We’re officially in the post-holiday season, which typically means a lull for retail sales. Consumers have spent their lot and will generally refrain from major purchases over the next few months. That doesn’t mean kajeet won’t try, though. Via Ian we find out about a neat promotion they’re running from now through the 15th of January. It essentially gives you $70 cash back, but of course there are some restrictions. Check them after the jump.
Happy New Year everyone. Hopefully next week will bring us some news in the world of prepaid wireless. For now, we’re going to continue discussing issues related to the industry. Today we’ll look at the issue of smartphone vs. prepaid. They’re on two different ends of the spectrum. Prepaid is considered a low-cost alternative to contract cell phone service, while smartphones not only require a contract (for the most part), but a data plan which can add $30 to your monthly bill. So if the economy is headed downward still, will the reaction by consumers be to slow the smartphone trend in favor of the cheaper prepaid option?
Nope. Still nothing going on the prepaid side of things. So let’s end the year with one of those boogeyman posts. Caught this one on Engadget Mobile. The scientists at the European Research Institute for Electronic Components have studied multiple effects of radiation on red blood cells. This comes from low-level radiation, meaning that your cell phone probably gives off this level. So what do you have to be scared about this time? Your hemoglobin can leak, leading to kidney damage and heart disease. Scurry.
As if you needed to read that title to know that your wireless carrier is making boatloads off SMS charges. Apparently, though, some people think that the rise in text messaging costs over the past two years has been “business as usual.” The demand has increased, so that means higher prices right? Not so fast. Randall Stross of the New York Times walks us through text messaging, focusing on the insane profits wireless companies reap from the poor consumer.
As we slog through the week between Christmas and New Year’s, news might be a bit light. So instead of just going dark, we’re going to talk about various prepaid issues. Today it’s phone recycling. Cell phones are always a hot holiday gift, and everyone is always excited to get a new one up and activated. But what about old reliable? Many times, an old phone can end up in a drawer or worse, in a landfill. While it’s always good to have a backup (you never know when your phone will get wet), you can find a way to put that old handset to good use.
Times have not been good for Sprint. The nation’s No. 3 wireless carrier has been losing subscribers all year, and it’s unknown if that will change during this fourth quarter. If they do lose another million or so, though, it won’t be for lack of effort on their part. They scored well on their second straight customer service survey, which means they’re improving on their biggest weakness. They’re also offering more incentives to MVNO Virgin Mobile. They’ll pay out a bonus for customers added in the fourth quarter of 2008.
Why are so many blogs writing that Verizon has rolled out new prepaid offers? I know they issued a press release last week — I even wrote about it. However, that doesn’t mean that there are any new plans. Nothing has changed at Verizon. They’re merely trying to get people talking about their prepaid service — which apparently is working.
Back when we launched the Prepaid Reviews blog in June of 2007, the iPhone was a massively popular topic. Apple was set to release the device at month’s end, and much hype surrounded the product. There were a number of rumors about using the iPhone on prepaid, but there was nothing definitive. The device was never officially offered on prepaid, though many figured out workarounds. Rumors surfaced again this year that AT&T would offer an iPhone with prepaid plans. MacBlogz has some information about this, though it’s not looking particularly pretty.
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