Quick Virgin Mobile Addon, Cool New Site, BWGSM\Jolt Mobile

Well, I found out something else new about Virgin Mobile, thanks to the_sweeper over at the forum: the $99.99 plan now includes mobile to mobile. Now, that plan is expensive and mobile to mobile is Virgin Mobile only but hey, it's something...

But here's the site;

http://www.greentelwireless.com/

This guy has AT&T and T-Mobile activations, Tracfone airtime cards, Beyond Wireless GSM refills, Jolt Mobile refills, Jolt PCS (different plan...hybrid on Sprint) refills, BeyondWireless and T-Mobile SIM cards, the Motorola c139 from Beyond Wireless and all the Page Plus services you need (activate, ESN change, phone number change). Most products are marked down from retail, and some are significantly marked down (for example, 8% on Beyond Wireless and Jolt Mobile refills). In short, looks pretty neat...

...speaking of this site and Beyond Wireless GSM and Jolt Mobile, I talked with the guy who owns the site and since he's a direct dealer for Beyond GSM he knows what's happening over there: Beyond GSM is going bye-bye. He still has some SIM cards and phones available but activations are going to dry up. The replacement? Jolt Mobile. Interestingly, their website is www.joltwireless.com.

But anyhow, Jolt Mobile now pretty much mirrors Beyond GSM ( didn't they use to be a hybrid plan or something a year or two back?) on everything, except resellers on airtime get same-value refills as buying direct, the branding of course is a bit different...and airtime varies from not as expensive to more expensive per minute than Beyond...and none of it lasts as long as on Beyond GSM, even when compared with third party sales on Beyond!

To expand, the $5 refill gives 30 minutes and 15 days of service...the same as the "retail" version on Beyond. But the $15 refill, while giving the slightly higher 114 minutes provided with Beyond's web-buy card, lasts only 30 days, making the low-expiration $5 card the least expensive card per month, with a lowst monthly cost of $10 unless you include the grossly overpriced 1-year card (available on both carriers).

The $30 card on Jolt Mobile provides a little less 20% more minutes than...um...the $25 card on Beyond Wireless, purchased via web...making the $25 card a better buy all around, because the $25 card on Beyond lasts a month more than the $30 card on Jolt...the cost per month in this
case is 2x as much!

The $50 card melds the minutes of the web card on Beyond with the lousy expiration of the store-bought card...the only card that has actually gotten better with Jolt is the $100 card, which retains a subpar 90 day expiration but gets an amazingly insignificant 14 minutes extra. So it looks like Beyond GSM wasn't cutting it with retailers because the website was undercutting them, so Beyond Wireless moved completely out of the low cost per month arena (remember the no-minimum-minutes TDMA service?) to level the retail-direct playing field. Blech. Oh, and they offer newer phones (if you can call black and pink Razrs at $20 above eBay cost an advance...or overpriced LG c1300s, Motorola c139s or Motorola v180s for that matter). But personally I wouldn't mind if everyone suddenly realized that at least the GSM-based arm of Beyond Wireless (and I'm inclined to say the CDMA wing too) has become quite uncompetitive...and left. I mean, Locus Mobile offers better rates on their plans and they were expensive compared with Beyond Wireless when both were TDMA. But that's obviously not the case now...

News from 7-25...Virgin Mobile, Tracfone, Net10!

Interestingly, I only had enough time yesterday to hear about all tstuff that happend...not enough time to write about it...even though a 20-ounce Dr. Pepper confined me to insomnia till about 1:15 in the morning. But ah well...I'll play catchup now...

First off, the Virgin Mobile announcements, three of them:

1. Virgin Mobile has a new plan: 10 cents when you're talking with Virgin Mobile customers, 20 cents with everyone else. Basically, if you use more than 20% of your minutes (yes, only 20%) calling Virgin Mobile customers, and don't use a lot of minutes anyway...or sped less than 35 minutes a month talking to non-Virgin Mobile customers, this is a really good plan believe it or not. Sorta reminds me of Boost Mobile's pay as you go plan...except that nights and weekends aren't discounted. Still, it's a nice addition if you ask me. Choice is always good.

2. You know the LG Aloha that I talked about a few posts ago? The basic, cool-looking LG flip phone that Alltel also has (running on their U Prepaid service)? Well, now Virgin Mobile lists it as coming soon". Again, it's a basic phone but it's gotta be a world better than the Kyocera Marbl, and likely for the same price. Interesting how Virgin Mobile is converting a bit more to LG and such while Tracfone is...well...read on...but first take a look at the Aloha on VM's website...

http://www.virginmobileusa.com/phones/phoneDetail.do?skuId=VMLX14

3. Oh, and the "Slice II" from UTStarCom for Virgin Mobile is also on their website now...also listed as "Coming Soon". Its name? The "Super Slice". Not highly original, but it's an apt description. Better features include a built-in camera, a bigger, higher-res screen, a raised keypad for less painful texting\dialing for those of us with larger hands, Bluetooth (ooooh! aaaah!) and the high=emd software features like IM and Email that aren't on the original Slice. All this while shaving 0.01" off the thickness of the phone (cool!), making it actually a decent bar phone that wouldn't even be embarrased on a contract plan. I just wonder how much it'll cost...speaking of cost, the original Slice is down to $29.99 in both colors on Virgin Mobile's website, which is cool if anyone needs a dependable basic phone. Anyway, here's the link to VM's Super Lice description:

http://www.virginmobileusa.com/phones/phoneDetail.do?skuId=VM1450

And now for the two Tracfone news bits...one bigger than the other...

1. For starters, Tracfone now posts the LG C200 as "coming soon" on their website. Yay...a new CDMA phone! But wait...this is the same phone that Alltel and Virgin Mobile are coming out with (you know, the Aloha). But I don't mind...it's new, it's CDMA, it's at least a little more stylish than the LG 3280...and it's SingleRate. See it here:

http://www.tracfone.com/phone_details.jsp?model=TFLG200C

2. Saving the "best" for last, Tracfone is...and no I'm not kidding and this isn't Virgin Mobile...going to carry a Kyocera phone! Of course, it's a CDMA phone, and this one's decidedly low-end...the "color" display is clearly described as being black-and-white with a pretty background. Oh, and you only get 10 ringtones...at least they're polyphonic. Is this going to be a $10 phone or something...just wondering...at least it's small and looks halfway decent. The model number is the K126c...you can gawk at it here:

http://www.tracfone.com/phone_details.jsp?model=TFKY126

And last but not least, the Net10 news...

They're getting CDMA! I know this because the same two phones mentioned for Tracfone...well...they show up as "Coming Soon" on Net10's site as well. Except with different color schemes so both look nicer, especially the Kyocera. Interestingly, the Kyocera is marked "not available in all areas" (I guess Trac doesn't make a lot of money on CDMA compared with GSM) but the LG model isn't. MMisprit or not? I wonder...but at any rate I'm glad the choice of CDMA is nwo available for Net10.

TuYo Give More For Your Money

Effective 7/20 through 8/31, all TuYo refills will give you 10% more airtime. In other words, a $10 refill give syou $11 in credit, a $50 refill $55, etc. Sounds cool to me...if you look at it cost-per-minute-wise the discount is about 9.9% but hey, that's still nice. So if you talk on TuYo, stock up on extra airtime before summer ends :)

All That I Ask of You...

Hmm...I want to review some of AT&T's GoPhones, namely the $20 Moto c168i, the 20 Nokia 6030 and the $10 Sony Ericsson J220a. But I simply can't get them in my area...since there are no AT&T towers in my area until all the CellularOne system marges with AT&T (which it will since the latter bought the former about a month ago).

So what I'm asking is, if someone very supportive of this site would send me either of these three phones for a quick review, after which I'd send it back with my sincerest thanks. Again, it's just because I can't get the phones myself that I'm asking.

If anyone's interested, thanks and let me know!

A few notes on the iPhone...

There have been questions about why you can't just stick any SIM into the iPhone and go with it...

First off, so far I haven't found out where to get an unlocked iPhone to do that with...

...so what you're left with is a phone that WILL NOT WORK until it has been activated. You have two choices for activation: the contract plan (with the iPhone data package) and GoPhone Pick Your Plan (with the iPhone data package).

Once you activate, you have a fully functional iPhone. Until you put another SIM (not another carrier's SIM...another SIM) into the iPhone. At which point it wants you to activate that SIM through the same process. Or you can ignore that notice and use everything on the iPhone except stuff that requires network access (calling and EDGE). I repeat: even other Cingular\AT&T GoPhone\contract SIMs won't work in an iPhone until they're activated with that iPhone.

I have heard, however that the iPhone may be unlockable, so that you can even circumvent the "must be activated" restriction. But I haven't seen it yet and for now you gotta activate with some sort of plan...on AT&T.

Amp'd WARNING, TracFun

First off, I have a reliable source telling me that Amp'd Mobile will be no more Monday. Verizon is shutting them down. In other words, they're pulling a Sunrocket for those who didn't know their service was failing...i.e. shutting down in short order. Just so everyone knows to jump ship to somewhere like Page Plus Cellular. Heck, you can even keep your Amp'd phone and port your number...but do so before it's too late.

Second, a bit better news: the Motorola c261 cameraphone on Tracfone is...gasp...$29.99! Making it the cheapest prepaid cameraphone on the market that I know of. So if you're in the market for that sort of thing, now's a good time.

GoPhone and Tracfone, Both for Cheap

Looks like AT&T has outdone itself. If you need a replacement phone for your AT&T\Cingular line, grab the Sony Ericsson J220a on GoPhone (make sure to activate it though). It's all of $9.99...and no, I'm not kidding...if AT&T offered this phone in my area I'd already have bought it to review.

On the Tracfone side of things, the LG 3280 is...until at least the end of July...$20 at Family Dollar stores. My advice: pick it up already! Granted, it may not have quite the reception of the Nokia 2126i but it is SIngleRate, it is a flip phone and it's not a piece of junk, so it's definately worth $20.

What's better than Free411? Goog411!

That's right; Google has its own free 411 service now! If you can stand the (admittedly good) text-to-speech converter that might "trip over itself" by saying stuff sorta quickly, and don't mind not having an operator to fall back on...and don't need to look up residential listings, this service is powerful, fast and free. Oh, and there are no ads to sit through...cool...

...oh, and they connect your call for free...nice if you're calling from somewhere where long distance isn't free...heh heh...

The number? 1-800-GOOG-411
The website? http://www.google.com/mobile/goog411

Tracfone News

Okay, there isn't much here to talk about, but Tracfone has lowered the price of the Nokia 2600 to $29.99, down from $39.99. Now that it's actually reasonable, I recommend buying it...if you wnt a Tracfone and don't need extra features like web and picture messaging...that's it...

