How Much Data Do Zynga Mobile Games Use?

AT&T Data Plan Usage Text, Email, Web Browsing, Photos & Video

Can someone tell us on average how much mobile data Zynga games consume on 3G and 4G networks? AT&T (NYSE: T) announced a strategic agreement with Zynga today. Zynga games will be featured for download on for AT&T customers. Games such as Words With Friends and Poker will be featured for download on iPhone and Android devices. This is not surprising to see, since AT&T starting capping data plans.

The million dollar question in the $2 billion dollar Zynga IPO (Nasdaq: ZYNGA) is will the game data usage count against your AT&T data plans? If AT&T does the right thing they will encourage you to use the games over WiFi and warn you about the amount of data you are using. Verizon and AT&T will be monitoring how much data that you use and will charge you according to their tiered data plans. However, consumers still don't have any credible 3rd party tools to monitor mobile data usage. This is just another reason why we recommend that you keep your T-Mobile unlimited data plan. You should also beware of the AT&T 200 mb data plan if you plan to play a lot of mobile games on your iPhone or Android device as well.

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Cheap Unlocked Used iPhones For Sale

There are between 20 - 30 million inexpensive unlocked iPhones on the used market today and many of them are being sold on Amazon and eBay for $100 - $500. Smart mobile phone shoppers can save lots of money buying a used phone that is unlocked. Buying a cheap iPhone can save you lots of money using a cheaper data plan from T-Mobile or another GSM carrier. We discovered do research that one-third of the iPhones being sold on eBay were unlocked. Unlocking the iPhone is the process of using software to modify the iPhone to work with other GSM carriers if purchased from AT&T or CDMA carriers if you purchased a Verizon phone.

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LightSquared Satellite 4G LTE Network

LightSquared’s is a new high speed data only wireless company with a mission to revolutionize the U.S. wireless industry. Light Squared has created the first-ever, wholesale-only nationwide 4G-LTE network integrated with satellite coverage. ightSquared offers customers the speed, value and reliability of universal broadband connectivity, wherever they are in the United States. Placing calls over satellites is expensive and impractical compared with using cell towers, so the FCC allows spectrum holders to back up satellite coverage with towers. That gives LightSquared a "back door" to building out a conventional ground-based network of cell towers. Its integrated LTE-satellite network will serve critical public sector needs such as emergency preparedness and seamless communications in times of crisis.

The key competitive advance for Light Squared is its satellite coverage. LightSquared's satellite network (Boeing) was launched into geostationary orbit over North America in November 2010. Among the largest and most powerful commercial satellites ever launched, this space-based network will provide coverage to users when they are out of cellular range. LightSquared's next generation satellite with its 22-meter-diameter reflector will allow for connectivity to mobile devices without penalizing form factor, battery life, or performance. Other cellular providers are limited to offering wireless and mobile broadband services to customers strictly via cell phone towers or limited satellite connections. By integrating a national LTE network with ubiquitous satellite coverage, LightSquared will not only offer its partners a new wholesale revenue platform, but will also provide end users with a reliable and fast experience, regardless of where they are in the United States. Don't be surprised to see Direct TV (NYSE: DTV) as one of the first re-sellers of Light Squared's 4G/LTE service.

The LightSquared network is designed to support present-day and emerging wireless devices without restrictions or the hassle of buying a new phone locked to a specific network. Its open wireless ecosystem removes existing barriers to the development of innovative applications and services in the mobile Internet space. As a wholesale-only operator, LightSquared will deploy an open 4G network to be used by existing and new service providers to sell their own devices, applications and services, at a competitive cost and without retail competition from LightSquared. Mobile phone consumers will not buy 4G/LTE data service directly from LightSquared. Instead, it will wholesale to other companies like cable, regional phone companies and broadband providers that can resell it to consumers.

LightSquared plans to start selling the service in the second half of 2011 in Las Vegas, Phoenix, Denver and Baltimore. The deployment and operation of LightSquared’s network represent more than $14 billion of private investment from Harbinger over the next eight years to cover 92% of the U.S. popluation. For more information about LightSquared, please go to LightSquared.com, facebook.com/LightSquared and twitter.com/LightSquared.

Verizon Wireless Tiered Data Plan Scam

Pay As You Go: 1000 Megabytes ($1.99) = 1 Gigabyte ($1,000)

Beware of Verizon Wireless's new tiered data plans that will be launching on July 7, 2011. I can already tell that their data plan is going to be a huge scam praying on customers who don't understand how to calculate megabytes and gigabytes. There are 1000 megabytes in a gigabyte. Will they automatically bump you up into a 75 MB or just be silent and let the bill arrive in your mailbox. Most likely the later knowing Verizon's unscrupulous billion practices.

Verizon wants charge you $2 for every megabyte on a Pay Per Use plan. However, if you committed to to the 2-5GB plans you will be paying $30 to $80. So beware if you are on the $1.99/MB plan and use 1000 megabytes or a Gigabyte you will be charged $1000. Someone in Verizon's accounting department clearly either doesn't understand the economics of pricing or byte and bits. Their tiered data plans charge .01 cent per megabyte which sounds expensive as well.

