Technology Archives - Page 3 of 4

Low-Cost Options for Cell Phone Service

15. March 2012 · 13 comments · Categories: Cell Phones, Save, Technology · Tags: Android, cell phone, cell phone service, frugal, low cost cell phone, lower cell phone bill, money, Page Plus, personal finance, Republic Wireless, save

Recently I wrote about 5 ways to save on your cell phone bill. One of the strategies I talked about was to consider a lower-priced carrier. Over the past few weeks I learned of two other companies offering no-contract cell service, so I want to elaborate a little on my original post.

Some of the companies I mentioned before include Straight Talk, Virgin Mobile and Metro PCS. Each of these offers no-contract service for both light users and those who need unlimited talk, text and web. The other two competitors I want to mention are Page Plus and Republic Wireless.

Page Plus has been around in its current form since 2000 but only recently started offering an unlimited talk and text plan for about $40 a month. With Page Plus, you can choose a basic voice plan with the option to add a text plan, or you can choose a bundle.

Their cheapest bundle, called “The 12″, offers 250 minutes, 250 texts and 10MB of data for $12 a month. Plans step up from there, ending with the most generous plan, “The 55″. This is equivalent to their $40 unlimited talk and text plan, except you get 1GB of data for an extra $15 a month. Page Plus uses the Verizon Wireless network.

Started in November 2011, Republic Wireless uses technology that differs from traditional cell phone companies. Realizing that much of our cell phone use occurs when we’re in range of a WiFi signal, they developed a phone that routs calls, texts and data use through wireless internet signals whenever possible. When you’re not in range of WiFi they run on Sprint’s network.

The only phone they offer right now is a very basic Android phone for $199, which includes the first month’s service. Each month thereafter is $19 and no contract is required. If you don’t mind a basic smartphone and spend a lot of your time near WiFi, this could be for you.

When you consider the range of options for low-cost cell phone service, there’s not really a good reason to lock yourself into an expensive contract with one of the Big 4. If your contract is expiring soon, take a look at your cell phone usage. Could one of these players offer a better option?

Photo by learnvest.com

A Low-Cost Option for Home Security

28. February 2012 · 2 comments · Categories: Housing, Save, Technology

For you homeowners out there, how many of you protect your home with a monitoring system? Do you sign a contract for it? If so, you’re getting ripped off in a big way.

Alarm monitoring companies (along with cell phone providers, gyms and many others) love to handcuff you to a two or three-year contract so they don’t have to work to earn your business month after month. They often charge high fees — as much as $45 a month plus installation — for providing something that costs them about $3 a month. It’s their way of ensuring their bottom line for years to come.

How would you like a cheaper alternative that not only offers lower costs, but also easy installation, wireless protection, and a 60-day money back guarantee?

The company is called SimpliSafe. For $15 a month, they provide wireless cellular monitoring, which means you don’t need a land line telephone. The original equipment costs as low as $200, depending on the extra sensors and remotes you order. Installation is easy even for those who aren’t handy — the unit talks to you and walks you through the steps for setup. It comes pre-programmed and as their website says, “No tools required – just peel and stick.”

The best part about SimpliSafe is that they don’t require a contract. Through great customer service and the quality of their monitoring service, they’ve built a solid reputation with their customers who remain with them month after month.

One drawback of SimpliSafe is that they don’t offer integrated smoke and fire monitoring with their systems. For this type of protection you’d have to go with a more robust, professionally installed system.

When looking for an alarm monitoring company, the first question you should ask is whether they require a contract. If so, hang up and try the next company. You want to pay about $15 a month, but never more than $20. And make sure the company uses a standard called “U.L. Certified monitoring.”

Beware any offers like “$99 installation.” While upfront costs might be a little lower with these offers, they’ll eat up your wallet every month with higher ongoing fees.

This might also be a great time to finally ditch that old land line you never use!

Photo by familyhomesecurity.com

Do You Have Tablet Envy?

16. January 2012 · 3 comments · Categories: Technology, Trends · Tags: iPad, iPad 2, tablets

Ever since Apple introduced the first iPad in early 2010, Americans have gone tablet-crazy.

According to the LA Times, 18 million tablets were sold in 2010. That number is expected to be 250% higher in 2011. Clearly, this is a trend that shows no signs of slowing down.

With their portability, decent battery life and endless apps, tablets are becoming the device of choice for the media-consuming masses. For those of us without one, tablet envy is starting to become very real. An interesting thought:

Chronic tablet envy notwithstanding, the good ones are still too darn expensive, and the not-so-good ones are, well, not so good. Given a little more time, I’m sure, there’ll be cheaper and better tablets available. But we’re not there yet.

By “the good ones,” he means the iPad. I agree that the $500 price tag of the iPad 2 is out of reach for a lot of people. But you have to consider what you’re getting for that price. The iPad’s two closest competitors, Barnes & Noble’s Nook and Amazon’s Kindle Fire, cost less than half the iPad 2 price, but their lack of features and available apps are major downsides for a lot of people, myself included. Neither one has even come close to enjoying the level of success that the iPad has.