UTStarCom\Verizon CDM7075 & Page Plus Cellular

Well, I might as well just jump in…here’s my review of the UTStarCom CDM7075…

First off this phone is first and foremost a Verizon phone. In fact, there is no sign of UTStarCom branding until you open the back of the phone and look at...or under...the battery. The user interface is the now-typical Verizon "red" version...the only trace of anything else is the ringtone selection. So basically this is the most carrier-branded phone I've ever laid hands on. This is not completely horrible as the Verizon UI is fast enough on this phone and pretty efficient, but in my opinion there are a lot of prettier, easier UIs out there…VZW’s incarnation on this phone is decidedly bare-bones, even dated. And the phone itself doesn't even have any games on it...though a fifth of the user interface is devoted to making you buy games, ringtones and more.

As to the qualities that really count, this phone does reasonably, though not exceptionally, well. In the build quality area, the phone is decent, though the keypad has very little travel and is rather large for my tastes (between keys), making text messaging a chore more than usual (combined with a slightly foreign user interface for texting, though of course it’s very familiar to anyone who has used pretty much any Verizon phone in the last few years). On the whole, this phone seems to me like a retooled, newer overall version of the Audiovox 8910…in short, that phone done right. Unfortunately, this still leaves you with a pretty basic phone.

Voice quality is okay, though not anything to write home about it. Then again, Verizon uses the 1900MHz network where I am and I don’t think they get great signal anyway…yet I still think that an extended antenna should help matters just a little more than it does with this phone. Then again, 190MHz doesn’t really get a boost from an extendable antenna, and the phone does support analog networks, something that’s good for a Page Plus Cellular phone as that way it can serve as a backup for your favorite high-end phone (like the Razr or pretty much any PDA phone).

Battery life sticks out to me as not bad at all…I think the phone lasted a week…albeit in standby mode most of the time…before turning up dead. Really not bad for a CDMA phone. Then again, this phone doesn’t have any real power-drinking features…it’s just a basic phone with a black-and-white external display…so it should last awhile, given its relatively large battery…

As to features, again, this phone is tooled for taking advantage of all the buy-able stuff Verizon has. Meaning that it can support MP3 and polyphonic ringtones, and has a decent (for 640x480 shots…and Verizon’s camera UI isn’t too bad either speed-wise) camera. But if you’re looking for any high-end features (unless you consider MP3 ringtones, a camera or an average-quality\loudness speakerphone high-end) this isn’t your main phone. But hey, Page Plus doesn’t support anything right now beside voice and text, and when they come out with web it’ll be compatible with this phone (which has web access…that’s all I know as I wasn’t able to really test it) so this phone fits the bill at a palatable price.

Speaking of Page Plus, activation was quick, support was easy to access (no wait time or not much anyway) and the service is really dirt cheap for voice. Not quite so much for text messages…you should get Virgin Mobile if you text a lot and want prepaid…but I can’t argue with $80 buying 1400 anytime minutes, useable (and roll-overable) for the next four months, minus a few minutes for the 50 cent monthly fee. The only annoying thing with the service is I think that leaving voicemail costs airtime (or something outrageous like that) and the “minute lady” makes your outgoing calls about fifteen seconds longer than they need to be…though thankfully this mixed blessing doesn’t charge for while it’s talking.

So, overall, the CDM7075 is a fine basic phone for Page Plus and the like, but you’ll have to put up with incessant Verizon branding everywhere on the phone until Page Plus releases their own version (I’m guessing they will). But hey, for $40 you get a speakerphone, mp3 ringtones, a camera, web browsing, an external display and in general a phone that isn’t a total piece of junk. I’m all for that.

LG Aloha - More Info

Thanks to Chris on the forum, I have more information on the LG Aloha that's showing up on Virgin Mobile. The technical name for this phone is the LG AX-140. The reason for this info? The AX-145, which adds data (the Aloha doesn't have it?) and BREW (no mention of Java?), is on Alltel now. Take a look for yourselves (links mostly partain to the 145 but have info about the Aloha\140):

LG Website
http://us.lge.com/products/model/detail/mobile%20phones_select%20by%20carrier_others_AX145.jhtml

PhoneScoop
http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=1291

Cyclops for $50? Highly probable...

Well, Circuit City now has the Kyocera Cyclops for $50...no rebates...though you'll have to pay tax and shipping on it...at least it's a few bucks cheaper than retail...

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Virgin-Mobile-Cyclops-Prepaid-Phone/sem/rpsm/oid/166523/catOid/-16441/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

By the way, I'm now on a contract plan with Sprint (in dad's name). I'm on the $30 SERO plan, meaning that everything is unlimited (nights and weekends starting at 7, high speed data....which is available in my area...mobile to mobile, text messaging, picture messaging, video messaging) except for daytime minutes, and I have 500 of those. And if I go over my minutes it automagically adds 50 more for $5. My phone? The HTC Mogul...a little over $300 with tax but not too bad on price considering its internet is pretty much faster than my home internet and will be faster in every way once Sprint rolls out a software upgrade for the little wonder. I'd take the Mogul over the iPhone any day of the week...but I digress prom prepaid...

By the way #2, I'll be reviewing the UTStarCom\Verizon CDM7075 tomorrow probably, so stay tuned! It also sounds like I'll be getting in several phones for review from BabbleBug soon so even if there isn't any prepaid cellular news next week take a look here!

Want Page Plus Cellular Activations, ESN Swaps or More? Look no further!

Well I've been working with none other than UglyEric from HowardForums, eBay and elsewhere, and the work has led to us somewhat integrating Go4Prepaid with his Page Plus activation, ESN change and phone buying services. So take a look at the new PagePlusUSA.com website if you want to know more about Page Plus Cellular or want to buy an activation or switch your phone...whatever you want to do regarding Page Plus, it can be done there!

More Page Plus Related Info

First off, yes Verizon's INPulse service lets you do text and picture messaging, albeit at high rates (10 cents apiece for text, 25 cents apiece for pix). Web is also available, at a disgusting (in my opinion) 99 cents a day.

As far as getting a Page Plus phone goes, take a guess at who's your best bet...it's Wal-Mart! Go online and select their free ship-to-store service and a week later pick up either the relatively feature-full UTStarCom CDM7075 (Verizon-branded) for $40 or so plus tax or the Motorola Razr v3m for about three times that amount...I'm really tempted to do the latter and have done the former (well...I just bought the phone at the store that had 'em already). As a side note, yes, you're looking for the INPulse versions of these pones. As long as you don't call any permutation of *228 on them, they'll activate on Page Plus just fine.

Page Plus - Web Access and the Minute Lady

First off, I'm now a proud owner of a Page Plus phone...the UTStarCom 7075 I mentioned earlier...thanks to BabbleBug for the activation!

I called customer service (still wondering whether that was why my minute counter went down or was that something else?) and asked about two things and got two answers:

1. Yes, web access is coming. And yes, it'll work with your current Verizon-branded phone, as long as your current Verizon-branded phone has Mobile Web on it. Sweet...so feel free to buy a cheap $40 camera phone now 'cuz it'll be more feature-rich as time goes on. Didn't ask about picture messaging, but I'd bet that'll come too, and it'll also likely be compatible with current phones.

2. No, they can't turn off that annoying announcement at the beginning of each outgoing call that tells you just how many minutes you have for the upcoming call. Dangit...I'd like that turned off, but I'd rather not Page Plus pull an STi and charger 10 cents per day after doing so.

And yes, I'll review the 7075 soon!

iPhone...On GoPhone! Yep, it can be prepaid!

Take a look at the link below for the full scoop:

http://www.tuaw.com/2007/07/02/iphone-prepay-the-right-way/

But basically you can buy an iPhone, enter your SSN as 999-99-9999 to flunk the credit check, and have the wonderful world of prepaid opened to you. Or you can cancel the line after your first bill and have an ewber-kewl iPod, internet browser and generally lean and mean WiFi machine with nary a contract to be found.

The caveats?

1. You gotta use GoPhone's Pick Your Plan...with a $20 addon to get unlimited data (actually, that part's not bad) and Visual Voicemail. No Pay As You Go, and nothing good as far as rates go...200 minutes with the iPhone data ends up being $50 a month plus taxes and junk fees. And you gotta pay that to even get your phone activated.

2. Activation is a slightly rockier road than the oh-so-smooth contact experience. But hey, you wanted prepaid, right? And your iPhone can do just as much as everyone else's...everyone who's paying for their contact...

3. Texting ain't included on the GoPhone plans. So if you want to text (and not pay 15 cents per message for the privelage...texts decrement from the non-data-plan part of your bill) you either pay $5 for 200 texts or $20 (!) for unlimited.And with the iPhone you'll likely use a text or two more than usual, with its cool threaded chat feature...yech...

...and, worst of all for now...

4. EVERY time a call, text or data session is completed...including when the iPhone checks your email...you get a lovely little popup telling you how much your balance is and how much you've spent on that particular activity. Even if you've spent NOTHING. I was thinking more seriously about the iPhone due to its ability to go onto prepaid but until they get that debilitating bug (you can't do anything until you hit Dismiss to that evil dialog and it'll mess up all sorts of things that you're doing) fixed. Right now the only way to squash it is disabling text messaging...dang.

But hey, if you don't mind giving up beautiful texting (the iPhone can go onto the multiplatform web chat at Meebo.com so technically you can text thataway fo' free), don't mind high per-minute rates and don't mind shelling out big time for this modern marvel, you can definately get it contract-free.

Boost Mobile - Chirping Down and Powering Up?

Well, I just checked the Boost Mobile website and they've changed their phone lineup...they've slimmed it down and increased prices! No kidding. The Motorola i885? Gone. i855? $20 more ($120). i455? $10 more ($60). i415? $10 more ($40). Scary, huh? Now the phones on Virgin Mobile are actually fancier feature-wise than the ones on Boost...and cheaper...then again, $300 was a bit steep for the i885. Still, the quiet recession of Boost's iDEN lineup is creepy...sorta like walkie talkie and GPS is falling off the radar.

Then again, on the other end of things, Boost Mobile just added another plan for their Unlimited offering, still only available in California and Texas: Unlimited Texting along with all the other features. The cost? $5 above that of the normal unlimited plan. Interesting...

T-Mobile To Go - $10 is now 90 days!