For example: I use about 2 GB per month on T-Mobile HSPA+ 4G and I pay $25 per month for unlimited data. That would be $30 per GB Verizon and $10 per GB after the plan allowance. However, if you don't have credit or pay as you go that would have cost me $2,000 at $2 per megabyte. Verizon is surely going to have some lawsuits from this scam if its not corrected soon.

Carriers are clearly losing momentum to consumers who are using WiFi only and not willing to pay for expensive 3G data plans. Also, these are the same carriers that are asking you to offload your data onto free WiFi because their networks are congested. It has become crystal clear to me that we will be using 4G and LTE in the coming decade as a last resort and not as the primary means for data access. Its not getting cheaper and the networks are getting worse about handling the traffic. I suspect that we will soon have wireless armageddon in 2012.

The only thing you can do as a consumer is to use your data plans sparingly, connect to WiFi and open hotspots whenever you have the opportunity.

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How to Make Your Smartphone Battery Last Longer

Battery Hog

Have you ever noticed when your cell phone is in an area where there is a weak cell phone or WiFi signal your phone battery drains quickly? Here are some suggestions that should help preserve the battery life on your phone if you won't have access to a charger for a while. 3G / 4G Smartphones are battery and data hogs that need to be charged daily whether they are used or not. The biggest battery lifesaver is using 2G only if use the general settings feature to turn data services off. iPhone battery and the Motorola Droid battery along with most smartphones all have relatively short battery lives (4-6 hours of usage) and need to be changed often because of the following factors. Poor 2G, 3G, 4G, LTE, and WiFi signals with too many applications running in the background that need to be killed, or using 4G too much. Here are 10 ways to improve the battery life of your smartphone:

Turn off data services (3G, LTE, 4G)
Turn the phone off at night
If the phone is on keep it in a spot with a good signal
Turn WiFi off & Bluetooth
Turn off GPS off
Use a free task killer applications to turn off background apps
Send text messages instead of or talk on the phone less
Turn off background, pictures, and video
Lower screen brightness
Keep the battery in a cool spot (not in your pocket

Best Solar Cell Phone Chargers

So you are getting ready to go on vacation this summer and want to make sure you are prepared for all potential emergencies or simply want to stay connected with your friends and family. Some of the best vacation spots in the World have poor cell phone signals. It always best to be prepared in case of an emergency and you need to make a call. Hiking in the woods without cell phone reception can be a bit unnerving, especially when you have a faint cell or WiFi signal to make a call and your phone battery is dead. So when your outdoors and away from your a cell phone tower you will notice your battery drain faster. This is because your cell phone is working harder to reach a cell phone tower signal or using the battery sucking 4G. These are great reasons to be prepared with cell phone backup batter power or simply turn off data and stick with 2G only.

The short iPhone battery life problem and the short life of 4G phone batteries can be attributed to weak cell phone signals drain the battery and also transmission of stronger 3G, 4G and LTE signals. Here are some helpful tips to make your smartphone battery last longer as well. Smartphone on 4G use more batter life. Here are some solar powered products to stuff in your backpack on a hike or throw in the trunk of your car.

How to Boost a WiFi Signal Using an Electrical Powerline Extender

If your home or office Wi-Fi isn't performing well you might consider improving the signal using an electrical powerline extender.

Coping With Separation and Divorce: How to Get Your Self-Esteem Back

Divorce can throw your whole world out of orbit and leave you wondering who you are. There isn't much you can do to keep it from hurting, but you don't have to let it destroy your self-esteem either.

Plenty of people have had to endure a divorce in their lifetime—unfortunately, it's pretty common. One of the more common difficulties that come with going through a divorce is that people tend to suffer a hit to their confidence. Once your mojo goes, you just aren't you anymore. Continue reading to get some tips to help you get your self-esteem back after a divorce.

1. Let go of feelings of being a failure.

The first step to regaining your confidence is to stop thinking you're a failure because your marriage didn't work out. You are not what happened to you, and you can't base your identity on your divorce.

The important thing is to learn from any mistakes you may have made in the relationship and carry those lessons with you into your future relationship(s). If you're open to it, you can find love again—your divorce doesn't define you. You're not a failure—hold your head high knowing that you have what it takes to succeed in all areas of life.

2. Get in shape.

Have you wanted to get in shape for a while but lacked the motivation? Well, now is the perfect time to attack your fitness goals and use your newfound freedom as your fire.

You deserve to love what you see when you look in the mirror, and that's true on both a physical and spiritual level. Start going to the gym and busting a sweat. Exercising boosts mood and confidence, so you'll get back into shape mentally and physically.

If you haven't exercised in a while, then it's best for you to start lightly and pick up the pace and intensity with time. Also, you should consult your physician before beginning any workout routine.

3. Bring your sexy back.

We all know that "people make the clothes" rather than vice versa, but few things make people feel better than getting new, fashionable attire. If you're down and looking for a quick pick-me-up, then treat yourself to a shopping spree.

Ladies, treat your self to some chic lingerie that will bring your sexy side back to life. Soma is an online lingerie shop with premium nightwear at affordable prices. They also have swimwear and apparel for every occasion.