I admit that when tablets first came out, I was skeptical. I thought, “What could this thing do that I couldn’t do just as well with my smartphone or laptop?” As the months wore on though, I began to see people using their tablets in new and fun ways. In all sorts of settings. Some would sit on the couch and browse their favorite websites from their lap. Others would use it to stay updated with their friends on Facebook. Still others would watch a movie while laying in bed. It occured to me — these tablets are pretty cool. I began to picture myself sitting on the couch with a new tablet, playing Angry Birds or checking the latest sports scores.

The LA Times sums up the tablet craze pretty well:

They’re the perfect marriage of power and portability, enabling on-the-go access to books, magazines, newspapers, music, video and the Net, all in a slick, look-how-cool-I-am package.

Back in 2010, Apple introduced us to a product we didn’t know we needed. They convinced us to drop as much as $800 on an item that’s essentially a luxury. A luxury that might just be a laptop replacement and make the things we do everyday more enjoyable and accessible.

So yes, I have tablet envy. But i’ll wait until the next iPad comes out, and the iPad 2′s price is reduced a little, to make my move.

Photo by khawkins04

Listen to online music for free

07. January 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Free, Technology · Tags: free music, Pandora, Spotify

Listen up, music lovers: How do you get your music fix? Do you buy expensive CDs or online mp3s? Your love of tunes doesn’t have to cost you as much as you think. There are several ways to get your fix for free or cheap.

Sometimes you can’t get around buying a CD or a few individual songs. Listening to music in your car or on the iPod, for example, might require you to buy the occasional CD. But what if you’re at the computer the majority of the time? I’ve got some options that will save you big bucks.

My favorite, and the one I’ve been using for a few years now, is Pandora. Creating a station is easy. Enter in the name of your favorite artist or song. Then, Pandora will play artists or songs that are similar to the one you entered, including a mix of songs from that same artist. You’re able to give each song a “thumbs-up” or a “thumbs-down”. As you do this, Pandora will get to know your tastes better. I like this service because it helps me discover new artists, or new songs by artists I already like. You can listen to 40 hours a month for free (with occasional ads), or pay $36 a year for an unlimited, ad-free subscription.

Another option I’ve tried is Spotify, which started in Europe and came to the US just a few months ago. It has exploded in popularity and it’s easy to see why after just a few minutes of using it. To use this service, you have to download an app from their website. After creating an account you’re able to search for artists or songs and play them within the app. The sound quality is amazing — the best I’ve heard from an internet radio service. And their library is massive — to date I think they’ve had every song I have searched for. The big downside is that you only get 10 free hours a month with ads. You can pay $5 monthly to have unlimited ad-free access on your computer, or an additional $5 ($10 total) for access on your smartphone as well.

Grooveshark and Slacker are two other services I’ve heard good things about. I’ve used Grooveshark, which doesn’t require you to download anything, but the quality is spotty and it’s often harder to find songs you’re looking for. At times, they don’t have any songs from a particular artist. I don’t have any personal experience with Slacker.

Finally, there are sites like Iheartradio.com where you can listen to your favorite FM radio stations over the internet. You hear them exactly like you would were you in a car. If you can’t find your station there, you can Google it. Most radio stations let you listen to a live stream on their website.

All of the services I mentioned use ads to support their free models. So if you don’t mind the occasional 15-30 second ad, you should be able to find an option that works for you. I’ve only mentioned a few, but there are many more out there. Think about this — for the price of one CD, you could get two or three months of access to tens of thousands of songs from one of these services.

Photo by tim geers

Access or ownership: Where we’re headed with media content

01. January 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Technology, Trends

An observation I’ve made recently is that services like Netflix, Pandora, Spotify, and library e-book rentals have grown tremendously in popularity. What all of these services have in common is that they offer access to content, rather than ownership.

These services work by charging a small monthly fee in return for access to music, movies, TV shows, or books. With Netflix, for example, you get unlimited access to thousands of movies and TV shows for $8 a month — less than the cost of one movie ticket at the theater. With Spotify, you get unlimited access to their music library for only $5 a month, which is far less than the cost of buying just one CD. And in the case of e-book rentals, an increasing number of libraries around the country offer free lending of e-books from their websites for library members.

In each case, you’re able to gain monthly access to virtually unlimited content for less than the purchase price of one item. Sounds like a deal, right?

It is my belief that the cause of the shift to these types of services is that our preferences for media consumption as a society are changing. It used to be true that we valued possessing troves of CDs and DVDs. We relished creating our own personal libraries, and comparing their sizes to those of our friends. We valued these things even though in some cases it cost us every penny we earned. But no longer do we value owning every CD our favorite bands ever make. No longer do we value owning every movie we’ve ever enjoyed. And no longer do we value filling our shelves with books we may never read.

As a society, we’re moving away from the clutter that owning vast amounts of stuff creates. We’re distancing ourselves from the risk that we may never use the things we buy. In short, we’re embracing access to content over ownership.

To use the above services, all you need is an internet connection and a device (whether it is a TV, computer, or e-book reader.) No longer does our enjoyment of media require amassing piles of content. By paying a small monthly fee, you can have unlimited access to these services while freeing up valuable space in your home. Not to mention the money you could save!