Yes, it's true: T-Mobile To Go $10 cards now last for 90 days without Gold Rewards (one year with Gold Rewards). Tracfone, watch out...T-Mobile To Go just got a good bit closer to becoming the ultimate glovevbox phone. I mean, you can buy a Razr or get a Nokia 6030 for $25 (after a DealKing rebate) and then just keep your service up for a mere $40 per year...until you get enough money in the account and it's $10. Kinda like dude, whoa. Or you can grab a SIM with $30 in credit on it from eBay for a mere $10 or so.In short, T-Mobile To Go is now cheap per-month from the outset, which rocks real hard.

UTStarCom 7075 - Review Coming Soon!

While at a Wal-Mart on the trip I’m taking right now (hence the lack of posts…pretty much…last week) I spotted the UTStarCom 7075. Or rather, the Verizon Wireless INPulse CDM7075 powered by UTStarCom (no branding other than the battery and under the battery). I bought the phone…for a mere $40 or so plus tax. I’m going to put it on Page Plus as soon as I get the chance and review it here. So stay tuned! To start off, the phone seems very like the Audiovox 8910, except new and improved…and with the now-signature Verizon “red” interface. So really it is a VZW phone first and last…they just hired somebody to make it.

Tracfone & Net10 Promos

Well nothing muc has changed with Tracfone recently. Except that you can get free shipping on the Motorola w370 by etering promo code 55955 at checkout. Plus the addition of the Nokia 2600 and 1100 to the lineup...or rather re-addition.

However, Net10 has some new deals. Besides their total underselling with the Nokia 1100 (two deals which both work out to 6.67 cents a minute before tax and shipping) and their "free phone" Nokia 1600 (when refurbished, like the Nokia 1100), they now have no fewer than four options for $40 phones, including $30 of airtime:

Nokia 1600 (new)
Motorola v171 (refurbished)
Motorola c139 (new)
Motorola c155 (new)

Then again the Nokia 1600 is the only phone worht having out of the four in my opinion, and it can be had for $10 cheaper refurbished. There's also the Motorola v170 available for (yikes) $80, and the Motorola v176 and c261 available for $90...but that's pretty expensive for a plain ole Tracfone, especially since the c261 is selling on Tracfone for $40.

By the way, the above promotions (besides the c261 and v176) are available on T-Mobile- and Cingular...er...AT&T-based Net10 phones. Dobson CellularOne, which was just bought by AT&T, currently has a much more limited lineup: the new Nokia 1600, the new Nokia 2600 ($40, also available on T-Mobile-based plans) and the new Motorola v171 for $80. Hmph.

New to GoPhone

Looks like the GoPhone lineup has been slightly adjusted. There is even a phone with the new AT&T logo on it now...

The Motorola c168i, which looks to be the Compal imitation of the SLVR or, more closely, the Motorola L2, is $40. Not bad for a decent, decently thin phone. And this one actually has polyphonic ringtones. Though you're really not buying from Motorola (you're getting a slightly different user interface) when you buy this one.

The Nokia 2610, at $80, costs twice as much for what look to be similar features. But hey, it's a pretty new phone, its a name brand and you can't go wrong with a Nokia so whaddya expect?

Oh, and you can get the new (ish) Pantech C3B for $90, which is basically the C300/C3 but with changeable faceplates and both silver and blue faceplates included. Nice little phone, but it sure is little.

Tracfone Rates & iPhone

First off, addressing the question at hand: Tracfone rates.

On CDMA phones Tracfone starts charging the second you start the call. Well, not exactly; they give you a 15-16 second "grace period" if you place the call during which you can hang up and not get charged. This is for busy signals and whatnot. Otherwise you're charged regardless of what happens on the other end of the line.

On GSM phones Tracfone starts billing once the call is connected. What this means varies, and there's no "grace period" but generally busy signals are free, as are most "no answers".

Now to the iPhone...

Granted, it's a great piece of technology. Sort of like iPod meets smartphone...but some people won't be comfortable with getting used to the onscreen keyboard, even if it is good, some people will be uncomfortable with the price ($500 for the 4GB model, $600 for the 8GB one, plus at least $60 a month for service) and some people will be uncomfortable th the fact that for the next few years it's stuck on AT&T. And of course you'll likely not see it on prepaid for a LOOOOONG time, GoPhone or no.Personally, no great loss; if you want something thin and smart, get the Motorola Q. If you want something REALLY smart, go with something built by HTC (verizon PPC6700, Sprint Mogul, etc.) and chalk up the added thickness to a nice built-in keyboard. And on Sprint you can get the Q or the Mogul for a fraction of the price of the iPhone and get a plan with an equivalent number of minutes for half the price of an iPhone plan.

In other words if you feel ready to drop $500 on an icon that doesn't run on a fast network unless you're within WiFi range, go for it...just remember you also have to pay $60 a month plus taxes and fees to keep the darn thing going...but there's really no need to bemoan the fact that this phone is gonna take a LONG time to make it to prepaid.

New Tracfone Developments

Hmm...not much seems to be happening along the lines of prepaid service...and I'm at summer camp (Boy Scouts) but looks like Tracfone has re-introduced the Nokia 100 and the Nokia 2600 into their online lineup. The former is $10 refurbished, the latter $40 new. Now whether the 2600 is worth as much to you as the Motorola c261 is a valid question, it's nice to know those phones are available...

Re: Nice Phones on Virgin Mobile

Someone asked here why Virgin Mobile doesn't put nice phones in their lineup like they do overseas. Simple question, simple answer: overseas they run on a different network, have a different audience (overseas Virgin Mobile has contracts) and different pricing overall. Really, the whole wireless industry is different overseas. Here, people want generally cheap phones, so Virgin Mobile complies.

Now why they haven't already gotten halfway-decent phones like Virgin Mobile Canada has remains a mystery...Virgin Mobile Canada runs on the equivalent of Sprint in Canada...Bell Mobility (I'd call Rogers the equivalent of AT&T...oops...Cingular...oops...AT&T and Telus the equivalent of Verizon for whatever reason, even though their technology lineup...iDEN and CDMA...mimic's Sprint's configuration now) and gets many of their same phones. But let me end my rant while Virgin Mobile canada's site is still down for some reason...

Virgin Mobile - Now Even Cheaper To Start

Remember when the Virgin Mobile Kyocera K7 was $10...and I bought it? Then remember how it got upgraded to the K9? Well, now the K10 is $10...with $10 of airtime included! So basically you're paying tax on that $10 for the phone...which is web-capable, if a bit grey-haired. Seeing as how there's no other prepaid news to point out, that's about it...

...well beside the fact that Amp'd may soon cease to exist...

Virgin Mobile Sale Info

Well, all seems quiet on the prepaid front. No more Nokia 2126s are available online for Tracfone with the "twofer" deal though you can now get the 2126i version many places for $10 apiece. But there's another good forum topic at Go4Prepaid forums: Virgin Mobile deals...take a look for cheap stuff...

http://z7.invisionfree.com/Go4Prepaid/index.php?showtopic=47

Virgin Mobile - Four New Phones Now!

Looks like Virgin Mobile is actually releasing four new phones in the near future. In additio to the Slice II, the SwitchBack II and the Motorola w385, they're getting their first LG phone, the "Aloha", which looks to have a similar feature-set to the Marbl but with a slight PEBL-ish white look and Virgin Mobile's user interface. I am really glad that this phone is coming out soon...finally there's a decent low-end color flip with web access for Virgin Mobile...neither the Oystr nor the Marbl fit that bill and this one will definately do so, or pretty much definately.

For more info and pictures of the phone (which looks quite good in my opinion) look here:

http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9729514-1.html

By the way, I've decided against prolonging my $13.75 airtime sale...it's gone...for now...

Tracfone, Alltel U Prepaid and Boost Mobile

A few different things here...questions answered and the like...

1. Looks like Tracfone has stopped selling the Nokia 2126 "twofer" deals again. And they'll likely stop free shipping and free accessory kits today...:(

2. For anyone looking for information about Alltel's U Prepaid (switching over from Simple Freedom) just go to www.alltelu.com.

3. For anyone wanting to know about Boost Mobile's basic cameraphone, the i855, take a look at the Phonescoop page, complete with user reviews and such...http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=735

Special Promotion - Buy Tracfone Airtime at Super Prices!

Because I feel like it and have some extra Tracfone airtime PINs sitting here, anyone who wants can...for the moment...buy a 60-minute airtime card for Tracfone for just $13.75 through Google Checkout! You can buy as many as you want...I actually have 33 in stock right now...but keep in mind that I'm going to end this very soon (think a few days) because it's actually the same price I get paid for these PINs in huge bulk...

...but until then, if you need a Tracfone 60-minute card and need it cheaper than retail and quicker than the "twofer" deal, hit the Buy Now button on the sidebar and grab the airtime!

Total Call Mobile & Simple Freedom

1. Total Call Mobile (you know, the Sprint-based carrier that offers 10 cent minutes and 5 cent texts, albeit with expensive phones?) has extended their airtime expirations from 60 to 90 days, for a monthly cost reduction from $5 to $3.33 a month. So it's even better for low-use situations with low per-minute costs, but high phone prices make me want to go with Page Plus...

2. Simple Freedom users, you're going to be transferred to Alltel's U Prepaid in the very near future. Take a look at your new rates and get ready...and if you're in a Verizon area prepare to double-dial and state your address as something in an Alltel area to keep service.

Tracfone Motorola w370: Q&A

You asked, I answer:

Q: yeah, does it have apps?
A: Depends on what you mean. It does have the typical calculator, timer, alarm, etc. and a few games, but as far as I know nothing extraordinary and nothing downloadable.

Q: can you preview ringtones from the phone?
A: If you're wondering whether you can preview them before buying them, the answer, so far as I know (same as c261 I suppose) is no. However there is a nice Multimedia section of the phone where you can blare ringtones to your heart's content.

Q: can you buy ringtones with tracfone minutes? when will it be available for net10?
A1 (mmm, steak sauce): Yes you can...it'll decrement differently depending on how much airtime you've added on your last card, I think. They try to make the price per 'tone $1.99.
A2: No idea. I'll leave that up to the wizards who predict actual dates on things...I don't have the scoop on that.

Hope this helps!

An' de winna izz...

...Scooby214! Thanks to everyone for participating in this giveaway and making it a real success...I think since everyone's ravening for a Motorola w370 I may have to give another one away soon. But anyhow thanks, and hope you enjoy your prize, Scooby!

Oh and by the way, the Motorola's keypad is just hard to press...it registers when you press, but you have to press hard for it to register, in response to that question commented on my last post.