Even if you're not dating anyone, you can get something just for yourself. When you see how desirable you look in your new lingerie, your confidence will soar.

4. Don't air your dirty laundry on social media.

Depending on your situation and emotional state, social media can be your best friend or your worst enemy. When you're hurting or angry with someone, it's much more likely to be your worst enemy.

During this difficult period in your life, the best thing you can do is keep your personal life off social media. You don't want to subject yourself to undue criticism and make your situation a subject of public commentary. So avoid social media traps for your sanity's sake.

5. Get to know you again.

Even though your divorce has been hurtful and stressful, you can still use it as an opportunity. For the first time since you were married, you have the chance to get to know who you are apart from your former partner.

Rather than sulk, try some experiences and give yourself a chance to discover new passions. You may find a new hobby or even a side hustle!

Also, don't be afraid to put yourself back on the market. You may wonder if you'll ever find love again, and the answer is a resounding no if you aren't willing to get back out there and risk being hurt again. It's important to make sure that you have enough love for yourself before you decide to love someone else but when you're ready, you'll know.

How to Listen to Pandora on your TV

Pandora TV App is Incredible

If you are shopping for a new TV one of the biggest reasons to upgrade your current home theater system is to have Pandora and Netflix streaming directly on your TV. Most of the current TVs like: Samsung, Sony, Vizio, Panasonic or Sharp LCD, Plasma or TV have Pandora pre-installed. If you bought a new TV in a couple of years it is highly likely that you can hook an ethernet cable directly to it and also download the Pandora app through a simple firmware upgrade. The Pandora app allows you to give a thumbs up and thumbs down feature the same way you can on your mobile phone or internet streaming browser on your computer. Use the same password and login for all of your devices and soon you will have a customized and highly personalized music experience. Who knows you may never want to buy music again.

If your DSL or cable modem/router is too far from your TV then you can simply use a USB WiFi TV adapter to connect to the internet. WiFi in TVs is a revolution disruptive game-changing experience for consumers. Most people don't understand the technology benefits until they have tried it and realize how much money they can having a new TV. Having the Pandora and Netflix apps on your TV might save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars because you don't really need a home audio system any more. The Pandora app lets you listen to endless amounts of music and you don't need a DVD player, CD player or Apple TV or Google TV box.

Chances are also that your new TV will have the Pandora TV app pre-loaded on the TV as an app that you can use immediately. However, if your new TV does not have the Pandora TV app pre-installed you can most likely download it from the TV app store for free. Netflix is also great to stream on your TV as well but I use Pandora's TV app every day. Pandora (NYSE: P) is a fast-growing media company that just did an IPO and now has 94 million users. 33 million of those users stream music at their home and office every day. Its highly likely that Pandora will eventually branch off into other forms of media like TV and video once they get mas adoption of their personalization features. The more you use the app the better music it plays.

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How to Choose the Right Lawyer: 5 Things to Consider

Finding the right attorney requires a lot of research so take your time with the process. A lawyer offers a service and, like any service, you need to be sure that you have hired the best provider. Most lawyers offer a free consultation, so when you have finally narrowed down your choices you can use the following aspects to guide your selection.

1. Experience

Years of experience in practicing law allows an attorney to acquire litigation skills that will likely work to your advantage. For instance, their experience could make them better equipped to select the best judge for your case. Also, make sure it relates to your case in particular. If you need an attorney for settlement negotiation, don't hire someone with experience in public health, and vice versa. Additionally, their expertise will allow them to evaluate the risk involved in taking a particular course of legal action and develop legal strategies that will help you gain a ruling in your favor.

2. Rapport

You will be spending a considerable amount of time with your hired lawyer. If your case goes to trial, this will mean spending even more time in their company. Consider how the two of you fit, personality-wise. Do you feel comfortable around them? Can you communicate your questions without feeling intimidated or judged? You need a lawyer with whom you can communicate freely without hesitation.

3. Legal Familiarity With Your Judicial District

You will need a lawyer familiar with your state laws and filing procedures to give you the best possible chance of a fair verdict. Consider an attorney familiar with the key legal personalities in your area. The influence they may have in your community can work to your advantage. Additionally, an attorney local to you may be available for impromptu in-person meetings to answer any questions you may have.

If you're in Long Island or the New York and New Jersey area, a good place to start is by speaking to Howard Fensterman. Mr. Fensterman is a managing partner at Abrams, Fensterman, Fensterman, Eisman, Formato, Ferrara, Wolf & Carone, LLP. The law firm of Abrams Fensterman is a full-scale law firm with years of experience in health care law, mental health law, and matrimonial law, to name a few. Mr. Fensterman is licensed to practice law in the state of New York, the District of Columbia, New Jersey, and Maryland.

He is a member of the Board of Trustees on the Long Island Chapter of the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America and previously served on the New York State Public Health and Health Planning Council. He has been recognized for his charity and philanthropy to the Israel Children's Cancer Foundation and the Chabad of Port Washington.

You can contact them via their website to discuss your legal issue with a member of their experienced team of attorneys.

