TopSavings.Net Blog - Telecommunications and Marketing

Upgrading Verizon Cell Phones

I don’t have much time right now, but I thought I would add a link to a useful blog article from ComputerWorld.com for all of you. It has a detailed account of an 18 year old looking for a new phone with the same phone number through the same carrier. This information can be used for more than just Verizon as resellers, dealers, and factory direct options all have their possible pros and cons. Hope you enjoy this blog link. Here it is: http://blogs.computerworld.com

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Free Touch Screen Phone

Apple launched a new era of phone and ever since everyone and their mother has been grabbing iPhones and being show off wannabe James Bond players. “Yeah, your sooooo cool for having an iPhone”. Well iPhones are high in price and so of course if you couldn’t afford one or can’t … you are going to talk a lot of trash and ignore the possibility of dreaming of a touch screen cell phone.

Get a free touch screen phone. Yes, it sounds great. For those dreaming of an iPhone but couldn’t afford one, you can now obtain a touch screen phone for free that may not be the ACTUAL iPhone but will deliver just as much. The competition has come in and right now these phones are offered free with a new subscription plan on both AT&T and Sprint networks. Sprint is offering the HTC Touch for free and AT&T is offering the Vu LG for free.

WAIT! Contracts and fine print await you …

While it may be tempting to grab a free touch screen phone, remember that the usual consumer savvy rules apply. Don’t watch the contract you sign, actually READ IT! Remember that a touch phone will not be much fun without the capabilities of Internet, so you might want to compare calling plans that include the additional services needed to enjoy a touch screen phone. So if you can afford the monthly plans associated with the new touch screen phones then there you have it, sleek and sexy phones for your bad self, and no more complaining about iPhones.

Compare free touch screen phone calling plans

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Unlocking Prepaid Cell Phones - Should it Be Legal?

Unlocking cell phones via installed phone manufacture software is causing a stir and and setting off lawsuits in the telecom industry, but is it unethical? Many cellular providers are losing profits due to prepaid cell phones being bought and unlocked to work on competing networks.

The cell phone service providers sell the in-store prepaid phones at a profit loss in the hopes of gaining back revenue on the purchase of additional minutes down the road. When they are bought and resold as unlocked phones obviously this doesn’t happen.

In the wireless service provider’s lawsuits the claim is the phone/software is their property that any company engaing in these unlocking practices are violating the law. It is being argued though that the actual software and phone is the property of the manufacture’s opposed to the service provider’s.

Shop Prepaid Cell Phones

It seems to me, that if the big wireless providers want to hit these companies they should look no further than to their contracted buddies at Samsung, Motorola, etc. Of course though this may not be as simple as said. The manufacture would have to start putting laws and statements in with the packaged phones along with the manual increasing cell phone costs. Probably no easy answer for the wireless companies but rest assured it can impact our consumer/investor dollar down the road if the practice gains momentum.

So far, it seems to me nothing illegal is being done, however ethical standards are a major issue.

News: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5goKpNJ9cR7dhCnjfSE7×3iv2kbnwD91T5IQ00

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Pay Per Call vs Pay Per Click

Yes, now PPC can have two different terms in the online marketing world. Pay Per Click or Pay Per Call, either way both will abbreviate the same. You probably won’t find yourself mixing them up anytime soon however.

Pay Per Call and Pay Per Click have some similarities in how they have been utilized online. With pay per click you create a contextual ad that is displayed on search results or web pages and recently the same is being performed with pay per call. The difference is that when an ad is viewed with pay per call the viewer must pick up a phone and dial the number shown in the ad instead of just clicking it.

Which is more effective for online advertising? Well, there hasn’t been much study that I could find on the effectivness of one against the other however I believe pay per call has the potential to be far more powerful in terms of conversion rates, especially when you can pay as low as $2.00 per call.

Why would a pay per call be more effective? To put it simply, rich engagement. It has far more of an impact to the consumer or business that makes a call from an advertisement than a visitor that may click your ad to a landing page on your site. When you engage a potential customer over the phone you are better able to tailor a  sales pitch to the specific NEED of the buyer at the time of the need whereas with a landing page you would have to learn over time the needs of the majority of your visitors to increase a conversion rate.

Visit: http://topsavings.net/advertising/pay-per-call.html

Aside from the fact you have rich engagment, you also have another factor in your favor. The lead is actually hot compared to warm of even cold lead with typical pay per click advertising. When a potential customer puts in the extra effort to make a call to your business, you already have the highest advantages over the rest of your compeition, they are obviously genuinely interested in your offer.

These factors can work on your behalf if you are prepared and have a good sales team to have your calls forwarded to. Make sure you know which sales department or phone line will best be suited for sales questions and answers in relation to your ad and make sure the calls go to those numbers.

