Students Of Success

The mobile phone marketplace has rapidly evolved into one of the most competitive consumer marketplaces out there. At no time is this more evident than around the time when your existing mobile phone contract is set to expire. It is interesting, if a little infuriating to receive an avalanche of calls from networks and resellers all offering you different deals at different costs and varying packages. For those of us who are not particularly interested it can be easy just to let your existing contract roll on for another year and accept the first terms that come your way. That way you can avoid the boredom of sitting through some poor workers sales pitch every night.

But taking the easy route and allowing the network to roll over the contract without reviewing the terms available on other contracts and providers is tantamount to shooting yourself in the foot – or the wallet at least. Although I am not particularly interested in fervently searching high and low for the best deal I also have no interest in paying too much for a service. So, as with any major purchase, a bit or research – or at least knowing where to look can help to either save you a bit of cash or get a little more for your monthly contract costs.

The networks are working hard to differentiate themselves but their position of market dominance that was taken for granted only a few years ago is being eroded and the consumer options are wider than ever. Competition of tariffs between the networks is supplemented by the work of the resellers – both high street and online who buy in bulk from the networks at discount and pass some of the discount on the customer, often undercutting the original network deals. High street mobile phone dealers increase user choice simply by stocking offers from various networks to allow the customer to compare the best mobile phone deals.

The online marketplace has expanded rapidly over the last few years and these retailers claim to offer the very best mobile phone deals due to their ability to undercut the High street simply by having lower overheads. Again the deals are the same as the networks and include the latest handset models, accessories and extras but at a cheaper price than dealing directly with the network. Because the resellers deal with all of the major networks, you can compare mobile phone deals to get the deal that suits your lifestyle and your wallet. A number of online resources have hints and tips on getting the best mobile phone deals and taking some points on board from these should help to save you a bit of cash.

Submitted by:
Michael Hanna

About Michael
Michael is a keen writer, and internet marketer living in Scotland:

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Finally you’re spending the weekend at your friend’s cabin up at the lake. You managed to sneak your laptop up there because you know you’ll need to check your e-mail at least once or twice while you’re out of town.

If there happens to be Ethernet or Wifi available you’ll be in luck - just plug in and you’ll be ready to go! But what if you are in a secluded area? How should you get online?

Sometimes the best solution is to either have a cell phone or cell phone/PDA that acts as a modem, my favorites are the T-Mobile Sidekick and Treo 650.If you have a way to dial in to your ISP this can be a solution.

AOL has local numbers around the US for example. The speed will be slow and you may need to pay roaming charges if you happen to be roaming on a different network, but you will be online!

Keep in mind that some but not all phones can be used as a modem and even then some require a wired connection. If you’re lucky you’ll have one that works via IR (infared) or Bluetooth, so they can talk wirefree to your computer.

Sometimes a phone will have multiple ways to connect to a laptop - choose Bluetooth over IR. USB is also a fine choice if you don’t mind wires. Using USB is easiest - you just plug the USB cable into the phone and the other end plugs into a USB port on your laptop.

Connecting via Bluetooth means that you will need to PAIR the devices first. This means they need to identify each other and talk to each other when they are in range (about 30′). You will need to turn on your Treo 650’s bluetooth function and then make sure it is “discoverable”. Then turn on your laptop’s bluetooth, pair the two devices.

You are now ready to dial up your ISP. You have two options. Use the cell phone as a traditional modem - using your voice minutes to transfer data. This will usually be very slow, but if you have free nighttime calling this may cost you nothing. The other option is to subscribe to your carrier’s data service.

Prices range from $5/month for limited data service on some carriers, to $50/month on other carriers for unlimited data service. The norm is about $20-$30/month for unlimited service. This enables you to use your cell phone as a modem all the time even at home and minutes of internet do not count toward your monthly minutes. This service will usually require a “dial-up script” which you can get from the carrier or sometimes directly from the phone manufacturer’s website. This script gets installed on your laptop.

Another option is to get a cellular card for your laptop. This is a modem/card that automatically accesses the internet via the cellular service. These come with a subscription in most cases.

If you need to be online and you can’t wait to find Hotspots each time you need access - this is the way to go. Prices per month range from $29.99 to $79.99 depending on the carrier and level of service.

A few final words:

- Turn off bluetooth when you aren’t using it - it drains the battery faster than when you have it turned off.

- If you don’t have Bluetooth on your laptop you can buy a Bluetooth Adapter (often called a Bluetooth Dongle) for about $19.

-I recommend buying one branded by Linksys, Netgear or some other well-known company. There are some cheaper ones coming out of China that require special setup on your laptop and may not be as reliable.

This article can also be found at Sam Michelson’s blog: www.guide-to-cell-phones.com

Sam Michelson is a cell phone maven with over 10 years of hi-tech product marketing experience. YouNeverCall Inc. - http://www.YouNeverCall.com has become one of the internet’s most successful independent cell phone stores.Sam’s blog ‘Guide To Cell Phones’ can be found at:-http://www.Guide-to-Cell-Phones.com

Using an Uninterruptible Power Supply

You may have your computer, monitor, printer and other peripherals plugged into a power strip with surge suppression, but that won’t help if the power actually goes out. In the event of a power sag or blackout, whether it’s for a half-second or half an hour, your computer is about as useful as a boat anchor — unless you have an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) device.

A UPS is a device that protects your electronic devices from power outages, sags, and surges, and also acts as a battery backup in the event of a blackout. Like a power strip, the UPS plugs into the wall outlet and the devices you want to protect are plugged into the UPS. Typically the battery power of the UPS will allow you to operate your computer for 15-30 minutes during a power outage. If the outage lasts longer than that, at least you will have the opportunity to do an orderly shutdown with no data loss.

Look for a UPS that offers at least 600VA power handling capacity and the special cable and software that will automatically shut down your computer before the UPS batteries die, just in case you’re not at home when the power outage occurs. If it has phone and network ports to protect those devices from surges, that a plus.

My UPS Configuration

I personally use a Tripp Lite TE600 (approximate retail US$299) and it provides power to five things in the event of an outage: My PC, monitor, router, cable modem and desk phone. I included the router, cable modem and phone because sometimes the power fails but the cable and telephone services are unaffected. If you have a laser printer, I recommend that you DO NOT connect it to an outlet on the UPS that provides battery power, because laser printers suck down LOTS of power and will drain your battery very quickly.

I had an opportunity to test my UPS setup recently… during a storm, there was a power outage for about 15 minutes. The lights went out, but my computer and internet connection stayed on without missing a beat. I was able to make phone calls, send & receive emails, and browse the web while my neighbors were all cursing the darkness. Since then, the lights have flickered a few times, causing the other computer in my office (not connected to the UPS) to reboot. But my primary UPS-connected machine has been happily unaffected.

Reprinted from: http://www.askbobrankin.com/get_an_uninterruptible_power_supply.html

BOB RANKIN… is a tech writer and computer programmer who enjoys exploring the Internet and sharing the fruit of his experience with others. His work has appeared in ComputerWorld, NetGuide, and NY Newsday. Bob is publisher of the Internet TOURBUS newsletter, author of several computer books, and creator of the http://LowfatLinux.com website. Visit Bob Rankin’s website for more helpful articles and free tech support.