Various Tracfone Updates\Info

Before I say anything, just letting eeryone know that tomorrow afternoon is the last straw on clicking ads here, registering on the Go4Prepaid forum and posting if you want to enter in the Motorola w370 giveaway...to put an exact time on it, you have to do all three things (and the forum post must be really useful) by 6:00 p.m. Central Time tomorrow. So if you want to win a Motorola w370 now's the time to enter!

And now onto normal Tracfone news\info...

1. Thanks Chris for reporting in on the Motorola w370's battery...sounds like a few battery cycles should double battery life, if not more...which is certainly nice.

2. Looks like the "30 minutes for life" promotion Tracfone had since December is now ended, and has been ended since early May. See http://z7.invisionfree.com/Go4Prepaid/index.php?showtopic=2 for the full story on that.

3. Thanks to the Turk, there are two really helpful Tracfone-related threads on the new Go4Prepaid forums:

Tracfone Promotional Codes
http://z7.invisionfree.com/Go4Prepaid/index.php?showtopic=7

Tracfone Sales (phone discounts, etc.)
http://z7.invisionfree.com/Go4Prepaid/index.php?showtopic=22

Thanks to everyone on the forums so far, especially those who have posted more than 10 times, earning yourselves "Member" designation!

Motorola w370

First off, the basics: call quality, battery life, and build quality.

For the first point, I have no complaints. It's not the best phone in the world as far as call quality and reception, but the speaker is good and loud enough, whether you want speakerphone or just regular calling, and reception is very much on the good side. It's not a Nokia 6010, but again, it's not bad at all.

As to battery life, I was a little disappointed with the phone. Granted, I played with ringtones on meximum volume for an hour or so...so maybe I could have had another day of standby time, but I estimate that regular users will get about 3 1\2 days out of this phone if they don't talk a ton on it. For GSM, that's not great. But then again, if you find the right drivers you can grab any old mini-USB cable and charge your phone that way, as that's one of the ports on the phone (the other is the headset port...each one is protected by a rubber flap that isn't quite easy to get off, near the bottom of the phone).

On build quality, this phone pretty much blows me away, but for the keypad, which actually isn't half bad once you "break it in". "Razr on a budget" is about what this phone is built like. Budget meaning it's all-plastic, but it has a decent amount of heft to it, and it's decently thin, too.
I have zero complaints about build quality on this phone...there has been NO "hinge wobble" that has haunted all the flips I've had, and the fit and finish of this phone are in my opinion just as good as that of phones costing 2-3x as much. Yes, I'm singing praises of a phone that isn't even really made by Motorola, but honestly if Compal (who makes these phones) can turn out this kind of build quality on all their flips I'd rather them build the phone hardware! The absence of a caller ID screen on the phone, which leaves the front a huge black shiny plastic monolith with silver on the sides (and a Motorola logo in the middle toward the bottom...no Tracfone logo except on the removable backplate), gives the phone an even better chance at style because low-end caller ID screens are...low-end. Instead, you get a amber\green LED icon when you have incoming or missed calls, a blue LED icon when you have new messages and an amber LED telling you if you're charging the phone's battery or if it's low, going from top to bottom. These LEDs are perfectly invisible when not on (lovely seemingly scratch-resistant black plastic face) and perfectly sharp when on...I dig it. Cooler than my Cyclops's lo-fi external screen.

But before I forget, the keypad is very shallow-pitch, relatively unresponsive (get ready to hit it hard with your fingers when punching in numbers and texts) and seemingly made out of cheap rubber that's thin enough to cut with a sharp fingernail. But I've had no such problems, and the styling of the keypad fits with the phone, in case that's what you're worrying about...and it's not THAT much of a pain to use in and of itself.

Feature-wise, this phone can do everything a Tracfone can possibly do except take pictures...which isn't much. But what it does, it does pretty well, borrowing it suser interface from the Motorola c261 sans camera plus another ringtone or two...and a mysterious "additional storage area" for what I know not. But there's one big difference between this phone and the c261, interface-wise: for some wierd reason, the UI on the w370...mine at least...reminds me of that on the Marbl: slow. However, it's a lot...A LOT...more "lush" and friendly than the spartan Kyocera user interface, so it's not all bad. Just keep in mind that if you're fast at punching in numbers or text messages, the phone may not be able to keep up with you onscreen.
But yes, the w370 is a bit of a flagship phone at the moment, what with its KRZR-esque form factor (big "chin", narrow profile, relatively thin), and its general quality, but for the keypad and overall speed, lie up to its position. I daresay that this phone is twice as loud, if half as fast, as my Kyocera Cyclops, particularly on ringers. About as loud, I think, as the Nokia 2126, which is no slouch in the territory...though of course not as loud as the typical Nextel\Boost Mobile phone. Again, the user interface is a slightly cheapened copy of Motorola's usual interface, so it can be confusing at times, but if you know Motorola you definately know this phone, as opposed to working with the v170 or similar. And of course the phone has a very decently-sized screen to show this UI on...not particularly high-resolution, but not any lower than any other phone on mainstream prepaid.

...and it's on Tracfone, which represents a step forward for that company, into the realm of hones that are actually a bit on the classy side. So, aside from the phone speed issue, which may or may not be limited to just my phone but is on the minor side...I give this phone a solid thumbs up. And, I'll bet, so will whoever wins it come Sunday!

Motorola w370 Giveaway!

Well, the Motorola w370 is registering low battery now, so a review is in order for that phone. It also means that I'm going to give it away!

Here's how to enter:

1. Click some ads here to support this site.
2. Join the Go4Prepaid forums and make at least one post...if you've already joined and made a post you qualify for this step, but still do Step 1.

I'll be picking a winner Sunday evening and mailing out the phone, with 15 units of airtime on it (20 - 5 for testing) probably Monday, so enter now!

And, of course, stay tuned for my review of this phone later on today!

GoPhone Pay As You Go gets Packages

Today, as PhoneScoop said, GoPhone gets texting and night-and-weekend packages, the first and second a la Virgin Mobile, the third a la...well, nobody's really quite done that yet. What's annoying is it looks to be for Pick Your Plan only...

Anyhow, for $5 you get 200 text messages, usable over one month (like Virgin Mobile), and for $20 you get 3000, cheaper per text but more expensive per month than Virgin Mobile's $10 "penny text" program that I'm on right now. Then again, some people love to text and this'll cover 'em.

Then there are the MEdiaNet plans, which cost $5 a month for 1 MB and $10 per month for 5 MB. While this isn't as bad as the insanely high penny per KB Cingular charges normally (for $10.24 per MB), neither package is lower than even the daily option on Virgin Mobile. The monthly option on Virgin Mobile, for the same price as the Cingular 1MB plan, gives 5x the data access, and likely better speed...even the $15 package only provides 10 MB of data...still 50% more expensive than the monthly plan on Virgin Mobile...

Also, somewhere there's a per-month night and weekend option, which gives you 3000 minutes for $20. again, this can be beaten by various Sprint-based carriers, which offer unlimited minutes for $18 a month (xTreme Mobile) or better, but still it's a nice option to have if you're stuck on GoPhone ;)

And I guess that's about it...

Edited: Got a New Tracfone?

Have a new Tracfone (not activated yet)? If you do, don't fill out the information part (just skip it), then email me with the phone serial number and phone number once it's activated. It may well be worth your while...and that's all I can say right now...

EDIT: It looked like a backdoor to Refer-a-Friend, and Tracfone updated the site so they may be planning to do it again, but it didn't work on a phone I recently activated...said the promotion expired...so disregard this message...for now...

PagePlus Update, Amp'd is In Trouble!

First off, looks like the "turn in your phone" deal for PagePlus is over, but remember that any Verizon, Alltel, Simple Freedom or Amp'd phone (and maybe any Sprint phone...I'll have to try that...) will work on the service.

Second, Amp'd is in deep trouble. Verizon is threatening to cut them off of their network. Why? Amp'd has declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy and owes a lot of people a lot of money, with Verizon being the biggest person they owe money to. So hold on, and if push comes to shove switch your phones over to Page Plus :)

PagePlus Scores Again!

Well, I have three updates to make about PagePlus...

1. Roaming is now down to 59 cents a minute, wherever you are, down from 99 cents or even $1.95 per minute! So i's actually now practical to carry around one phone for all your prepaid needs, even if you roam...and I'll bet anything this 59 cents per minute is taken out of PagePlus "play money", which means that on the $80 card roaming is a mere 28 cents a minute...truly cheap enough to never need another phone wherever you are in the U.S.!

2. PagePlus is coming out with data services in the future, which is going to close the deal for me if they're cheap enough...and I'll bet they will be cheap enough. But I've already talked about data before.

3, PagePlus is going to come out with their own handsets (as far as branding goes) this fall, which seems to be the point when they get data as well. I'm just hoping they aren't junky\old handsets...I'd kill for something like the Motorola w385on this service! Or a Razr v3m or a KRZR...but the w385 is cheap and quite good enough for everything PagePlus has to offer :)

...then again, I'd snap up a Razr2 on PagePlus in a heartbeat, as long as it's $300 or less...

Go4Prepaid Forums - They're Up!

This just out: I just started (again) forums for Go4Prepaid! So you can start talking about everything related to cellular service, specifically prepaid (though not necessarily) right there...no more need to comment on random posts here for that sort of thing! Just click the title of this post or follow the link below...see you there!

http://z7.invisionfree.com/Go4Prepaid

My "Day Job"

Well, actually I have two of them. Part of the time I'm for-pay freelance working for the likes of BabbleBug et al. But what I'm talking about is where I make more of my money, and whoever wants to can make more than I am ;)

Yet it's a no-risk deal.

I'm talking about buying the Tracfone twofer deals, selling the airtime to me, selling the phones elsewhere (buyers I make sure of first so no risk) and making a nice profit in doing so. All you need is a credit card (or a debit card and money in the bank) and the ability to read this and you're set.

Oh, and I'll tack on a $20 bonus for anyone who signs up before I give away the Motorola w370 I'll review shortly, as soon as they sell their first 24 airtime cards (one day's work, as much as $215 profit...otherwise well over $100).

Interested? E-mail me...

Net10 Coolness

Two new deals related to Net10...

1. Net10 now has a program similar to Tracfone's Value Plans. $15 a month (charged to your bank account or credit card) gets you 150 minutes. Go online and you can get buckets of 50, 100 or 150 minutes at the same 10 cents a minute if you run out and are on an "Easy Minutes" plan, as Net10 calls it. To me, since Net10 has very little in the way of promotional codes and such, this is probably the best way to pay for their service...certainly better than having to buy airtime cards at the local store. This is sort of reminiscent of Sprint's old Fair & Flexible plan, which charged overages in $5 increments but gave you a LOT of minutes for that $5, whether it was 50 (later) or 100 (earlier). So in short if you want a Cingular, T-Mobile or Dobson CellularOne plan with no contract and just need talking and occasional texting...and don't use a ton of minutes...this is it.

