New Phone!

I've written about my phones before. As of March 2009, I'm still using a prepaid phone. I'm not using Skype anymore, as the call quality sucked. Thus, I use my prepaid cellphone exactly the same way I used my phone when I had a cell phone plan (300 minutes a month).

Since I started in August, I've spent approximately $200. That's about $25 a month. Not bad! I've actually had a bad deal. I first purchased 1150 minutes for $100. Next, I purchased minutes in $25 increments. I didn't realize that I was only getting 150 minutes! Whoops! From here on out, I'll purchase minutes $100 at a time. (If you're confused, look at it this way: Paying $100 for 1150 minutes means 8.7 cents a minute. Paying $25 for 150 minutes means I'm paying 16.6 cents a minute. That's nearly double!)

Even though I screwed up, I'm still saving a ton of money. I used to pay over $50 a month, regardless of how I used my phone. So I'll stick with prepaid cell phones for the time being.

One huge perk is that there are often sales on prepaid phone cards. This past week, T-Mobile had a brand new phone and a $25 prepaid minutes card for sale priced at $20. So not only am I getting $25 worth of minutes for only $20, I'm getting a free phone!!! Even if I didn't want the phone, it was a good deal.

But I want the phone! It's much cooler than my other phone. Here's one big reason:





The top photo shows my old phone on a scale. It weighs 106 grams. My new phone, pictured on the bottom, weighs 78 grams. It's hard to describe how much lighter the new one feels. Plus, it looks cooler.

The only draw back is the new phone doesn't have a camera. Meh. I never use the camera on my old phone, anyway.

So I'll use the new phone. If I lose it, I can always return to my old phone. I think it's win/win.

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).

Leaving T-Mobile Contract

I'm a frequent reader of the Consumerist, a consumer rights blog. I've learned a lot about what rights I have when I'm shopping and paying utilities, etc. I'm proud to say that with a good knowledge of the system, I've managed to get a great deal with my cell phone service.

One thing I've read about are Early Termination Fees (ETFs). These are fees assessed by your cell phone carrier for leaving before the contract expires. They are usually about $200, which prevents you from getting a free cell phone and then leaving your service one month later.

In early July, I read that T-Mobile was changing the price per text message. It was going from $0.15 to $0.20 a message, which constitutes a "material adverse affect." Basically, they've changed the contract I signed, which allows me to leave the contract without paying an ETF.

My contract wasn't scheduled to end until August of 2009, still a long time away. So getting out of my contract sounded nice. But I like T-Mobile. So I didn't really want to stop my cell phone service, just get out of my contract.

I called up T-Mobile and asked about my options. I wanted to switch from being under contract to paying month to month. They wouldn't let me out of the contract unless I ended my service. I've liked T-Mobile. Good service, good customer service. No real complaints. But here they were making me decide whether to leave or stay under contract. Sneaky.

So I started looking at my cell phone usage. I was paying $60.00 a month (including taxes) for Unlimited nights and weekends, unlimited calling from my home (using my wireless internet), and unlimited calling to five numbers of my choice. I also had 300 minutes to use any other time I wanted. Despite all this time to talk, I was usually only using about 150 minutes a month. Back when I talked to Alicia every night, I needed a lot of talking time. Now, not so much...

That's when it occurred to me: Why don't I use a prepaid cell phone? It just so happened that T-Mobile offered prepaid services. For $100, I can get 1000 minutes, which have a full year before they expire. If I use 150 minutes a month, $100 will last me over six months! That would have cost me $360 under contract.

So I called up T-Mobile to ask about prepaid services. They inform me that I can use my same phone number, use my same phone, and it would only take a few hours to change services. The only problem was that I was currently under a cell phone contract.

At this point, I smiled. I started uttering the magic words, "You've recently changed my contract, which had a material adverse affect..."

As of last week, I've got the same number, the same phone, and I'm still with T-Mobile. I can change services and get a new phone anytime I'd like because I'm not under contract, and I'm saving a ton of money.

I'd say I'm pretty happy.

P.S.: I've also started using Skype internet phone services. For $2 dollars a month, I can make unlimited calling over the internet using my computer. I can't receive calls, so I'll still use my cell phone for that. But I'm saving even more minutes a month using Skype. Yay!