The largest and most effective network of pay per call advertising would be through Igenio which is now owned by AT&T giving it some extra power when it comes to online phone directories. You can grab a $25.00 match of your first $25.00 deposit and test the advertising technology for yourself to see how well this advertising may work for you. Please come back and share your experience with us on pay per call advertising. Would like to hear your success stories.

Visit: http://topsavings.net/advertising/pay-per-call.html

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Finding the Right Vanity Toll Free Number

*A quick note. Some corrections to this article were recently made courtesy of the staff of 800Response.com

Apparently toll free numbers are not allowed to be sold at high bidding prices as provisioned by the FCC. I have seen this practice throughout my life and never questioned the legality. Thank you for the tip guys and this article is dedicated to you.

Toll free numbers are an excellent way to reinforce company brand awareness as well as increase phone response due to simplicity. Vanity toll free numbers are popular but can become harder to find and far more expensive than a run of the mill number. Remember, toll free numbers are limited by 12 numbers that can easily become other alpha names as well via an entirely different name altogether.

1-800-FLOWERS is an obvious example to refer to if not over the top example. A company who’s entire brand and communications revolve around the number itself! Their URL 1800flowers.com and their company name.

Sorry to discourage you in the first few paragraphs, but reality is a b***. No offense to all the lovely female canines in the world.

So what does it take to land a marketable toll free number? It is going to have to start at the very basic which will entail coming up with an industry term or your business name and finding a way to put it into the allowed digit count for a normal toll free call.

Chances are once you have achieved the first goal, the number will be taken. From there it will become another process obviously. The next process will be to find new ways to pronounce or abbreviate the words you want your number to spell. This process may lead you outside the box, don’t worry about it though, write it down anyways. Write everything down.

In this process you may catch yourself researching only 800 numbers. 800 numbers are toll free and seniority of the toll free marketing scene but remember there are other prefixes to fixate on that can work just as well for your business. Other toll free prefixes include 888, 877, and 866 numbers.

In your creative process imagine how some numbers can resemble or represent a letter sometimes. “4″ can mean “for”, “8″ can become “ate”, zero can become represent an o (not recommended), etc.

Come up with as many variable and industry relationships you can come up with and then begin your search which can be done at AT&T or you can cheat and use an industry related vanity number engine that can search relevant names for you at http://www.800response.com/directory/search.cgi 

For 3.9 cents per minute you can order stand alone business toll free numbers by calling: 1-866-706-0007 Code: 11443 or visit http://topsavings.net/toll-free/png.html

Posted in Phone Companies (Providers) | 4 Comments »

Google Emergency Disaster Map

I am impressed with how the Google map system has grown. I thought all this time that driving directions and local attractions for tourists was all Google could offer the public but now I see that Google maps is also using their technology to help people during emergencies.

In the Santa Cruz mountains where a fire has taken place (where I live) this newest attribute to Google Maps can be seen. The map clearly displays evacuation zones as well as locations for help for displaced citizens. You have to see it to fully appreciate it. It has legend for help services and locations of interest in light of this disaster.

Very impressive, at least to me. Check out the Google Emergency Disaster Map. I don’t know how long this map will display like this so I suggest you hurry to see this puppy in action now.

If a disaster happens in your area ever I might suggest using your smartphone to access Google maps if your power and Internet is out. I can see Google as being a new resource for disaster preparedness. Technology grows at a scary pace but then things like this make me more accepting of technology growth and trends.

Posted in Internet Companies (Providers) | No Comments »

Cell Phone Cancellation Fees

A new law may be put into place that will allows consumers to leave a cell phone company without having to pay cancellation fees. The catch? Apparently the cell phone companies will actually get to have lawsuits against them thrown out.

The law only will allow people to cancel before the first 30 days of service is up or 10 days after the first bill without paying a cancellation fee so don’t go jumping up for joy anytime soon if you’re half way into your two year plan already.

The argument with this bill/law being passed is that if it passes, tons of pending lawsuits against these companies will be dismissed and basically create a get out of court wild card for them. Of course this bill was drafted up by Verizon themselves and approved by the other major cell phone companies, but then would you expect a company to draft a bill for the FCC that would hurt them or their investors? Suicide wouldn’t make sense, however … private interests getting to draft a government bill is exactly what I hate to see personally.

AT&T already has their foothold …

Anyways, enough about the monopolizing of industry through our government by major corporations. This story can be read in full by the Associated Press.

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Cricket Cell Phone Recall

If you have a Cricket EZ cell phone it may be time to send it back in. The software installed in the Cricket EZ cell phones has been found to have a defect that can prove to be a dangerous and even deadly malfunction. It appears that when some callers make a 911 call the 911 operator is not able to hear the caller in some instances.