2. Net10 now has some sweet deals on the refurbished Nokia 1100s. How sweet? Try free with a 1\3 discount on airtime! The regular refurbished Nokia 1100 (which comes with 300 minutes) is $19.99 right now...with free shipping...so with tax you're getting about 7 cents per minute with a free phone. Or you can pay three times as much for the phone and a 600 minute airtime card...three times as many minutes. Heck, you could sell the card for $50 and get the phone for free really and 5 cent minutes! Not bad...

Free Shipping on Tracfone\Net10!

Well, until the 14th of this month, free shipping is back again on Tracfone\Net10! All orders above or at $19.99 qualify. My reaction? A long "Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!"

Even More TracFun

...thanks to the Turk...

1. Family Dollar is selling Nokia 2126(i)s and Motorola c139s for $10.
2. K-Mart is selling Motorola c139s for $10 and a $20 card + a Marbl for $30 (ech still).
3. Don't believe everything you hear\see about the Nokia 2126 being SingleRate on Tracfone's online sales site. I'm 99% sure it isn't...Tracfone has pulled that stunt before.
4. The LG 1300i will definately be GSM on Tracfone...yeah, it's not a great pone but yes it's another Tracfone, on GSM of course.

w370!

Well, I finally had a chance to grab the Motorola w370 from Target today ($54.05 with tax...no more $44.99 deal) so I'll be reviewing that phone soon here. Stay tuned!

P.S> I noticed at Target also that the Kyocera Switch_Back was selling for $80. I didn't pick it up...if I wanted a QWERTY phone on Virgin Mobile I'd wait for the M1000...

The Return of TracFun

First off, Tracfone just overhauled their website ast week. Things look a good bit snazzier now, and in my opinion clearer. Too bad it looks like Refer-a-Friend is very much history...no mention of it anywhere on the site anymore.

But to make up for this, I guess, Tracfone has introduced a super-duper-double-minute card, at $140, the price point that the old 300 minute double-minute card a while back was at. Except this one is a for-life double-minute card and includes 800 minutes. It's $10 cheaper than buying a 1-year card and a double-minute card, $10 more expensive than buying a double-minute card and two 200-minute cards (with half the expiration time). So while it has its niche, the niche is relatively small.

Tracfone also introduced Value Plans, which Jacques covered in an earlier post. Basically, you get a flat 20 cents per minute, applied to your phone automatically (unless you have an older phone). $10 a month gets you 50 minutes extra per month, and you can add additional lines of 30 minutes per month for another $6 per month. There's also a "Lifeline" plan that will add 30 days of service to your phone for $5 when your service time runs out. While these programs are nice,I'm really wondering if the would work with the double minute program. If so I'd buy a double-minute card and get the 10 cents a minute with these. Otherwise they're not really good deals. Oh, and you can add extra buckets of 20-cent minutes, in $10 and $20 increments, when you need them, if you have a Value Plan. Interesting, says I...

Another development is interesting...I saw, while surfing the Value Plan FAQ, mention of the LG 1300i. Implying that it will be out soon. Not the the 1300 is a new phone or anything, but I'm sure it'll be restyled for Tracfone (hence the i) and hey, it's another phone in Tracfone's lineup.

And, last but not least...certainly not least...Tracfone has reinstated the CDMA twofer deal with a different phone...the Nokia 2126! Granted, it's not the single-rate 2126i, but it's still a very solid phone, and if you don't roam or text a lot you're perfectly find on it. Certainly a HUGE upgrade from the digital-only, black-and-white, bulky Nokia 2285.

So yes, Tracfone has been quite newsworthy lately. Which is, in my opinion, good.The Return of TracFun

First off, Tracfone just overhauled their website ast week. Things look a good bit snazzier now, and in my opinion clearer. Too bad it looks like Refer-a-Friend is very much history...no mention of it anywhere on the site anymore.

But to make up for this, I guess, Tracfone has introduced a super-duper-double-minute card, at $140, the price point that the old 300 minute double-minute card a while back was at. Except this one is a for-life double-minute card and includes 800 minutes. It's $10 cheaper than buying a 1-year card and a double-minute card, $10 more expensive than buying a double-minute card and two 200-minute cards (with half the expiration time). So while it has its niche, the niche is relatively small.

Tracfone also introduced Value Plans, which Jacques covered in an earlier post. Basically, you get a flat 20 cents per minute, applied to your phone automatically (unless you have an older phone). $10 a month gets you 50 minutes extra per month, and you can add additional lines of 30 minutes per month for another $6 per month. There's also a "Lifeline" plan that will add 30 days of service to your phone for $5 when your service time runs out. While these programs are nice,I'm really wondering if the would work with the double minute program. If so I'd buy a double-minute card and get the 10 cents a minute with these. Otherwise they're not really good deals. Oh, and you can add extra buckets of 20-cent minutes, in $10 and $20 increments, when you need them, if you have a Value Plan. Interesting, says I...

Another development is interesting...I saw, while surfing the Value Plan FAQ, mention of the LG 1300i. Implying that it will be out soon. Not the the 1300 is a new phone or anything, but I'm sure it'll be restyled for Tracfone (hence the i) and hey, it's another phone in Tracfone's lineup.

And, last but not least...certainly not least...Tracfone has reinstated the CDMA twofer deal with a different phone...the Nokia 2126! Granted, it's not the single-rate 2126i, but it's still a very solid phone, and if you don't roam or text a lot you're perfectly find on it. Certainly a HUGE upgrade from the digital-only, black-and-white, bulky Nokia 2285.

So yes, Tracfone has been quite newsworthy lately. Which is, in my opinion, good.

VIrgin Mobile: New Site, New Phones (Almost)

Now for Virgin Mobile News...

First off, their site has been revamped. Though to my knowledge all that has been added is more games in the game store (and suchlike) and diferent wording for the Sugar Mama program (which reminds me, at 10 cents a minute it's nowt worth participating in...) but the facelift is welcome.

Second, and more important, there are now a confirmed THREE phones coming out soon for Virgin Mobile in the near future:

Motorola w385 - Take the Tracfone w370, add a camera, an external display and Virgin Mobile branding (and of course switch to a CDMA radio) and you get the w385. I'm thinking this is another Shorty-esque attempt from Virgin Mobile to get people to come because of having a name-brand phone. Oh, and the phone definately has Bluetooth...all three new phones do. Anyhow looks to be more solid phone than the Kyoceras and likely the UTStarComs so I'm looking forward to it...I'll bet it'll start at $100-$130.

Kyocera M1000 (SwitchBack II) - Besides having Bluetooth, a larger outer screen, a better camera (1.3 megapixel, like on the Cyclops) and MUCH better styling, this phone is another SwitchBack, the QWERTYphone that seems to have not sold too well because of its wierd looks. I'll bet this model will start at $130-$150.

EDIT: Pictures...

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l169/PC1492/sb2_open.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l169/PC1492/sb2_front.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l169/PC1492/sb2_side.jpg

UTSTarCom CDM1450 (Slice II) - Again, this phone has Bluetooth, but its upgrade from the Slice is probably the bigger of the two between it and the M1000: it also incorperates a camera and 64 MB of memory...and I'll bet you can get IM and mobile email on it. In short, the Slice II actually makes the Slice a bit of a feature phone...it isn't that way right now. I expect it'll sell for $50-$70 to start out. May sound low but that was the price point that the original Slice started out at so...

...and that's the news for upcoming Virgin Mobile phones. They'll be out any minute now, so if you like Virgin Mobile and want to upgrade, you don't have long to wait.

PagePlus - SCORE!

Okay, I'm back (and graduated!) and I have a lot to say. First, PagePlus...

First, the bad news: PagePlus is reinstating the 50 cent monthly fee...

...but they're lowering their rates again to compete with traditional calling cards, let alone regular prepaid cell phones. Noo kidding.

Text messages are still 8 cents apiece (now relative to 12 cents a minute, so 2\3 of a minute) but minutes are now much, much cheaper than anyone else...

$10 - 83 minutes (12 cents apiece)
$25 - 300 minutes (8.33 cents apiece)
$50 - 700 minutes (7.14 cents apiece)
$80 - 1400 minutes (5.71 cents apiece)

Amazing, huh? If you use just voice calling and some texting (at a very reasonable 3.8 cents apiece with the $80 card) and don't mind not having a local number (a problem with PagePlus) this service really takes the cake. If you use less than about 500 minutes a month (yeah, that's a lot for prepaid) and can stand keeping in Verizon's service area, and don't need multimedia features, PagePlus is the clear option. Heck, if you want a nice phone with it, just buy a Verizon Razr off of eBay and activate it with a $5 activation kit from there. Crazy? Yeah.

Oh, and I hear they're going to get data services soon...which means I'll likely be switching providers (from Virgin Mobile) relatively soon. Because I'm right now paying $7 a month to get 10 cents a minute, so even if data is a bit more expensive I'm coming out ahead on PagePlus...plus I can get a really nice phone, especially compared with Virgin Mobile, if I want...though Virgin Mobile will soon be getting some better phones...but more about that in the next post.

I'm Back!

Well, I'm back from D.C. Will tell everyone more about the trip later. I have to be at school in an hour (got home about 2:30 this morning...flight in ended at roughly midnight) but just checking in.

The first thing I noticed when I got home ws that my supposed Slider Sonic was just a UTStarCom Slice! So I'm on hold with Virgin Mobile to get that straightened out.

The second thing I did cell phone related was get my brand new phone cable and hook my Cyclops to my computer. i successfully loaded GMail Mobile onto the phone after about fifteen minutes and now I'm much happier with that email experience on the phone. Plus, since I'm paying for web, I don't have to pay anything extra to use it. Which is always nice. In a week I'll be out of school (yay graduation!) and will have more time to fool around with the phone...

...but for now, that's about it. See everyone later!

Tracfone Value Plan

Tracfone has introduced (or actually really re-introduced and re-tooled their older plans) some value plans. Most notable is the Family Value plan. Most notable is the ELIMINATION of the

A listing of the plans are as follows.