4. Professionalism

How do they conduct themselves towards you as their prospective client? This is a behavior-based distinction and is often the marker of a skilled lawyer and an incompetent one. Some details to look out for to determine their level of professionalism include trust, punctuality, preparedness, response time to client queries, and legal team.

Make sure you know which attorney on the team will be working on your case and that whoever it makes your case a priority. This means showing up on time, being prepared, and getting back to you in a timely manner.

5. Reputation

As with any profession, you get a good reputation by working well for a significant amount of time. Reputation is also built on what past clients have to say about a prospective lawyer and the quality of service that they provided. While interviewing your prospective lawyer, look at online reviews about their firm. You should also read what they say about themselves on their website.

Why Pandora Could Be The Next Google

Pandora is Not Just About Music

Personalization of the web is the next big thing and its just as big as search was 10 years ago! That is why I am so happy to hear that Pandora raised $250M in an IPO this week after being rejected by hundreds of "smart venture capitalists" who said the company will never make any money and be successful. That is the same thing many said about Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) back in 1999 before they found their search advertising model Adsense and Adwords. I am still kicking myself for not buying Google's stock at $95 per share and not making the same mistake buying Pandora at $13 per share below their IPO price of $16. Aside from the obvious economics issues all of the short sellers and negative analysts are point out, I think the company could be disruptive to three huge industries who may resist the change (Telecom, Advertising, Entertainment). This is why I love the company and I am not making the same mistake this time and buying the stock (NYSE: P). Here are reasons why I like the product, stock, growth, the vision and the industry disruption.

Pandora is FREE and buying music via Apple iTunes is very expensive
Discovery of new brands, products, bands and music is endless
Its not JUST about music. Pandora will recommend TV, Movies and Videos?
The Music Genome Project can apply to other things using 1's and 0's
Ad-supported cloud-based business models are red hot
The average person listens to 13 hrs of radio & 3 hours of owned music/week
Pandora currently has 94M registered users up, up from 77% from 53M
The company operating almost break-even only losing $6.8 million
Revenues of $51 million, up 131% from $21.6 million in qtr
Projected revenues of $250M in 2011
Active listeners of 34 million, up 88% from 18 million
Average listener hours up 127% to 1.6 billion hours from .7B hours
Pandora’s adoption driven by Apple iPhones, iPads and Android Phones
Pandora 94M users with only 1% of customers are paying (huge upside)
Netflix 25M subs paying $100 per year forecasting 50% growth (Market Cap 13B)
Sirius 25M subs paying $100 per year forecasting 40% growth (Market Cap 8B)
Only a $5 CPM covers the cost of running the Pandora service (upside)
Pandora hasn't even started to sell local advertising yet (huge upside)
Pandora's display advertising is targeted, relevant and not annoying.
Entertainment & telecom companies hate change (upside)
Wireless carriers may up sell data plan packages Pandora mobile data plans
Small stock float only 9.2% of shares outstanding compared to 24% tech avg
An interesting short squeeze opportunity with all the negative sentiment
Reed Hastings of Netflix says WiFi in TVs is a revolution. (huge upside)
Pandora TV app eliminates need for the expensive home audio system
Pandora is another reason you don't need a cable box anymore

This is ongoing list I will continue to add to. Please submit your suggestions below. See this company presentation on Slideshare about what the Genome project is measuring for recommendations. Its not just likes.

Pandora and the Music Genome Project

View more presentations from CAMT

How Much Data is Used Streaming Pandora?

If you are like me and like to use your Android or iPhone to stream Pandora in the car. How much data are you using and should you worry about going over your data allotment. It would take an average user 4.5 hours of streaming Pandora on a slow AT&T 3G connection (578 kbps) to max out the entire 200MB monthly data plan limit. Be careful if you are using the AT&T $15 per Month 200MB data plan on might recommend with the 2GB per month plan. The 2GB per month plan is just $10 more for the $25 per month on the AT&T DataPro plan? The 2GB data plan prof will get you 45 hours of Pandora music instead of 4.5. However, I always recommend using free Wi-Fi when streaming Pandora possible. T-Mobile HSPA+ has works pretty well around the LA area for streaming and would appreciate any feedback from others on their experiences streaming Pandora on Verizon, Sprint and AT&T in other parts of the U.S.

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Grand Canyon Cell Phone Reception

The Grand Canyon is one of the most famous tourist destinations in the World. The canyon is a steep-sided gorge carved by the Colorado River in Arizona and sits nearby Lake Mead. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park one of the first national parks at receives more than 4.5 million visitors per year. This glass Skywalk opened in 2007 which allows visors to view the Canyon straight down thousands of feet.

You will have to enjoy the view without being able to upload your favorite photos to Facebook and Twitter because cell phone reception in the canyon is almost non-existent. One would think with all these visitors and the "broadband stimulus" from the Obama Administration that this National park might be on the list to provide wireless reception for your phone safety? Cell service from Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile is hard to find in the area. We would appreciate your contribution to the Deadcellzones.com map of areas where you found reception in the park. Click on the map below and type in Arizona or Grand Canyon Village, AZ to find the spot on the map to start adding complaints.

