it is. You’ll get used to it in virtually no time at all — why not check it out for yourself?

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Can You See Yourself Buying the BlackBerry Playbook?

Posted on September 23, 2012 by admin

We just got done writing about whether or not Blackberry’s brand can be saved in a shifting mobile tech world, and there was a lot of talk about the BlackBerry Playbook. We didn’t go in depth on the subject, and we definitely want to correct that. We can’t just assume that you know everything about the Playbook when a lot of people still are in other cell phone arenas right now. It’s a great time to be Apple or Google in the cell phone world, but what about the lonely Playbook?

First and foremost, there’s a lot to like when it comes to the Playbook. For those of you out of the loop, we’re talking tablets here. It’s a nice tablet, similar to the iPad but going beyond the iPad at the same time.

Let’s start with the hardware on the device, shall we? The Playbook is a stylish black, with sharp edges and a little chrome on the back. It’s a solid device with no real rubberized “give”, which can be a plus or a minus depending on how you feel about the perfect form factor of a tablet.

The device weights about .9 pounds, which means that you aren’t going to have to worry about its weight taking up too much space in your bag. It’s .4 inches thick, which is a bit thicker than the iPad 2. Still, we don’t think these measurements alone are enough to say that the Playbook is a bad thing.

The Playbook sports dual cameras, which isn’t really newsworthy as much as it used to be. There are plenty of cell phones that now have dual camera setups, such as the HTC Incredible, or even the Galaxy S lineup.

You do get some neat input ports on the Playbook, such as micro-HDMI, micro-USB, and another hole for a charging dock. There is a 3.5mm headphone jack up top if you really want to use headphones, but the Playbook also has some speakers on the sides of the tablet.

Digging into the internals of the device we find a wicked dual-core 1 GHz processor. What’s even better is that the operating system is QNX, and it’s been tweaked to really take advantage of such an awesome proc. Most of the time the mobile hardware fails at really using the processor to full potential. This is an area where it’s clear Research in Motion has thought ahead to try to please finicky advanced techies.

You have your choice when it comes to space on the tablet — you can get 16, 32, or even 64GB of storage space. If you go for the 16GB version, you can expect to pay $499, with the maxed-out version being at $699. Definitely a weighty purchase, but you’d still have money to consider if you went towards the iPad 2.

The Playbook’s hardware allows it to decode and display 1080p video over HDMI without losing application quality — another positive.

So, what are the negatives of the Playbook? Well, for starters the device doesn’t give you simple USB mass storage support. You have to mount it as a drive over USB, but that doesn’t let you really take advantage of all of those gigabytes.  You have to install a driver and the Playbook suddenly becomes a network drive. Now, if you have a Mac or a Windows-flavored PC, then you’re in business. However, if you’re over on the UNIX side, expect some troubles getting your device to tether — it’s just not happening. Simple USB mass storage mode means easy drag and drop file manipulations and even device mounting under Ubuntu Linux, but without that you’re in for some tough times.

The biggest point of failure when it comes to the Playbook has to be in the implementation of BlackBerry Bridge. This is what allows you to get the usual productivity suite that BlackBerry has become famous for. You have to have a BlackBerry phone running at least BB OS5 in order to use this feature, and that phone too has to also be running Bridge. The connectivity magic happens over Bluetooth, which is a plus. However, as we mentioned in our previous article, this is a tough pill to swallow for people that are new to the platform. Research in Motion would have done a lot better not crippling the Playbook and actually letting people decide whether or not they wanted to get a BlackBerry phone. In its current implementation, it almost feels like RIM is forcing people into the platform while they’re kicking and screaming, which isn’t a good look for them at all. Not when there are other options. Yes, we’ve been more than aware that Apple pulls these tricks all the time, but this is a great time for Apple — Research in Motion cannot say the same for themselves.

The Playbook does have Flash support, and that definitely is a win. However, the device at this current time lacks 3G support, which is a deal breaker for a lot of techies as well.

There are plenty of great points to the Playbook, but for every good point there seems to be two or three negatives to go with it. At $699 for the maxed-out version, this might be a device that techies have to say no to — at least until Research in Motion comes out with some more compromises, updates, and patches to address issues that early adopters have already been screaming about at the top of their lungs.

If you want a tablet, you might have to look elsewhere. Of course, if you’re already into Cloud Blackberry, then it really doesn’t matter whether or not you need the BB phone in order to really bring the Playbook to life.

Our thoughts? Let the early adopters and Those With Discretionary Income For Days ™ play with the Playbook some more. RIM is sure to release a second generation version where a lot of the bugs have been fixed — get that, not the first round. Unless you just happen to take your tech like your steak — a little bloody and quite a bit tender.

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Prepaid Phone Service – The New Trend of 2012

Posted on July 7, 2012 by admin

Fees, fees, fees. If there’s one thing that most cell phone customers are fed up with, it’s definitely fees. They’re tired of being nickled and dimed over just about every type of fees that you can think about. You just need to make sure that you think about the things that matter, the things that are going to make a difference. You just need to make it as convenient as possible to own your cell phone without having to pay a bunch of fees. Who really wants to do that, anyway?