Compare the value plan benefits

Program	Service Days included	Minutes included	Price
50 Minutes Value Plan	30 service days	50 Minutes	$9.99
Family Value Plan	30 service days	50/30 MINUTES***	$9.99/$5.99*
Lifeline Value Plan	30 service days	(none)	$4.95**

* Enroll the first TRACFONE for $9.99 per month and up to four more TRACFONEs for just $5.99 per month each in the FAMILY Value Plan.
** The $4.95 fee is only charged when your TRACFONE goes past it's service end date.
***50 MINUTES (1st Phone) / 30 MINUTES (Additional Phone) (source tracfone.com)

What you don't see is the Double Minutes AutoPay (or what would be called the Double Minutes Value Plan) but that is probably because Value Plan members can purchase an additional bucket of 50 minutes for $10 and an additional bucket of 100 minutes for $20 (which is 67% more minutes than retail.)

Unless there is breaking news... More Tomorrow!

More Tracfone Information!

First of all, the Turk has provided the following opinion of the Motorola w370:

It has some of the bells and whistles of better phones, except a camera.

Its kind of neat when you first look at it or hold it, but (for me) after about 1 minute that wore off and I realized how cheap this phone is made.

It has a real cheap plastic feel to it, that if you drop it, step on it, or accidentally sit on it, it'll explode like a blown out tire (lol).

The keypad is a thin rubber pad that if you have sharp nails you could cut right through it.

I had this phone beside a Moto Krazr, and believe me its no Krazr, just a Krazr wanna be.

I think internally it has good qualities but not externally...personally, I wouldn't buy it and I dont think its worth the $50, maybe $25...I would have to agree with you and say Nokias do make great phones.

* Remember: this is just the Turk's opinion!

====================================
And... John has informed us that the Nokia 2126 is the current $19.99 two-fer offer on the CDMA side. The Motorola c139 is the two fer offer on the GSM side.

********************************************
Unless some breaking news in the prepaid arena occurs... we'll have more tomorrow!

More Reader Participation

There is no breaking news in the prepaid arena that I could find, but our nice and generous readers have left various comments that I would like to include in today's blog.

First off, the Turk has provided some Tracfone insight:
* If you want 20 free minutes, go to www.tracfone.com and sign up for the "Tracfone Insider", its free and easy to do...just follow the instructions and on your next card redemption you should get the 20 free minutes added...if you don't get the 20 free minutes when you add your card, just call them and tell them what happened and they'll add it to your phone for you.

* One worker at Walmart said to me that he heard the next CDMA Tracfone coming out is a Motorola candybar style camera phone...he didn't seem to know to much about Tracfone which leads me to believe he is thinking of the Moto c261 (moto c261 isn't in this walmart area, only CDMA phones)...anyways, I heard the new phone will have a camera in it but haven't heard anything about it being a moto/candybar style...he could be right, who knows...LOL.

* Final thought: Tracfone has got a new face lift to their website (looks good)...its time for Net10 to do the same!

Ian the blog-master reviewed the Moto c261 for Tracfone awhile back and I am pretty sure he gave it a "thumbs up"...I don't have this phone but I have seen it in person and I thought it was ok...most reviews I've read of the phone were positive, the only thing is though, its like $90 for the Net10 version, so get it at a Walmart if you can so there is no "return problem" if you don't like it...if you do get it, post a review of it here sometime, ok?...good luck.

I forgot to mention that the Tracfone c261 is also on sale this week at Target for $30 along with Tracfone w370 for $45.

Tracfone has a new airtime card available on their website: a one year/800 minutes/double minute card for 139.99...check it out.

and Chris provided this "mini-review" of the Motorola C261:
In my experience the C261 was a wonderful phone feature wise, but lacked in memory and customizability. The battery life was average to me and service was average also. Ian has a review of the phone on this site. I would recommend the W370 if you don't mind waiting a while. I get 3-4 bars in my basement, when with my C261 i got 1 and 2 if right by the window. The battery is excellent and features are much better.

more tomorrow!

Two investor groups to purchase Alltel & Other Reader Information

First: (courtesy: CellGuru)
TPG Capital and GS Global Partners have purchased Alltel. The deal should close 4Q07 or 1Q08. If you would like to see a real life example of a company run by a private equity firm, visit any Albertson's in Cerberus Territory (which is the Southwest, Louisiana, and Florida). If run properly, you really notice no differences, and it may actually be run better. More information on the Alltel buyout can be found here

From the Reader Information Desk:
-Tracfone has a reorganized website (courtesy: Chris)
-An anonymous poster provided the following: TracFone's W370 supports Music tones and polys. For more information, go to www.tracfone.com/data and click on the W370
-AND... the Turk has provided the following:
Here is some Tracfone and Net10 news:

* Target stores have the Moto w370 on sale this week for $45.

* Target stores also have on sale their Tracfone minute cards ranging anywhere from 2 - 10 dollars off different card sizes.

* Some K-marts have the Nokia 2600 for $20, and the Nokia 1100 (+60 min.) for $20.

* As far as the Moto w370 coming out for Net10, there isnt a set date release, it'll just show up one day for sale in the stores and website...I'm sure it'll be here soon since its already been a month since it came out for Tracfone.

and will Refer-A-Friend return? it is anyone's guess.

last but not least today: MY PHONE LIST!
**all phones are prepaid lines**
My phones:
1x Nokia 6101 (T-Mobile)
1x Motorola c155 (Net10)
1x Sony Ericsson J220a (Cingular)
1x Kyocera Oystr (Virgin)
1x Kyocera K9 (Virgin)
1x Nokia 3120 (not currently in use)
1x Nokia 6010 (not currently in use)
For the other people in the house:
1x Nokia 3220 (T-Mobile)
1x Nokia Shorty (Virgin)
1x Nokia 6010 (T-Mobile)

If you have anything to contribute, let us know about it and you know it will probably end up here on the blog. (Note: All submissions may be edited for grammar prior to posting, and if you send your submission by email you must include your name so you can be properly credited)

The Readers Have Spoken!

Based on comments to yesterdays "Various Tidbits" posting, readers have questions as to whether the Motorola w370 on Tracfone's ability to support "True Tones" and whether or not it can receive picture messages. If you know the answer to any of these questions, leave a comment or send me an email with your findings so that we can report if these features are possible.

and.... Logan sent the following review of the Switch_Back:

Here is my review of the Kyocera Switch_back.

The call quality on the switch_back was decent, I had no complaints there, and the speaker phone sounded great. The signal quality however was not, the other virgin mobile phones I have had will usually get 4 bars in certain areas, but take the switch_back to those same areas and you would get lucky to get 2 bars!

Battery life was disappointing, I got maybe 2.5 hours of talk time, and the standby time was maybe 4 days.

Due to the accommodation of the QWERTY keyboard, the switch_back is fat. It's around 2 inches thick and has a uncomfortable bulky design. I am sure using the QWERTY keyboard would be very uncomfortable for anyone with large thumbs. The buttons are so small and so close together. The phone does not seem as though it would break easily, I have dropped it a few times and minus a few scratches it still looks/works fine.

Pictures taken with the switch_backs mediocre VGA camera (max resolution 640x480) had a very grainy and washed out appearance. It also seemed as though no matter how still the phone was, the pictures still looked slightly blurred.

The phones outer screen is low resolution and not very vibrant, making it horrible for viewing photos, playing games, and taking pictures. The inner screen is however a lot larger and a little more vibrant.

The phone also sports AIM, (yes just aol) a web browser, and email.

Pros:

QWERTY keyboard

VGA camera

Mobile AIM

Mobile Email

Web browser

Dual screens

Java games

good call quality

great speaker phone

Cons:

Thick phone

small buttons

low-res front display

picture quality sucked

a few glitches

poor signal quality

====================================
I personally thank everyone for their participation, it is greatly appreciated.

Various Tidbits

1.) No one sent in any submissions for the "Reader Participation Event", so I have no reader stuff to present.
2.) Cingular PAYG and PYP customers can change their rate plan through the IVR system (granted it is a PAYG to PAYG or PYP to PYP switch)
and

Have you tried the Virgin Mobile Kyocera Switch_Back? If so, please send us a review of the phone.

More tomorrow!

Ian is still on vacation... & Centennial MyPhone

As a reminder, Ian is on his senior class trip and I am looking after his blog in his absence.

In today's cell phone world, you would expect all wireless providers, pre and post paid to provide caller ID and voicemail standard, well then Centennial MyPhone is NOT for you.

Centennial MyPhone is the prepaid service of Centennial Wireless, who's postpaid side is known for "Every Call/Text You Get Is Free"... well... on their prepaid side... it gets a little trickier.
Calls are 20cpm (40cpm roaming)
Text messaging is 10c (sent or received)
Caller ID is available for 10cpd
Voicemail is also available for 10cpd

Cards and expirations are as follows...
$20 - 30 days
$40 - 60 days
$60 - 90 days
$80 - 120 days
***note if you spring for both Caller ID and Voicemail, this will take $5.60 to $6.20 from your balance depending on which month you are in***

Additional Information about this service is available at Centennial MyPhone's Website

As you have to physically go to a Centennial Retail Location to order this service I personally will not be trying this service.

Please feel free to leave comments on your impressions of this service, and if you have tried this service, please feel free to leave comments of your experience with this service.

On Tomorrow's Blog Agenda...
-Reader Impressions of HEB/Fusion Mobile
-Reader Impressions of Centennial MyPhone
-Items of Interest from HowardForums, CellPhoner.net , CellGuru.net, or similar.

Ian is on Vacation & HEB Mobile/Fusion Mobile

As Ian has informed you previously, he is on vacation with his senior class.

Ian asked for volunteers to babysit his blog in his absence, and I was chosen to do such.

First, a brief introduction about me:
Name: Jacques Miller
Location: Broussard, LA
Educational Credentials:
-Attaining Associated of Applied Science Degree, Office Systems Technology, Louisiana Technical College- Lafayette Campus, Fall 2007
Age: 22
Click here for my MySpace page

Now... on with the show
HEB Mobile is an exact clone of Fusion Mobile, so this posting will cover both services.
Both services run on the Sprint CDMA network. All "plans" feature unlimited nights and weekends, and Wireless web is available for about 1/4th the price of Cingular's prepaid offerings (after the daily fee, of course)

Phones
This service features the older Moto v120e, the Nokia 3588i, both at about $50.
Others featured are Samsung and Sanyo models priced at about $70 and 90 respectively.

Rates

Freedom Plans with Free Unlimited Nights and Weekends and Keep Your Unused Minutes

Plans	Peak Minutes	Access Days	Free Unlimited Nights and Weekends*	Domestic Long Distance
$20	90	15	FREE	Included
$35	150	30	FREE	Included
$55	350	30	FREE	Included
$75	500	30	FREE	Included
$100	800	30	FREE	Included

* Free Unlimited Night Minutes start at 9pm on weeknights and last until 7am the next morning. Free Unlimited Weekend Minutes start at 9pm Fridays and last until 7am Mondays. A customer must have a positive minute balance in their account to place a call. All plans include free caller ID, free call waiting, voice mail and free 3 way calling capabilities.