See also this map of Grand Canyon Cell Phone Coverage

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Cell Reception

With more than 800 miles of protected trails the Great Smokey Mountains National Park is a natural wonder hosting nearly 10 million hikers and vacationers last year. Don't count on your phone working working in the area. Some have reported reception in the city of Townsend but anywhere toward a hill or mountain it was non-existant. In Wears Valley if you're high enough on a hill you might get a faint signal. What carrier works best in the area? Feedback is appreciated below and feel free to submit your dead zones directly on this map below after typing in Smokey Mountains National Park into the search menu. Some cell phones like Verizon make work better in the town areas, but do not work much at all inside the National Park. Do not depend on a cell phone if you may need 911 help.

Great Smokey Mountains Reported Cell Phone Dead Zones

Lake Mead Cell Phone Reception

Lake Mead is 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas is the U.S.’s largest man-made lake and reservoir for houseboaters, water skiing, and fishermen. The popular vacation spot attracts 7.6 million people annually during the peak summer months. The is very close to the Grand Canyon which is beautiful for the avid hiker and adventure seeker. Cell reception in the areas on the lake is most often non-existent. Most of the roads do not have any cell phone reception in the area so don't expect your phone to work if you dial 911. You may find reception in the Temple Bar Marina and around Boulder City. If you travel to the lake and have tried using your cell phone please contribute pins on Deadcellzones.com where you don't have any signal at all. Here is our current map of the area which shows a lot of coverage problems in Las Vegas but not much around the lake. Please help.

AT&T & Verizon Shoot Themselves in the Foot

Data Caps Are Killing Mobile App Usage

Are AT&T (NYSE: T) & Verizon (NYSE: VZ) making a long-term catastrophic business decision by imposing data caps and restricting tethering apps on their customers? Why are carriers are asking their customers to use their wireless and wireline service less while charging more? Are Verizon & AT&T not holding themselves accountable for under investing in their networks while overlooking free alternatives for data access like free Wi-Fi?

Imposing data usage caps to reduce 3G network congestion is the wrong business solution and results in bad PR. Instead of investing heavily to fix the problems or subsidizing poor network performance for customers they would prefer to point the fingers at their customers who are they blame as the problem. Not only have they imposed data caps on mobile phones by AT&T has decided to start capping their U-Verse broadband data caps for customers.

Telecom data usage caps are quietly killing the growth of mobile app business and Wall Street investors and consumers are going to pay for it severely. WiFi adoption is growing much faster than LTE because its free and mobile data plans are too expensive. Also, monitoring mobile data usage is hard and next to impossible. AT&T's first step to curtail the usage of data on their network was to AT&T kills unlimited data plans. The second thing they day was to install a tiered data plans & caps. So what was the reaction by consumers? More people buying WiFi iPads without 3G data plans. Both Verizon & AT&T iPad 3G sales are suffering as a result.

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A 4G Phone Is Only As Good Its Weakest Link

Lack of 4G coverage and poor network capacity is the primary reason why it might be a waste of money for you to upgrade your phone from 3G. Data has grown by 25X in the last year years yet carrier networks are only upgrading their network capacity by 4X. Carriers will be behind the curve for many years and WiFi is still the best means to connect a phone for data access.

So, before you go out and invest in a new two-year contract for a 4G phone make sure you do research on the 4G coverage around you. So, where is 4G available? You research coverage testing the phone over the 30 day period before you commit to the new contract or by search other dead zone complaints on Deadcellzones.com. Here are some 4G phones on Sprint and T-Mobile if you are confident that you have a solid connection nearby. We still the T-Mobile G2 is by far the best 4G phone on the market with its tethering capabilities.

If you don't have a reliable 4G connection near your home or office the huge processor speeds your new phone has don't really matter. If you use primarily WiFi on your smartphone then 4G or HSPA+ will not make a huge difference either. If you live in a rural area of a city that does not have 4G yet don't waste your time. Our research has shown that 3G and 4G HSPA+ compatible phones are typically sufficient for accessing data on small phone screens. There are very few compelling reasons why you would want a 4G phone on AT&T 4G phones or Verizon at this time when WiFi is the most reliable means of getting data access. T-Mobile HSPA+ and Sprint are much happier 4G customers. These customers are because they have few customers competing for access and data on the network.

Which Cell Signal Booster is Best for AT&T

AT&T has a femtocell device to help their customers extend coverage inside their homes and offices.

Can Mobile Phone Consumers Really Trust Their Endorsements?

On the heals of Verizon (NYSE: VZ) charge $93.5M in illegal taxes AT&T (NYSE:T) tops it stealing nearly 10 times more at $1B dollars. The taxes collected were said to be in violation of the Internet Tax Freedom Act. The law bars federal, state and local governments from taxing Internet access and from imposing discriminatory Internet-only taxes such as bit taxes, bandwidth taxes, and email taxes between Nov. 1, 2003 and Nov. 1, 2014.