Nobody wants to pay fees that they don’t have to.

So why not focus on getting the best deal that you can on the cell phone that you want, without having to deal with a contract? If you can go with a no contract plan, you’ll be able to move around to your heart’s content without having to pay any early termination fees.

In the US, there are a lot of different prepaid plans to choose form. However, no matter which one that you’re thinking of, you need to make sure that you’re doing your homework.

First and foremost, you’re going to want to make sure that you’re doing your research all of the time. You don’t want to find yourself without the keys to figuring out if this service is really going to be something that you want. Your best bet in research is going to be looking online at reviews. You want to make sure that you’re only looking at reviews from people that have experience with the service in question. You don’t want to go to people that seem to only be pushing a sales agenda, because there’s really no guarantee that they’ve actually used the service that you want to use.

In addition, you always want to make sure that you can use the phone that you really want to use. For example, you wouldn’t go with a pre-paid service that doesn’t let you use an Android phone if that’s what you really want. Thankfully, there are plenty of Android loving carriers that will be glad to have you without making you sign a contract.

You also want to make sure that you’re comparing not just price, but also the signal service. If you read a lot of reviews that talk about bad signal, you really need to make sure that you get a chance to test the service. Get a basic phone that doesn’t have all of the bells and whistles if that’s what you have to do. But it’s better to know that the service doesn’t work for you before you get into any sort of auto-debit program. This will only make your life harder than what it should be, and who really wants to put themselves through that type of thing?

Nobody wants to put themselves in the position where they have to deal with bad cell phone signal.

It’s also important to think about your upgrade options. It goes without saying that you’re eventually going to want to get a different phone. Being able to just pop out your SIM card and put it into a new phone is always cool, but not every carrier allows for this.

Many of the top carriers do have their own prepaid departments, and it doesn’t matter if you’ve already got a bill from them. If you go to the prepaid side of things, you will be able to sign up right away. You might have to pay a small activation fee, but this is actually an industry standard — it’s pretty hard to escape that.

You can decide to buy phone cards that give you minutes, or you can subscribe to a monthly plan that includes the things that you want. It’s just a matter of figuring out exactly what you want and what you don’t want. If you really think about what you want, then you’ll know exactly what type of service to get. Some people really like the ability to buy a block of minutes, because they really don’t use a whole bunch of them.

However, if you know that you’re definitely a talker, a prepaid service that has an unlimited plan is definitely what you want to focus on. There’s nothing worse than finding that you don’t have enough minutes, yet there are not a lot of minutes to buy. It’s completely up to you to figure out what you want, so make sure that you give yourself plenty of time to think.

Now is the right time to figure out not only what you want, but where to go to get it. The Internet is definitely the best place to get what you’re looking for — don’t delay, the right prepaid cell phone is out there waiting for you!

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MoneySupermarket Launch iPad Car Insurance App

Posted on April 17, 2012 by admin

If you use the MoneySupermarket car insurance comparison service online then you could save an average of £374.93, which is almost enough to buy the new iPad.

Those who already own an Apple tablet will be pleased to hear that a bespoke version of MoneySupermarket’s app has now launched for the iPad.

After being released for the iPhone last year, the app has been updated to work wonderfully well on the larger display of a tablet while still retaining the core features that made it great in the first place.

You will, unsurprisingly, be required to create an account with MoneySupermarket if you have yet to do so before you use the app, but this can be easily carried out on your iPad.

Your account information will store details on your car and your own personal data, all of which is used to get accurate quotes from more than 100 different insurers when you start comparing prices.

The data will be kept on hand for future reference and if you are interrupted while seeking a quote, the app will automatically remember your position in the process and let you resume from there.

The quotes are not simply just the prices – they are rich in detail and are able to link you directly with the insurance company of your choice. You have the option to retrieve them from your home computer or recall them on your iPad at a later date if you have yet to decide.

The type of insurance, whether it’s comprehensive or third party only, will be displayed alongside each quote. As with comparing online on your computer, it will be possible to determine which types of service you search for so you can find those that match your budget and requirements.

When the time comes to renew your insurance you can do it in as few as three taps on your screen, according to MoneySupermarket.

This means that there will be no need to spend hours browsing through various sites and getting in touch with individual insurers because the app will do all the legwork for you, allowing you to get on with other things.

iPad owners will enjoy the simplicity of the interface, which is in keeping with other iOS applications and will make it easy to enter details and compare insurance quotes for your vehicle.

If you have a 3G iPad, you will be able to search for quotes wherever there is coverage, while Wi-Fi only models will need to be hooked up to a compatible hotspot.

The app is the first free comparison tool of its kind in the iPad’s App Store. It will be able to help you save money without requiring any kind of payment upfront.

If you are sick of rising insurance costs and do not have the time to compare prices on your PC or laptop, this iPad solution could be a great alternative

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