Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Prepaid cellular phones

I was a big holdout before I finally broke down and got myself a cellular phone. I didn’t really think it was that more convenient than using a land line, and I definitely didn’t want people to get a hold of me whenever they wanted to. I liked the little bit of anonymity I had and usually despised it when friends would get up from a nice dinner to answer their cell phones. It didn’t help the matter that most of my friends were spending between twenty and forty dollars every month to cover their cell phone bills; the only way I could afford to pay that much for a phone was if I decided to stop eating for a month or two.

You’ll note that all of the last paragraph was in past-tense since I did, in fact, buy a cell phone. It wasn’t the standard pay-through-the-nose plan though; I got a prepaid cellular phone and managed to get almost all of the perks of cell phone usage without the gigantic fees or multi-year commitments. I picked up a Virgin prepaid cellular phone from Target and, with a special sale, got the phone for free. Unlike most cellular phone plans which require multi-year commitments and huge fees for using too many minutes, prepaid cellular phones allow you to top up time in the same way that you add time to a phone card. Though the individual minutes are more expensive ($.25 for the first 10 minutes of every day and $.10 for every minute thereafter, no roaming and no time restrictions, text messages for $.10 apiece) if you’re not using your cell phone very often you can end up saving a lot of money. I usually end up paying only $10 or so every month for my service, which is a lot better than what most of my friends are paying.

Regardless of the service provider, prepaid cellular phones do have their drawbacks. One of the best perks my friends with standard cellular plans have is that they usually get free nights and weekends, which I don’t get with my prepaid phone. The phone isn’t quite as good as the phones which usually come either for free or at steep discounts with the standard plans, though my phone was free, has a full color screen, and has full internet access, so I can’t complain too much. Overall, I’m extremely pleased with my prepaid cellular phone, though I wouldn’t suggest it to anyone who plans on spending a lot of time talking on his or her cell phone.

Cellular phone concept

We sure love our cellular telephones. Heaven forbid we'd every have to survive without them. I'm fairly certain the world would fall apart if such an event were to occur. My question is; how are so many people using their cell phones so much? I mean really, what are they chatting about and who are they talking to. I know that all of those calls can't be too important. I believe since everyone has a mobile phone now days, they simply take them for granted as much as humanly possible. They gat board on the way home from work and they call their spouse to talk about virtually nothing. Or they're sitting in a shopping mall having lunch and they call up a friend to chat about whatever. Hmm, I guess these handy little phones are much more than emergency devices. But what about the kind of mobile phone you purchase? Is this really all that important? Does it have to be a Razr as opposed to an older model? Does it have to be fresh out of Best Buy or can you acquire a pre owned cell phone?

I have a new take on the cellular phone concept. Like the Internet, our cell phones can reveal plenty of information. I think it's safe to say that we've all seen or heard about the Paris Hilton cell phone photos, and the sexual predators trying to contact young teens on their cell phones. Mobile phones are definitely a window of some sort. Information can leak out and strange people can get in. So where does this leave the pre owned cell phone? Well, there just may be oodles of information left on that mobile telephone if it wasn't properly disposed of. Quite possibly information that you don't want anyone else to have access to. Now, what you need to do it either switch the memory card, erase it, or remove the battery. Something that will actually destroy the data you once used. The last thing you want is for someone to purchase your pre owned cell phone and have access to crucial information.

The media is now saying that tons of information has been passed on through pre owned cell phones. Pictures, phone numbers, and other personal information have been compromised. You won't catch me selling my cellular phone. I'd rather destroy the darn thing.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Differences Of Digital Cellular Phones And Analog Phone

Cellular phones are an amazing modern convenience, but it can be confusing for consumers to distinguish between the various options available. There are two main types of cellular phones: analog and digital. Each type operates slightly differently and has its own unique advantages and disadvantages.

The first cellular phones were analog phones. Analog phones are basically an extremely sophisticated radio and telephone combination. The main advantage of analog cellular phones is that they cost less than the newer digital phones. Analog phones are also a better choice for travelers, since 95 percent of the county is equipped for their use. The drawbacks of choosing an analog phone are the reduced sound quality and the slightly higher per minute rate.

Digital cellular phones use the same basic technology as an analog phone. The difference is that digital phones use binary code and compression to fit more calls into a given bandwidth. Digital cellular phones offer longer battery life, better signals, and cheaper calling rates. The main disadvantage of digital cellular phones is that many parts of the country aren’t equipped with the proper antennae to receive digital signals. This makes digital cellular phones inappropriate for frequent travelers or individuals who live in rural areas.

Sprint often uses the term PCS in their promotional materials. PCS stands for Personal Communications Service and is a wireless communications service very similar to cellular phone services. Many people use the term PCS as a synonym for a digital cellular phone, but a true PCS phone offers additional services such as caller ID, paging, and e-mail as part of its regular phone service.

Newer cellular phone models may offer a dual mode feature. This option allows you to automatically switch between analog and digital modes depending upon what antennae are in your range. Dual mode phones combine the advantages of both analog and digital cellular phones.

Drawbacks And Disadvantages Of Cellular Phones

Cellular phones are in schools, banks, malls, and homes across the country. While cellular phones have been an important technological advancement, they’re not without their drawbacks.

Reliability is one of the most significant disadvantages of cellular phones. Many people have replaced their land-line home phones with cellular phones, but this could prove problematic in a true emergency. If your house is on fire, dead batteries and weak signals are the last things you should be worrying about. Dropping your land-line service may seem like an easy way to save a few dollars, but in most cases it’s not worth the risk.

Cell phones can also be easily damaged by improper handling and storage. Non-repairable corrosion can result if you expose your cellular phone to water or use wet hands to push the buttons. Exposing your cellular phone to excessive heat can damage the battery or internal components. Leaving your cell phone in extremely cold temperatures could possibly cause a temporary loss of the screen display.

While it won’t endanger your life or harm your phone, cellular phone “cloning” will damage your bank account. A phone is cloned when someone steals its unique electronic serial number and telephone number. This allows the thief to charge unauthorized calls to your account. If you think you have been a victim of cloning, contact your cellular phone carrier immediately.

Subscriber fraud is similar to cloning and occurs when a thief steals your personal information to sign up for a cellular phone account in your name. Once you’ve discovered that you’ve been the victim of subscriber fraud, it can be difficult to prove to your cellular phone carrier that you did not incur the charges.

Cellular phones are integral part of life for many individuals, but it’s important to be aware of potential problems that may arise from their use. Like any other modern electronic device, cellular phones are not without their drawbacks.