Of course, AT&T did not admit any wrongdoing in the Class Action case filed. Lawyers at Midwestern law firm, Bartimus Frickleston Robertson & Gorny PC filed lawsuits in all 50 states. Robertson said that the class in the case varies in size depending upon how it is counted. He said there are roughly 29 million contracts and 49 million individual phone numbers that are covered under the class period, which runs from November 2005 to September 2010.

A federal judge in the U.S. District Court of Northern Illinois approved a proposed settlement in the case last week. According to lawyers at the Kansas law firm Bartimus Frickleton Robertson & Gorny PC, AT&T will be working with the firm to get state and local governments to repay a maximum of $956.16 million to customers.

Read more: AT&T faces $1B settlement in mobile Internet access fee lawsuit - FierceWireless

Florida Couple Gets Out of an AT&T Contract

Florida Complaints Added From Article

Boynton Beach couple frustrated by cellphone 'dead zone'

(The map on the right shows you additional cell phone coverage complaints for AT&T, Verizon, Sprint & T-Mobile generated in just two days from the Palm Beach Post article. One regional newspaper in Florida has generated hundreds of additional complaints and show you the power of social media to suggest change and demand transparency!)

By SUSAN SALISBURY - Staff Writer
Full Palm Beach Post Article
Posted: 8:29 a.m. Friday, June 3, 2011

Michelle Peters' AT&T iPhone worked fine when she bought it in October, but when she moved a few miles away she found she was in a "dead zone."

"Our cellphones don't work where we live, and AT&T won't let us out of our contract," Peters, 36, said last week.

When Peters, who works as a makeup artist in Palm Beach, was at home, her cellphone service was unreliable, with dropped calls or no service at all. Her fiancé, Patrick Hurley, 32, a property manager and fellow AT&T customer, had the same problem at their residence north of Gateway Boulevard near Congress Avenue.

Two days after The Palm Beach Post contacted AT&T on their behalf, the company agreed to give them a credit for $599.96, the amount of the cancellation fee for both phones.

While Peters and Hurley are happy with the resolution, they want others to know about their frustration.

"For four months, I have called. They said it was the trees, the weather, the buildings. I said, 'Either way I said, I do not have service,' " Peters said. The couple was told AT&T map lacked a tower in the area, but one would be coming soon, Hurley said.

The last straw came when the couple accidentally set off their burglar alarm and their phones did not work.

"At that point, it became a safety issue," Peters said.

AT&T spokeswoman Kelly Starling said that Peters lives within the provider's footprint, but outlined reasons for the problem.

"Wireless devices are radios and are ruled by the laws of physics. Thick walls, trees, tall buildings, hilly terrain or bad weather can cause interference," Starling said .

AT&T's website shows Peters' address as having "moderate" coverage, the lowest category after "best" and "good." Peters and Hurley tried AT&T's suggestions such as purchasing a 3G MicroCell that acts as a mini-cell tower, but that didn't help, they said .

Starling said AT&T is continually investing in its network to provide the most advanced mobile broadband service. In April, the company announced plans to upgrade 200 local cell sites in the Palm Beach County/Treasure Coast network. The Gateway Boulevard area is one of those benefiting.

Jeff Cohn, founder of Deadcellzones.com, said the scenario is common. The website, which relies on customer reports, shows where so-called dead zones are for AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile. Palm Beach County has worse coverage than most areas, he said.

"Carriers give us false information about where they provide coverage. The government doesn't require them to do so. There is actual coverage and there is theoretical coverage," Cohn said.

In medium-sized areas such as Palm Beach County, the problem is often due to an insufficient number of cell towers, he said. It can be a problem in areas where no one wants to live near a cell tower.

"Cities are notoriously hard on the carriers in terms of putting up new cell towers," Cohn said.

To get around that, companies are installing smaller antennas on telephone poles, he said.

Cohn said while a cellphone contract may state the service cannot be canceled after 30 days, there is what's known as a "material adverse clause" that allows customers to terminate their agreements if they prove there are problems. He suggests checking his website's maps, then presenting the information to your carrier. AT&T maps are not always accurate.

Cohn said one way around the problem is to use a wi-fi network, technology that uses radio waves to provide wireless high-speed Internet and network connection, for cellphones. However, AT&T does not allow customers to route cellphone calls through a wi-fi network.

"The future of cellular is not necessarily in the cell towers," Cohn said. "It has to be with better utilization of wi-fi networks."

Does Verizon Have a Mark the Spot App?

Does Verizon Wireless have a Mark the Spot mobile app similar to AT&T so customers can easily report network problems? Is it worth it and what does AT&T do with all the Mark the Spot data? It doesn't surprise me that we cannot find an app for their customers to report network problems because their network is "perfect". Verizon is notoriously bad at over promising network reception in rural areas that are complete dead zones. It doesn't surprise me that Verizon still does not have an application to report network problems when upwards of 40% of customer service calls are for reception and phone issues from most carriers. Verizon fired the Can You Hear Me Now Actor and so its about time they come up with some new brainwashing tricks.