As you can see this is intended to be a monthly service, and includes nights and weekends on all plans. For the glovebox prepaid user... this IS NOT the service to go with.

Additional Services are available with this service, and are as follows:

Unlimited Walkie-Talkie: Just 50¢ a day!
Use Unlimited Walkie-Talkie to all Fusion Mobile and Powered by Fusion Mobile customers for just 50¢ a day. Best of all, Walkie-Talkie doesn't use any of your plan minutes.

Picturemail with Wireless Web: Just 30¢ a day plus data usage
Send three Picturemails (MMS) for only 18¢ each. Now you can send as many Picturemails as you want for just 30¢ a day plus data charges of .235¢ per 10Kb transferred. That's just 8¢ for a 35Kb Picturemail (MMS) in and out.

Wireless Web: Just 20¢ a day plus data usage
Surf the wireless web for just 20¢ a day plus .235¢ per 10Kb transferred (that's 12¢ for every 50Kb transferred). Check your email, look up movie times and see sports scores for just pennies a day. (Source: http://www.fusionmobile.com/refills.aspx)

the HEB Mobile service offerings are identical to Fusions, so Fusion's links are a perfect comparison of HEB Mobile's services.

Now... you have been introduced to HEB Mobile and Fusion Mobile. Please feel free to comment on your impressions of these services and if you have tried these services please feel free to comment on your experience with either of these services.

Tomorrow's blog agenda:
-Reader impressions of HEB Mobile/Fusion Mobile
-Centennial MyPhone
-Any Breaking News that May Occur

Blogsitting Update

Actually got an answer to my request so my trip is taken care of as far as this blog goes. Looks like the person I'm working with has some really neat posts ready to rock, so I'm good there. I won't be able to bring a phone on the trip, so no pictorial journal of the whole thing, but I will be able to have computer access for a little while each night during the journey, so that's good.

By the way, I just got my prize from WhoGets: $80 in Staples gift cards! Better for me than a printer anyway...:) Thanks guys...and yes, this goes to show that the site works.

as to the Motorola w370, if anyone wants to buy that for me I'll PayPal them $55 to do so. Yeah, I know, this is like a classified ad post but there are a few things I need to get out of the way. Anyway, just email me and I'll give shipping information and suchlike if you feel like getting the phone so I can review it.

Hmm...looks like there's nothing new on the prepaid front *scans horizon*. Nope...unless something comes up before tonight you'll be hearing from someone else for the next week and a half. Hope things have been good for these last 500 posts, and hope to do another 500 just as good or better!

Blogsitting anyone?

As you may know by now, I'm taking a ten-day trip starting Saturday to beautiful Washington D.C. with my eight-person high-school class (no kidding, private school). Anyway, I will at best be able to take an internet-enabled cell phone, so I need someone to "blogsit" for me, adding a ost or so a day here to keep everyone interested and such. So if anyone feels up to the job, email me...there will be compensation...

Going To Get...

Well, I decided to get a Slider Sonic from Virgin Mobile. Refurbished (you have to call them) it's $40, not bad for all the stuff it can do, though from what I hear it's not hackable like the Cyclops (meaning no ringtones, graphics, games, apps onto the phone). And no, I was doing a friend a favor...I'm still going to get the Motorola w370, though it may take a visit in person to Target to do so, and Target is awhile away. But I will review the Slider Sonic here shortly...

On the topic of Java stuff...

Just found (thanks to an anonymous commenter) out about MovaMail and MovaMessenger. Abailable at movamail.com and movamessenger.com respectively, they eliminate the need for a messaging pack to get decent email and IM prices...just buy a $5 per month web package and looks like you're good!

But...hmmm...they'll cost $3 a month each once MovaMessenger gets out of beta...

Kyocera Cyclops Cable for Cheap!

Well, I just bought a cable for my Cyclops. Even with tax (the seller is in Texas) the cable is really cheap...it's $8 plus tax (again tax is only for Texas)! It's really nice because with the cable I can load whatever I want onto the phone, and it's even nicer because it's about 40% cheaper tahn usual! Here's where to get it:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Kyocera-K325-Cyclops-OEM-USB-Data-Cable-CABLE-ONLY_W0QQitemZ140106813257QQihZ004QQcategoryZ48497QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

MyMinutes.com

Hmmm...just ran across another airtime seller online. They have an interesting discount structure: after $250 in purchases, your discount doubles. On some services, the discount is small (on boost it's just .75% at first) but other discounts range from 2-5%, meaning that after $250 in airtime bought the discount goes up to 4-10%. Interesting...

Cyclops Update

Hmmm...the Cyclops is actually getting better battery life now. Guess the battery just needed some breaking in, which is odd but explicable. I estimate that I'm now getting 60+ (maybe evn 72) hours of battery life between charges on my Cyclops with medium usage of texting, voice, IM and web. Which isn't so bad. Guess it might just be that this phone sucks battery when searching for a signal.

P.S. Anyone want to grab a Motorola w370 for the benefit of Go4Prepaid? Looks like they cost about $55 shipped (and minus a $5 bonus from FatWallet.com) so drop me a line and I'll pay for the order...Tracfone, as you remember, doesn't like me anymore...:)

GMail Mobile on Kyocera Cyclops? No Problem!

Want GMail Mobile on your Kyocera Cyclops (I do!) just buy a cable, use the former instructions to load games onto the phone to load GMail Mobile, then go here:

http://www.howardforums.com/showpost.php?p=9198118&postcount=8

To complete the process. In my opinion, $13 for a cable to load the program plus $5 a month for web on is a lot better than paying a penny per email sent or received (or maybe 5 cents, depending on whether you have message packs or not). Sweet.

Calling the Turk! Calling the Turk!

*Reads the title* yeah, that's about right. Email me, man.

For everyone else, I'm going to get the Motorola w370 soon, but I won't be reviewing it until very early June. Why? I'm going to be in Washington D.C. starting Saturday (10-day senior trip) and after that it's graduation. After that I'll have enough time to do a nic ereview of this phone. Hope this helps everyone!

Slice = $30

Well, the Slice is getting cheaper everywhere. It is now $30 at BestBuy, Circuit City and K-Mart. Where will it go down in price next?

P.S. Your clicks on sponsored links support this site, thank you, hint hint ;)

Boost Revamps Site

Boost Mobile recently (or relatively recently at least) revamped their site so that basically all their information is on one page, as far as major services and phones go. They have also introduced their CDMA-based unlimited plan into more of the mainstream, though it is still only available for California and Texas users...

Phones are as follows:
i415 - $30
i455 - $50
i855 - $150
i885 - $300
c290 (unlimited, CDMA) - $100

As usual, new phones come with $10 in airtime on iDEN, or a month of service on CDMA. And yes, Boost still has a $300 phone, and still charges $150 for a camera phone...

As to minutes, beside the unlimited plan (unlimited everything except 35 cent per day web and 10 cent to send text messages), there is the usual 20 cent per minute/10 cents mobile to mobile/nights and weekends etc. plan and the three monthly plans, as follows:

$30 - Unlimited walkie-talkie, 10 cent calling anytime
$50 - $30 plus 400 anytime minutes
$70 - $30 plus 600 anytime, unlimited night and weekend minutes

Unlimited web and text on the monthly plans (aka Boost Premium) are $10 a month.

Not very attractive if you ask me, unless you use GPS and walkie talkie a bit, but it's easier to figure out what everything costs so that's always good.

Highway to the T-Zone: What's on?

From the Cell Guru's site:

George gives a good summary of what you can access (5/13/2007):Here's the current T-Zones lineup:

Search for wallpaper, games, and tones FAQ about the service Browse tones, games, wallpaper
Account information, dollars, minutes, expiration date, Gold status, refill with credit/debit card or T-Mobile card Find a store that sells phones and cards with turn-by-turn directions (there must be a hack in here somewhere) A link to "My Album" (more on this later)

CNN, ABC News, ESPN Besides news, you can check the local (nearest big city) weather, search stock prices, and follow a sports event in almost real-time Amusing info. A group of static pages of things like pickup lines and cocktail recipes. The Body Mass Index calculator is occasionally useful, though.

My Album and My Journal are accessible on the web at www.t-mobilepictures.com and free from your phone. You can upload pictures and text from your phone (send to 222 for the album or 2222 for the journal), and also can upload through the web interface. You have 25 megabytes of online storage.

Tracfone Promo codes

I jsut added airtime to my dad's Nokia 2126 (will add a double minute card to my mom's later today) and was looking for some good promotional codes...so, from Yahoo Groups' tracfone_users database here are the good ones:

58695 - 100 extra units on a 1-year card
51283 - 60 extra units on a 60+ minute card
51206, 56024, 52636, 56084, 55698 - 20 extra units on a 60+ minute card
58298 - 30 extra units on a 60+ minute card
57676 - 30 extra days on a 60+ minute card

Those are the best ones, as far as I can tell, taht are still working. Take a look at the Tracfone_Users Yahoo group for more...hope this helps everyone!

CheapPhoneCards Coupons

By the way, CheapPhoneCards now has new coupon codes. Here are all the ones that work and how much they get off on stuff:

cheap - 3% (old)
save8 - 5% (new, use this one)
cingular10 - 10% (might or might not work, only for GoPhone)

Hope this helps!

Movida Gets Cheaper

Well, I take it back...there is something to post about today: Movida.

The carrier, which is the foremost in selling old Sprint handsets as their own phones (LG 225 for $50 if I remember correctly, LG 125 for $30, Sanyo 200 and UTStarCom 7025 for $30 I guess), has now started a small, Latino-oriented portal for buying ringtones, graphics and games, plus their previous text messaging services, and has redone their rate structure slightly, aiming for more revenue per month and settling for less per minute...

They started a new $35 refill, the main purpose of which is to give people a 140 minute a month plan with unlimited nights and weekends (though on Movida they still start at 9) I guess. But other than that the monthly rate structure remains the same.

The regular prepaid structure has changed, however. All airtime cards now give 10 cents a minute anytime, and all except the 30-day $20 card expire in 60 days, for a minimum of $15 a month, up from $10. But hey, if you use more than 75 minutes a month this plan is better than the previous one, and it's really nice to see plans with 10 cents a minute coming to all the major carriers (PagePlus, T-Mobile, Net10, now Movida) with no fees to get there.

