More about my Phone Plans

As a followup to my recent post about leaving my T-Mobile Contract for prepaid service, I thought I'd share my thoughts about my phone service in the future.

Skype

Currently, I'm using Skype. Skype is an international calling service that is really cheap. Think of it like an instant messaging program (Like AOL's AIM or MSN Messanger) that's connected to the phone system. Using your PC speakers and a microphone or a headset (like mine below), you can sign up for free and call anyone else who also has a Skype account. Alternatively, you can pay about $2 a month for the ability to call regular phone numbers. You turn it into your full phone line by purchasing a real phone number (in any area code!) for only $24 a year.

I like Skype. I love how cheap it is, and the flexibility it gives is great. There are "Skypecasts" which are basically radio shows you can call and listen in. There are chatrooms and other conference calling featuers.

The cons are that it relies on your internet connection. If your internet is down, you can't answer the phone. Sure, you can have calls forwarded to a different number, but then you're required to have a different number anyway.

One last pro is the software involved. I've downloaded an add on program called "PowerGramo" which records every call I make. I can save the calls as an MP3 file, or use any of the archiving features.

The biggest reason that Skype hasn't replaced my phone service is that it doesn't include emergency services. Thus, you can't call 911 from Skype. That's a serious problem.

For now, I'll use it for cheap calling out. Besides, when I want a new phone number, I'll probably use ...

Grand Central



Grand Central isn't yet available. The company was purchased by Google and is currently still being tested. When testing is over, it makes a fabulous promise:

One phone number for the rest of your life.

Here's how it works: You obtain (for free) a phone number from Grand Central. Then, by accessing the internet, you can specify where that one number should be sent. You can have it forward calls to your cell phone, your home phone, or your office. You can even do this depending on what time it is! You can have it forward your calls to all your phones at once. So when you've got a new cell phone number or new office number, no one has to know.

Grand Central offers a ton of features: You can pick what area code your number is in, you can record all your calls, it handles voicemail, it can play custom ring tones depending on who is calling, ... You've really gotta check out the website to read them all.

As for the cons, I really don't know. Perhaps Google will be embedding advertisements somewhere. It's hard to say until the service is actually available to the public.

As far as me, I will be signing up when this goes live. Until then, I can only dream.

Apple's iPhone

Some of you might have wondered why I haven't jumped on the iPhone bandwagon. Well, mostly price. I can honestly say that it is pretty awesome from all the reports I've heard. I was able to play with Nick Massahos' phone, and it seemed great. Especially now that Apple has released the ability to add applications, there seems like nothing it can't do.

But to get the iPhone, you've gotta pay $200 up front and about $80-100 a year for two years. Total price: $2120. I can't afford that. Checking the internet and my email isn't worth paying that much. I'm on the internet too much as it is.

One thing I would be interested in is the iPod Touch. Lifehacker (a personal productivity blog) recently had an article about why the iPod Touch does almost everything the iPhone does without having to pay $80 a month (link):

"Back in June 2007, I couldn't convince my wife that checking my email in grocery lines was worth $1,320—the cost of an original iPhone and one year of the cheapest plan. These days, the trend-setting phone costs even more money over its life, and it's more than a little restrictive and even a bit buggy. So I'm amazed at how little love the iPod touch gets. It's a slimmer iPhone with almost all its features, it requires no contract, and when you can't get a Wi-Fi signal, your plain, humble cellphone can step up to take its place."

Pretty convincing if you ask me. Besides, I'm waiting with baited breath for ...

Google Android



It isn't a Google phone, but a Google Operating System for Cell Phones. Android is for cell phones as Windows is for Computers. It's the basic software that runs your phone.

The big difference is that it is open. Anyone (even me!) can make an application for the phone. This is compared to the current phone situation, where you have to pay $5 to download a ring tone, and upwards of $15 if you want a game.

If you haven't caught on by now, I'm a big Google fan. While other people were waiting in line to buy an iPhone, I'll be waiting in line to buy a phone with Google Android.

The real advantage for Google is that any phone maker can include Android. So I'm hoping I can stay with T-Mobile. The iPhone, on the other hand, requires AT&T.

The last estimate was that Android would start appearing on cell phones in Fall 2008. I'll be waiting. (I basically canceled my contract with T-Mobile so that I could get Google Android).

Morning Newspaper

When the internet was new, one common thought was that it would replace the standard newspaper. That turned out not to be the case, as it is very nice to have something to hold and read away from the computer. Plus, reading websites like the New York Times wasn't very pleasant.

But around 2001, the internet heralded a new journalistic phenomenon, blogging. It changed the news front by making regular publishing on any topic (and at any frequency) easy. The problem (in my opinion) is that checking twenty different websites was simply a burden.

One technology that I didn't pay attention to was RSS feeds. I was familiar that blogs and other websites used these feeds to publish. Basically, a feed is a very simple website that computer programs called "Readers" know how to read. This enables you to have a program that will go to twenty different websites for you and aggregate them in one place. I think I had tried two or three previously, maybe around 2006, but I didn't like what I saw.

Earlier this year, Google released their own web based Reader, Google Reader (reader.google.com). Instead of a program that checks RSS feeds whenever you ask it to, Google Reader checks them constantly, 24/7.

Google Reader has become my morning paper. Along with my email, I check Google Reader every single morning without question. I love it because it is so customizable. All you need to do is sign up for an account and click on the RSS feed button on various websites. The button looks like this:


Optional, but very helpful, is downloading the Google Toolbar. Then, clicking on this button in your browser will automatically ask you if you'd like to add it to Google Reader. Then, whenever you go to reader.google.com, you'll be able to read any new posts.

The real advantage is that you no longer have to remember what websites you'd like to visit, and you never visit websites that haven't updated. You can try out websites for just a few days to see if you'd like them, and you can scan the headlines of websites that publish a lot, just like a real newspaper.

I love it. It saves me time when I am surfing the internet, and I never have to repeatedly check a blog that only posts once a week or so. It's gotten me to read websites I might normally find too boring, because I can simply scan the headlines.

Plus, there are several blogs that are good fun. One called Photoshop Disasters has a single picture every day where it is obvious that they were photoshoped (digitally altered). Another funny website I might not check if not for Google Reader is Gullible.info, which posts five or so fake facts every other day. I usually laugh about how believable these "facts" are.

But you can put a sampling of newspapers, like the Wall Street Journal, NY Times, etc. Here's a list of my favorite websites:

http://consumerist.com/ - The Consumerist is made up of stories of horrible customer service, and what we can do to avoid them. They firmly advocate making sure you get what companies promise, even if that means emailing the executives of the company.

http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/ - Ikea Hacker has one article every day that shows someone using Ikea products in ways they were not intended, usually to fix some problem or need.

http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com/ - Passive-Aggressive Notes features a passive aggressive note every day, usually directed at a roomate or some neighbor. Lots of fun.

http://gothamist.com/ - The Gothamist is my daily news for New York.

http://arstechnica.com/index.ars - Ars Technica doesn't post as much as other technology blogs, but they go into depth in their stories. I usually just browse the headlines, but I read at least one full article a day.

http://www.boingboing.net/ - BoingBoing is probably the biggest blog on the internet. They post on a ton of different topics, from copyright policy to Disney World. In terms of internet celebrities, these bloggers are the biggest.

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/ - The Google Blog is the official blog of Google. It is usually how I learn about new Google Products.