It has been rumored that AT&T has hundreds of thousands of customers giving them cell coverage data about where their cell reception stinks. Do they do anything with the data or give customers feedback on how to improve coverage or when they plan to upgrade the network in their area. Verizon thinks they Rule the Air but now that they have the iPhone are they experiencing more network problems? We have been receiving a lot more reports on Verizon Dead Cell Zones ever since they started selling the CDMA iPhone. Also, since the launch of the iPhone we have also been receiving a lot of Verizon coverage complaints on the East Coast as well.

What is the Most Uncompetitive U.S. Industry?

One of the best ways to determine the amount of competition in an industry is to look at the dividend yield of the industry. The dividend yield is usually determined by the amount of excess cash a company has left over at the end of the year less expenses. Dividends are typically only paid by companies in industries where there is little room for growth and that have huge profit margins. The S&P 500 average dividend yield is 1.9% and the telecom industry has a 5.3% yield. This yield is surprisingly even higher than our highly subsidized utility industry at 4.3%.

The telecom industry is notorious for under-investing in its infrastructure because shareholders always come before customers. The US is way behind the rest of the World in wireless service availability and speeds. This is the primary business reason why I think there is not enough competition in the wireless business and too much telecom corruption in the FCC. See our wireless telecom competition chart. The FCC measures competition incorrectly at a local level and does not look at macroeconomic financial issues with respect to the ability to compete.

Both Verizon & AT&T are two of the highest dividend-paying companies on Wall Street and are threatening to consolidate an industry even more at the expense of their customers. AT&T paid $10 billion dollars in dividends to shareholders in 2010 while competitor Verizon paid $5.4 in dividends in 2010. Consumers who are interested in seeing more innovation should make sure that our politicians block the merger. AT&T has plenty of spectrum and will do just fine without acquiring T-Mobile.

Apple Attacking Overpriced Carrier Text Messaging Plans

Apple announced some new features today during its Worldwide Developers Conference that will affect wireless carrier revenues in the future. AT&T and Verizon each make about $10 Billion dollars per year on text messaging revenue plans per year from their 30 million customers. Apple's new, free iMessage service should be a heard as a "shot across the bow" to the wireless carriers who overcharge for text messaging services which should be free. Apple's new iMessaging service will go over the data network, and won't count towards your 500 or 1000 text messaging monthly plans. If you are only messaging your friends with iPhone's or Apple devices you are in luck and may never have to pay for an SMS data package again.

Paying $10 for text messaging does not make any sense and should be free. The average AT&T iPhone users sends 621 text messages per month on AT&T. This costs the average iPhone subscriber .33 cents per day or $10 per month to send something that costs a fraction of penny to perform. The gross margins on text messaging for carriers are astronomical and the service should be free. Similar services like Skype, Google Voice, Twitter and Facebook provide free service for consumers and are actually better services. These services are all free for PC or Mac users who access the internet through WiFi and $25 a month through an existing data plan.

One concern about eliminating the data plan is that the carriers will undoubtedly try and start gouging consumers even more on data plans. So we recommend to all consumer get used to finding, using and putting up free WiFi whenever possible. Free data is the only way of the future.

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Apple iCloud Launches as MobileMe Fails

Apple iCloud Launches as MobileMe Fails

Apple Cloud Computing Services "Part Deux"

Apple introduced Mobile Me in June 2008 to the much traditional Apple hype and frenetic press coverage. Apple’s launched Mobile Me charging $99 and now it is accepting refund requests because the service is now free. (see below). Effective June 6, 2011, if you had an active MobileMe account from Apple, your service has been automatically extended through June 30, 2012, at no additional charge. The MobileMe service will no longer be available after June 30, 2012 because Apple is re-branding or re-launching MobileMe cloud services as iCloud. iCloud will be launching later this month which is Apple's second try at charging for cloud computing services.

On a positive note, Apple will be disrupting the carriers $36 billion dollar text messaging business which is great for consumers. Here are the details on the service now being offered for free. All of your MobileMe mail, contacts and calendars will be moved to iCloud and you will retain your me.com or mac.com email address. Its short notice, but MobileMe Family and storage upgrades won’t be available after today and you can no longer create a new MobileMe account or start a two-month trial after June 6, 2011. People with unused activation codes obtained with a MobileMe box purchase can submit a Mobile Me refund request.

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Apple Attacking Overpriced Carrier Text Messaging Plans

How to Sync Email, Text Messages & Docs on iPhone, iPad & iPod?

Carriers do not like this but iPhones, iPads and iPods will soon have an iCloud email, text messaging, documents and photos syncing feature. The messaging feature will sync email, text messaging across the iPhone network to other Apple devices. The documents and photos feature will sync data into the cloud across multiple devices. This is commonly known as cloud computing and Android and Google Services have been syncing Gmail, Calendars, Docs, Picasa for a few years. Apple's "new" iMessage service supports iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Will this disrupt the $36B text messaging industry of AT&T, Verizon, Sprint & T-Mobile? Will the carriers start augmenting text messaging plans and start reselling Apple's iCloud services for $10 per month? How much will Apple charge for this or will this be a feature that is simply an additional costs center. iCloud is obviously playing catch up with Google web services.

