By Aldo Paneesidi
Managing Customer churn as well acquiring new customers is an ongoing problem for all carriers... as such, they make it difficult for customers to switch providers. To this end, practically all carriers worldwide engage in 'false highly-persuasive' advertising. They will typically lure consumers with the offer of FREE smartphone and then hook, reel and lock them in with long term service plans that are designed to not only subsidize the cost of the cell phone but provide wireless voice & data services at premium prices. To further enforce customer loyalty, carriers lock their giveaway phones to only work within their network frequencies - thus making it difficult for consumers to leave them for another carrier.
In some cases, the programming may be easy to reverse, with the user simply reformatting the cell phone or removing the phone's memory card. In other instances, the phone [...]

By Adhurim Murtezai

Carriers are in business to make money on consumer service plans… not by selling cell phones.  All carriers subsidize the cost of a handset to entice people to buy a long-term service plan, and they "lock" the phone to make sure the customer can't easily switch to a competing carrier or use it on another company's network.
This is what is happening with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus which has seen a slight price drop from $159.99 to $99.99 on a 3-year term at Best Buy, this was for all carriers (Rogers, Fido, Bell and TELUS). However, now that the device has been out for a few weeks we’ll see the price continue to fall.  As evidenced by the above flyer that shows Rogers and Fido will sink to a new Canadian low of $49.99 on a 3 year locked term. We recommend you hold off on this deal as [...]

By Aldo Panessidi
The brain continues to reveal little mysteries and idiosyncrasies that help us to better understand human behavior – especially around our less than stellar choices and vices. Alcohol, drugs, soda, food – these are all known triggers for pleasure centers of the brain. As is online gaming, so it is really no surprise that social media is also addicting. According to a team at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, the networking sites available at the touch of a button could be even more addicting than nicotine or alcohol. Consumers engage in social media through the unlocked cell phones, tablet, iPod and MacBook devices
Retrevo conducted an exceptional report on Social Media use.... truly this is The Mobile Generation:
Social Media All Through the Night

Not only do social media fanatics check Facebook and Twitter throughout the day, almost half of the respondents said they check in [...]

By Aldo Panessidi
The next-generation Samsung cell phone Galaxy S III is rumored as poised to impress. Due in part, that it will not be launched for a few months yet, reports are mainly unconfirmed. However, South Korea’s Electronic Times News cited unnamed sources in its headlines when the Galaxy 3 specs of the handset were outlined.

This upcoming smartphone is touted to be the thinnest yet – 7mm thick. To put it in perspective, the Samsung Galaxy S II is housed in handset that is 8.49mm. And they both have some impressive specs. The next-generation Galaxy will sport the latest Android 4.0 mobile platform, an 8 megapixel rear camera, a 2 megapixel front camera and a Super AMOLED Plus display to please the eye. There are whispers that this smartphone will include a quad-core processor under the hood that would add some oomph to the experience.
With the difference [...]

By Aldo Panessidi
Valentine's Day is one of the most awaited days for couples to celebrate their love and express affection for one another.
What if you haven't met your perfect match or that special someone... then, Valentine's becomes Single Awareness Day.
Since the lovers among us are going be... shall we say somewhat engaged in amorous activities - I have prepared the following the Top 10 Valentine's Day Ideas for Singles:

Give Yourself a Gift: Nothing can lift the spirits like a gift of mobile accessories. Let the latest trend setting fashionable accessories express your unique style! Discover an extensive array of award-wining cases and skins that deliver modern style, stunning design and smart protection for your cell phones, tablets, iPods, MacBooks and other mobile devices. Make your mobile devices stand out. Customize your look - how cool can you be?
Express love and Gratitude for dear ones: Why [...]

By Megan Fleet
Mobile carriers may be due for a changing of the guard and an end of an era if they do not heed a recent market intelligence - basically that today' smartphone user cell phone usage in terms of data consumption, texting and voice needs are very different the feature phone consumer of the past. This message rings clear in the Public Mobile commercial during the Super Bowl.

For those of you who are not familiar, Public Mobile is a great alternative to the telecom giants with roaming and texting rates that are a fraction of the likes of Telus, Bell Mobility and Rogers. A company that has grown in popularity (now over 150,000 subscribers) reflects the will of the consumer, much like unlocked smartphones.

Discover how unlocked cell phones empower consumers with the freedom to choose the right carrier with the right service plan at the right price.
The ads being [...]

By Megan Fleet
Motorola has done it again!  Introducing a new Droid RAZR! This one was launched last Thursday by Verizon and has the likely moniker of “DROID RAZR MAXX.” As with any other mobile carrier, the handset is available at a discounted price when a new two-year agreement is signed. The asking price is $299.99. With that kind of out of pocket investment and a signed contract, this writer would highly recommend consumers to shop around for an unlocked cell phone.  These unlocked cell phones empower consumers to break free service provider long term contracts and permit to negotiate a plan that best meets your lifestyle needs at the lowest price.

Leaving your valuable mobile devices unprotected is risky!  Discover the latest innovative protection solutions... stylish top brand bags, sleeves and cases specifically designed to protect your devices from scratches and blemishes.  Tough on the outside, sweet on the inside these [...]

By Aldo Panessidi
Following my 'Cell Phone and Bathroom Usage' piece... I thought to research on the hygienic condition of typical cell phones and mobile devices.

You may want to brace yourself... for your smartphone and mobile devices are a petri dish accommodating and sustaining a thriving micro bacterial  ecosystem.   Dreadfully frightening isn't it?
In 2009, the prominent  journal "Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials" conducted a study wherein they tested the various cell phones brands (iPhone, Blackberry, Samsung, Motorola, HTC, Nokia, Sony,  LG, etcc..) of 200 of their staff members.  The results were alarming  a whopping 94.5 percent of the devices were severely contaminated with various bacterial strains - many of which were resistant to multiple antibiotics.  Moreover, the study yielded that over 60% of the bacteria thriving on the phones were ultimately transferred to the users.
When one considers that most users take their cell phones with them everywhere... including the bathroom.  [...]

By Aldo Panessidi

With the announcements at the recent CES - one has to wonder - what is 2012 the year of?” Will it be SmartTVs? Perhaps it’s the year of the interactive technology? Or maybe it is 4G LTE smartphones that will steal the spotlight this year. As of this early date, it is Android devices that look to have the competitive advantage this year. It very well could be a great opportunity to win over mind and market share, but they need to leverage the lead before Research In Motion (Blackberry) and Apple bring their own 4G LTE devices to market later this year.
What kind of growth are we looking at? According to DigiTimes who published 2012 estimates, Monday, they are anticipating between 4% and 5% of smartphones shipped this year will be 4G LTE capable. When reviewing their sources it is really clear that Android [...]

By Aldo Panessidi
 
We recently had a chance to view and blog about the leaked Sony smartphone roadmap. If this is to be believed we expect Sony to release three phones in 2nd quarter of 2012... these are the LT22i Nypon, the MT27i Pepper and the ST25i Kumquat. it is most probable that these three cell phones will be formerly announced by Sony at next month's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

From a leaked document found on an Indonesian website agency... which is the equivalent of the US based FCC has listed Sony's code named ST25i smartphone as the new Sony Xperia U - thanks to GSM Arena for the provided specs. Above is one of the first leaked images of the new Xperia U which is a welcome addition to the Sony Xperia cell phone business line. Which makes wonder if Sony is [...]