Another really neat thing is the new Movida Amigos program, askin to T-Mobile's Gold Rewards. After you've spent $200 on Movida airtime (if you're paying the minimum that is now just over a year and a half of service), you call up Movida and they start giving you one point for every dollar you spend on a Movida airtime card. These points can be redeemed as soon as you buy even the $20 card, but it's best to wait...because 20 points gets you $2 in credit, 30 gets you $4 and 50 gets you $8. So if you're willing to spend $50 on airtime before redeeming your points you get $58 total, which translates into a cool ~8.6 cents a minute on the "MoviDIME" plan. Dunno, but that beats any other Sprint prepaid by a nice margin. And if you use the monthly plan, that turns the $30 a month, 120-minute plan into one that's effectively $25.90 or thereabouts...not bad for 120 minutes and unlimited nights and weekends starting at 9 p.m.

So yeah, Movida is stepping it up.

All's Quiet on the Prepaid Front...

Don't see anything new on the prepaid front...well, prepaidwireless has the expensive, cheaply-unlockable Sony Erocsson w300 music flip for $100 on XE Mobile (again, easy to unlock and $150 value or so). But that's sorta expensive...and it's old news really...

But there will be news next week. Don't know if I can tell it or not, but it has something to do with prepaid phone card sites.

Also, I will get the forum up (it has vanished since it last fell into disuse!) probably this week, but right now I have studying, homework, testing and various breeds of work to do otherwise...

One last thing: the amount of sponsors you visit (hint: they're in that little white box) is directly proportional to when I get the Motorola w370...so support this site ;)

Whatever happened to Cellphoner.net?

...it's still there, but now to get to it you have to go to www.cellphoner.net/forums. And it doesn't look good at all...:(

The solution? Make the official Go4Prepaid forum! Expect it to be up either this coming week or three weeks from now...and expect signing onto it to have something to do with giving away phones :)

PagePlus LG vx4500

Looks to be a good phone, and it's coming to BabbleBug by the end of today! The price will be $50 (or two for $90) on this solid, though grey-haired (not so much as the Audiovox 8600 though) flip phone with a color internal screen and an external one for good measure. And, on top of it all, I'll be reviewing this phone soon. So stay tuned!

GrandCentral: Call Forwarding To Whatever You Use

I just signed up yesterday for xxx-88x-POEM, which forwards to my Cyclops. And, if need be to my LG 3280 Tracfone. And if need be to another cell. Whatever it forwards to, things are pretty neat with GrandCentral.

You get to pick your number, and they have numbers in all the major cities that I can see, and you can configure your "ringback tone" if you want, and set up voicemail, etc. Plus, it's all free right now! I have to say, now I don't feel so guilty that I'll be changing my cell number relatively often to keep up with my sometimes voracious minute needs (I talked an unthinkable half hour on my phone last night...most of my calling was after 7 p.m. but still same cost for me), because no matter what number I'm on people can still reach me. Coolness.

Oh, and you can get your own number at www.grandcentral.com.

Edit: 139 is the new 155

Edits in bold...

Yes, Tracfone just changed their phone lineup slightly. On all GSM phone areas the free phone with the "twofer" deal is now the Motorola c139. Personally, it's a step down, but it is definately a newer, more valuable phone, despite the fact that at its inception it had a problem with losing minutes and despite its lo-fi monophonic ringtones. But anyway, the free phone has changed (and that's all for now) and as I have said over the past while any change would be change for the better.

And yes, the 60-minute cards are real, useable on whatever phone you want.

Trac is Back

Well, all the phones that were out of stock yesterday are back "in stock". Including the Motorola w370 and excepting the v176, which will probably be taken down soon. So if you want a "twofer", feel free...

Kyocera Cyclops & Virgin Mobile, Part 2

Okay, here's the second part of my Cyclops review. Having covered the parts of the phone that make it, well, a phone, I will now cover the extra-phone-icular stuff....

First off, Kyocera has built some nice features into this phone's firmware, though in my opinion the interface still seems soooo 2002, probably because the regular Kyocera graphics and everything on the external screen (which isn't very bright at all; they shoulda used a REAL black and green display instead of whatever they used) are pixelated. And there's wasted space on the text messaging and picture messaging forms, but whatever. I could go on with a laundry list of problems with the user interface on the Cyclops but in doing so I'd reveal that the phone has a TON of functionality built in, from the usual calculators and such to a nifty little way to quickly find phone numbers: press the number for the letter the name starts with, then scroll.

And to dispel any premonitions about the camera, it works very well in good light, not so well in indoor or bad light. 640x480 gives you a sharp picture generally, but if you want to go large the 1.3 megapixel (1280x1024, so yes it's a true 3 versus 1280x960) resolution is certainly there, though on a really sharp picture you'll not be able to send the photo, and in any case it'll take longer (640x480 photos send really quickly...in seconds...on the network...but more on that later). For a picture in good conditions, take a look at http://farm1.static.flickr.com/193/493167919_d7e793df7e_o.jpg. As you can see, on a good day the phone will actually make full use of all its pixel count (side note: this picture was taken last weekend on a church camping trip).

And that brings to the end the really phone-related features...no wait...the phone has really good (fast) Java capability (fast for apps, see later) and comes with a dearth of wallpapers (no big deal) and ringtones (big deal...all the ones on there are annoying), forcing you to either buy a $2 or $2.50 ringtone (my choice was the former) or buy a cable and "roll your own". Annoying, that.

Anyway, to the services, which are what make this phone really good...

First off, this phone was the first one to incorperate Virgin Audio Messaging (VAM). It's a Java app that basically receives up-to-30-second-long audio SMSes and sends them. First 100 are free for now, then they're 10 cents (figures zeroed-out monthly). Anyhow, though this service shares many of the features of the Kodiak push to talk used by Cingular and Alltel, it's not nearly as fast, so it's very apt that Virgin Mobile didn't market it as such.

Next on the coolness scale is e-mail. I haven't really messed with it but the Java-based client (which works with AOL, AIM and Yahoo mail, plus some ISPs' services) is good enough, and clean enough, plus you get notifications when you get new email. And emails are part of your messaging bucket (like text, IM and picture...!...messages, which can be as cheap as a penny apiece), which is nice, though in actuality a data connection for the email on Virgin Mobile is cheaper than a penny per message.

IM is nice too. The only annoying thing is that if you use predictive text (Kyocera's positively painful Zi method, wresting the prize from Motorola's iTAP) a text entry window pops up which requires a few more button presses than the usual text box. But other than that, IM is a joy to use...too bad you can't get on AIM and Yahoo simultaneously, for total IM compatibility (if you don't count Google Talk...Windows Live works with Yahoo now). You get a message (like on email and VAM) when you get a new IM, including on the outside of the phone, if the app isn't running, and it takes about 10 seconds from pressing OK till you get that message (opening the app, opening the data connection, receiving the message). Which isn't horrible.

And yes, Sprint's 1x web is no joke. Web on the Cyclops is plenty fast for the price (10 KB per penny if you're paying by the month...almsot as cheap as Amp'd...), both sending (remember I said picture messages were fast) and receiving, and though you can't download "alien" Java apps, ringers or graphics onto the phone via OpenWave (stupid evil fascist materialist Virgin Mobile pigs heh) you can browse the web otherwise with ease, whether you're looking at Facebook or GMail, though OpenWave will positively butcher normal HTML pages.

Lastly, if you don't like the annoying fact that Virgin Mobile wants you to buy their stuff, only cable can free you from your preturbed state. Sorry, couldn't resist, but in truth a $15 cable from eBay plus the knowhow shared in the last few posts will grant you the power to use your phone even more...Opera Mini anyone? Who said Virgin Mobile phones weren't hackable?

So, besides build quality and battery life (want an extended battery? How does $50 sound for double life? I'm still thinking about it...) and the fact that Kyocera's phone interface isn't pretty, this phone is a winner. I hope that newer phones won't have the sorta wierd isses mine has, and if that hope is granted this is a solid phone.

So there's the Kyocera Cyclops review...and no, I'm not giving away this phone. :) It's my main cell now.

Kyocera Cyclops & Virgin Mobile, Part 1

I don't think just a few minutes (before school) is enough to give a good review, so I'll quickly talk about the three aspects of a phone that make it a good phone...and whether, by this measurement, the Kyocera is a good phone...

In the area of call quality, I have no complaints. The phone picks u a Sprint signal better in low-signal areas than did the Slice or any of my other Sprint-based phones to my reckoning, despite its having an internal antenna, though the difference between it and the other phones wasn't much. Call quality in eneral is good...nothing to complain about in that area.

Battery life, on the other hand, reminds me of Nextel: 36 hours of light to moderate usage where I go. With heavier usage the Motorola v323i I had got a bit over two days. I have a feeling the Cyclops wouldn't do well on standby times. So I'd suggest getting a car charger for this phone :(.

Last, build quality: junky. The keypad is annoying in that some keys "pop" slightly out and it's annoying to press the next time...and the phone in general isn't built too well. Too bad this is Virgin's top-of-the-line phone for now...:(

More review later...

Sorry...

I thought I was going to review the Cyclops tonight, but I wanna go to bed, so look here tomorrow morning for the review :)

30 For Life - Going Dead?

I just read on Tracfone_users (the Yahoo group) that the Tracfone "30 minutes for life" promotion will end June 30th. As in phones activated after that date won't get the promotion, unless Tracfone extends the offer. All I have to say is, in the immortal words of Robert E. Lee, "Too bad! Oh, too bad!"

Out Of Stock Tracs?

I just checked Tracfone's website and the following are "out of stock". Which means, hopefully, that they'll be replaced...

Cingular (GSM4)

Motorola c155 "twofer" deal - Hopefully this means that they're running low on phones, so they're coming out with a different one, not that they're stopping the deal altogether...strangely the regular refurbished phone isn't out of stock...

Motorola w370 - No surprise here...the phone just came out...it'll be in stock soon...

Motorola v176 - Not much surprise here...the site refers to retail sotres...I'll bet Tracfone sold the last of them in their own warehouses before they put the w370 up.

T-Mobile (GSM5)

Motorola c155 "twofer deal" - See above

Actually, for T-Mobile, all "free phone" offers are "out of stock". Wierd. Leaving the option of buying refurb ($10) or new Moto c155s, or c139s ($15), or the Motorola v170 ($40).

Dobson CellOne (GSM6)

Um...let's just say choices are limited. The only phones in stock are the refurbished and new Motorola c155s. Hmph.

Let's just hope this means tomorrow or the next day Tracfone revamps their lineup to include such phones as the Nokia 1112 (they've gotta have some refurbished ones by now) or even the Motorola c139 refurbished. It would also be really nice to see the new phones come up and the Motorola w370 come online...

But anyhow I have a Cyclops review to do :)