Four months after the House of Representatives passed a bill that would override the Librarian of Congress’s industry-backed decision to make it illegal for consumers to unlock cellphones and take them to other carriers, members of the U.S. Senate will finally get around to considering a similar piece of legislation, giving some hope that the bill might pass in our lifetime. [More]
phones
Gogo To Roll Out Inflight Texting & Phone Service Because Heaven Forbid You Unplug For More Than A Couple Minutes
By 11.8.13
Gogo, which provides WiFi Internet access for a number of airlines, announced today that it will be introducing a service that allows customers to use their smartphones for texting and talking while traveling on an airplane. [More]
When Is Taking Someone’s Phone Not Considered “Theft”?
By 10.2.13
How long do you need to borrow something before it’s considered stolen? And does the mere act of taking a phone out of someone else’s hands without permission constitute theft? According to an appeals court in California, no. [More]
Louis C.K. Reminds Us We Are All In Unhealthy Relationships With Our Technological Devices
By 9.20.13
How can one video clip encompasses the evils of driving while texting, humankind’s collective soul-crushing loneliness and our attempts to assuage it through technology and also trying to parent mini-consumers in such a landscape? By the very fact that it’s Louis C.K. talking, of course. Also Bruce Springsteen is involved. [More]
Couple Beaten And Robbed While Selling Phone Over Craigslist
By 9.5.13
Even though selling your old smartphone to a local person through classified ads will probably net you the most money, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take safety measures. Here’s one example why: an Illinois couple were beaten and robbed of their phone plus $275 after they arranged a meetup over Craigslist. Two teens have been charged with the crime and are in jail. [More]
Clever Fox Steals Smartphone, Sends Mysterious Text Messages
By 7.30.13
If you download an animal-sounds smartphone app to attract a fox, there is a chance that the fox might run off with your phone. When a wild animal runs off with your phone, your friends might receive strange texts that say things like “I FRY o a0ab 34348tu åaugjoi zølbmosdji jsøg ijio sjiw.” We’re not sure what the consumer lesson here should be other than “protect your phone from wild animals.”[LiveLeak] [More]
Verizon Store Still Won’t Sell Me A Smartphone Without A Contract
By 6.4.13
Greg recently fought a new battle in his ongoing war with Verizon. His war is in defense of a noble goal: over and over, he just wants to buy a phone for the full retail price without signing a new two-year contract. If this seems like it should be pretty straightforward, you don’t work at a Verizon corporate store. [More]
I May Or May Not Have Preordered Samsung Galaxy S4 From Best Buy
By 4.18.13
Trevor might be getting a Samsung Galaxy S4. He might not. His order went through fine the first time, but it turned out that he made an error, and had asked for the wrong phone number to be upgraded. Oops. He called to cancel the order, but didn’t have a credit card handy to place a new one. That is how his saga began. A saga of trying to place a preorder that Best Buy apparently doesn’t want to accept. [More]
Coming Soon To A Mall Or Airport Near You: Straight Talk’s Prepaid Phone Vending Machines
By 3.28.13
Need a new phone or a replacement SIM for an off-contract device? Need it right away? Want to avoid pesky human interaction? In a mall or airport near you, there may already be a Straight Talk vending machine. [More]
Is A $19/Month Smartphone Through Republic Wireless Right For You?
By 2.19.13
Yeah, the future is here, and everyone above the age of eight seems to be wandering around with smartphones in their pockets. Maybe you’ve put off joining the mobile-computing revolution because you didn’t want to spend $100 per month for a voice and data plan. How about $19 per month for a smartphone with unlimited voice, texting, and data? That’s what Republic Wireless offers, and many consumers find this intriguing. The problem is that you pretty much get what you pay for. Or is that an advantage? [More]
T-Mobile Promises Not To Extend My Contract After Replacing Phone, Extends Contract
By 2.7.13
Philip’s wife’s phone wasn’t working very well. It would power-cycle and drain its own battery, and her texts get delayed. So he set out to get her a new phone, but this was a bigger challenge than he had expected. A replacement phone without extending the family’s contract apparently wasn’t an option. He managed to get a comparable new phone at no cost without extending his contract by calling the retention line to cancel, but this concession came with a price. [More]
Majority Of U.S. Households Either Don’t Have Or Don’t Use Landline Phones
By 12.27.12
There are kids and teens out there that have never used anything other than a wireless phone (though these youngsters only seem to text). And many of us who can still remember their first cellphone call — “I’m calling… from the street!” — can’t remember the last time we used a landline at home. [More]
Galaxy S3 Does Everything Better Except Stay Out Of Toilet; AT&T Saves The Day
By 12.26.12
April has always been pleased with AT&T’s customer service, but a recent experience delighted her so much that she just had to write to us and share the love. She upgraded to the Samsung Galaxy S3 from an iPhone 4S, and was very pleased with the new device, finding it vastly superior to the iPhone. One thing that the Galaxy isn’t better at, though, was staying out of her toilet. Her phone went “splash,” and she didn’t have $600 lying around to replace it. So she wrote to a selection of AT&T executives and made her case. [More]
Will Eliminating Phone Subsidies Save T-Mobile?
By 12.12.12
Remember the heady days before Google’s Nexus One launched, when we wondered whether a search engine company might be the one to save us from handset subsidies tied to onerous contracts. Two years later, we haven’t quite been saved yet, but one mobile carrier announced bold plans to get rid of handset subsidies. Simply put, the idea of a T-Mobile iPhone is tempting for many, but would you pay as much as $800 up front for one? [More]
Study Begs The Question: If You Love Your Phone So Much, Why Don’t Ya Marry It?
By 11.30.12
We already know there’s a name for that intense anxiety you might feel at being separated from your cellphone (where are my fellow nomophobics at?) but how many of actually admit we love our phones with true, shameless burning affection? A new study from Pew says if you adore your phone but feel a little weird about that, you’re not alone. [More]
How I Got Verizon To Credit Me $300 And Admit My Phone Had No Water Damage
By 10.26.12 — Updated: 10.29.12
When Justin’s phone failed, Verizon Wireless insisted that there was water damage to it, and billed him $299 after initially sending a warranty replacement with no fuss. Then, a month later, Verizon sent the administrator of the account, his mother, a bill for the replacement phone. It had water damage, they insisted, even though the moisture sensors remained un-tripped. Justin babied that phone, and resented the “abuse.zip” file name that Verizon gave the compressed set of pictures that they sent him as proof. So he employed the executive e-mail carpet bomb. [More]
Apparently Stealing Smartphones Is A Thing We Need To Worry About Again
By 10.22.12
Although you can never be too careful, there was a time where it felt like it was okay to be a bit relaxed about someone stealing your phone. After all, basically anyone has access to some kind of relatively smart phone if they really want one, even if it’s not the one with the latest bells and whistles. But in some U.S. cities, smartphone robberies are on the rise again. [More]
Do You Always Wait Until You're Eligible To Upgrade Your Phone?
By 9.12.12
Later today, Apple is slated to introduce its latest iPhone, which inevitably leads to fans of the popular device clamoring for an upgrade while they glare with disappointment at their iPhone 4S, asking “Why did I ever think I could love you?” But will people wait until they are eligible for an upgrade from their wireless carrier, or will they just say “screw it” and pony up some extra cash to have the newest and shiniest phone? [More]