The only new feature that I heard is being able to sync the last 1,000 photos from your iPhone into the cloud. iMusic is another new product for $24 per year that will recommend music you might like. Sounds very similar to Pandora but a lot more expensive if you have to buy the music. Will this cause iPhone storage issues and presume this only works over WiFi I hope?

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Apple Attacking Overpriced Carrier Text Messaging Plans

AT&T MicroCell GPS Extender Needed?

Do you really need to have your AT&T MicroCell signal booster near a window for the network extender to work? Yes initially to get a GPS location on the device. However, you don't necessarily need a GPS extender because the MicroCell should remember the location if you initially power the device on near a window when you first install it. After the device finds your GPS location you can move it to the interior portion of your house or office. You can also put it in a cabinet or location near your network or broadband router.

If you need to buy MicroCell GPS Network Extender the for $24.95 it is easy to install, just plug it into the jack on the MicroCell, no other configuring needed. It may help you prevent loss signal, in fact, this will allow you to place the MicroCell closer to the center of the house for better coverage throughout the house. Keep in mind the AT&T MicroCell drops calls so set your expectations low when you first start using the network enhancer. See also Powerline Extender.

Offloading Cellular Data in the Wrong Direction

Are Consumers Offloading Cellular Data in the Wrong Direction?

The wireless telecom marketing machines have brainwashed the mainstream media into thinking that the term "offload" data is best for consumers. I hate the term "offload" because it implies it's ok for YOU the customer to subsidize YOUR wireless operator's network deficiencies. 3G and 4G networks have hit the wall with consumers using too much data and WiFi is becoming the only solution to access video and rich content on your phone. Mobile phone operators should be PAYING YOU or subsiding your data plan if you offload data away for them. They should not be allowed to simply get away with this criminal marketing activity.

Sophisticated phone users know that WiFi-only phones and devices are best and use the 3G and 4G networks only if they have to. It is now possible to easily travel in New Zealand, Europe and many other countries around the world without ever using a 2G or 3G network. Making phone calls on WiFi with VoIP is very easy and accessing your data over WiFi is even easier.

Mobile consumer users should be offloading data TO 3G when WiFi is not available and not the other way around. Why are wireless carriers AT&T and Verizon getting away with convincing their customers to offload their cellular 3G data they cannot handle without any compensation of subsidy. Let's face it the carriers are starting to hit a wall with the amount of data capacity they can provide on their networks. The wireless carriers' only solution is to start imposing data caps to encourage their own customers to use their service less while charging you more. This doesn't make any sense and the reason a WiFi revolution is upon us and consumers need to start getting smart about where, when and why they access and use 3G and 4G networks. Consumers are fed up with buying 3G and 4G devices that only work some of the time and would prefer to use more cost-effective WiFi-only iPads whenever possible. WiFi-only iPads are selling more than 3G and there is a good reason why.

How to Solve Complex Business Problems

Problem-solving skills require intelligence, common, sense, education, and some patience to track down the problem to its roots. We use these skills daily and improve them. However, undertaking complex problem-solving such as tackling a persistent insoluble challenge in your business requires a more systematic approach. Figuring out the problem and attempting to solve it on your own is always going to add to your experience level and skills even if you are met with failure. Yet, it’s not the best approach to be taken for complicated challenges that face any growing organization. To understand more about complex business problems and how to solve them, here are some tips to consider.

Problem Definition

The first step is recognizing the problem, its root, and all its consequences. There is a big difference between complicated challenges and complex problems. Complex business problems are usually composed of different parts and layers. The word itself suggests its composition of many parts and its resistance against usual analysis. These problems are usually unpredictable in terms of their chain of causations and the right solutions that should be followed. With such problems, you need strong analytical skills to start breaking the problem into smaller problems. This will give you a chance to understand the different dimensions of the problem you are faced with from its symptoms, causes, and the extent of its effect on your business.

Structure of the Problem

Many people fall under the wrong impression that structured approaches for solving complex problems will stifle creativity. On the contrary, the implementation of organized and studied techniques should be your go to method to save you from wasting your mental capacity on the problem-solving process. This will clear problems out of your way and leave your business a chance to grow and flourish. Start by gathering sufficient data effectively, including workflow analysis, surveys, questionnaires, or any other data resources.

Explore Possible Options and Solutions

After you have managed to identify the problem and its different dimensions, you will be able to determine the best person to deal with it. However, it’s important to bear in mind that complex problems are rarely solved as a solo sport. It’s more helpful to start brainstorming the problem with the right team or people with expertise in this area. To achieve success while brainstorming you must start with exploring the problem without any past judgment. It’s also essential to encourage others to explore different solutions and out-of-the-box ideas without being judged. Thinking beyond the obvious will be more helpful when you are met with unconventional problems.

Solving complex business problems is an unavoidable part of the growth of any business in any industry. Most of the time, the challenges you will face are predominantly complicated. These can be solved through research, analysis, and logical thinking. The solutions to these problems are repeatable and can be applied in different situations and problems. Complex problems, on the other hand, are harder to analyze and consequently tougher to find solutions to. This is why seeking the help of experts and structured approaches are what make a difference in finding the right solution.