Okay, relax and breathe … this is not the case with all Cricket EZ phones. If you look at the back of your cell phone (behind the battery) and see that your cell phone model ends with a B then you will want to send it in for a software exchange. If the phone has a green dot in the back behind the battery the phone should be fine.

Call Cricket’s toll free number 1-866-441-1577 for more information.

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Nude Pictures and Cell Phones in Junior High

It appears that on May 21st, two days ago, some girls (in junior high school) took nude photos of themselves on their cell phones and sent it to their boyfriends who in turn forwarded them to their friends. Fox News covered the story and I will tell you as a parent I am concerned not over the cell phones but rather how they were used.

I remember Junior High and activities were never innocent, in fact my parents would cringe if they new what us kids were doing during and after school at age 13 and 14. My parents were busy much like parents are today and didn’t always have the time to constantly guard and watch over our every move which led to obvious adolescent misbehaviors of a wild college fraternity like nature.

It seems I have reported nothing but bad things on cell phone use but this time I come in defense of cell phones. The school is confiscating the cell phones at the school for investigation and I won’t be surprised to see cell phones banned in this particular school district, but this is not the cell phone’s fault.

We as parents need to pay more attention to who our children associate with and have more open discussions with them on the subjects of sex and other subjects that can be harmful to them. It can be hard in our busy lives to pay attention all the time but we must stay vigilant and engaged. Our daughters must be taught that they can have respect and love without exposing themselves to sex because in my opinion it was a desperate attempt at keeping their boyfriends in the first place.

The media is making sex more accessible to anyone online or with television but it is up to us to make them understand the true reality of their actions compared to those of Hollywood.

There is a great site for those that feel they need more resources in regards to their teenagers called ParentingTeensOnline.com and I advise anyone who suspects their teen is going down the path of the teens in the Fox News story to go there and learn more of what they may be able to do to help keep their teen on the right path.

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Cell Phones and Pregnancy

Update: Here is a news article from enews 2.0 that tells more about this email that was recently sent to me from a reader.

ABC news has also published some information on this study on behavioral consequences of prenatal cell phone use, but tends to try to dismiss any real concerns with the fact that this study is preliminary. My advice is to keep cell phone exposure to a minimum in respect to children and pregnant women, that is what I believe to be safe. My company sells cell phones obviously so I am not going to try to take down the industry that feeds me, but I refuse to ignore scientific studies on the subject.

Cell phones are useful for many reasons but we must always be aware of our health as well. If studies keep finding negative health aspects to their use, perhaps we should limit the usage.

I received this email today in light of of my blog post about Cell Phones and Cancer. Pregnancy and cell phones is now the research I will be keeping an eye out for as well. It’s late tonight so look for more information soon. Here is a copy and paste of the email I received tonight. If anyone has more information on cell phones and pregnancy feel free to post it here.

EMAIL:

Some MAJOR news was released today and I thought you might want to
know about it.

In a study done jointly by U.S. and Danish researchers the offspring
of mothers who used a cell phone during pregnancy showed a dramatic
increase in behavior issues such as hyperactivity and emotional
problems.

The cell phone only had to be used two or three times a day during
the pregnancy so it wasn’t as if these moms were spending hours and
hours on their cell phones. Translation: it didn’t take much “exposure”
in the way of proximity to cause this.

And get this. Among those children who had also used a cell phone
by age 7 the incidence of behavior problems was 80% higher!

Researchers were completely baffled and have no explanation for
the findings at this point. It isn’t a proximity issue for the
fetus since the majority of mothers carried their cell phones in
a bag or purse during their pregnancy and not on their bodies.
So it apparently has nothing to do with how close the phone was
to the body.

Here’s my thought. Might the reason for this be the harm being done
by the information-carrying radio wave and it’s affect on the cell
membrane? Everyone seems to be focusing on the proximity issue and
not the information-carrying radio wave. Anytime you affect the
cell membrane you’re going to affect receptors and neurotransmitters. And
anytime you affect the cell membrane problems like this can occur. After
all, the cell membrane is where the communication process occurs in
the first place. We’re dealing with a developing nervous system here.
But that’s just my opinion.

It’s also worth noting in this study that 30% of Danish seven-year
olds were already using a cell phone! That’s right! 30%! Now why
does a seven-year old need a cell phone in the first place?

After reading this information I hope you won’t let your seven-year old use a
cell phone. Or any of your kids for that matter.

And I hope you’ll share this information with all the pregnant moms you know, too.
For this could have major implications if the study can be duplicated.

FYI the study will be published in the July issue of the journal
Epidemiology.

Maybe something like this will finally begin to get everyone’s attention about the huge
wireless problem we have. I sure hope so.

LINK: JAMA Journal of The American Medial Association

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