Sunday, September 21, 2014

Freedom Pop - Plans for an iPhone lover and those who want to save big time!

             Hey again everybody.  I'm sure by now if you've read my most recent article, you're aware that I'm not a fan of Apple.  However, I'm about to discuss with Apple fans a cell service that you all may have been waiting for.  I believe that I once mentioned Freedom Pop in regards to a certain iPod touch hotspot a few months back.  Today, I plan on showing you all a general overview of the business.  Hopefully you all enjoy.

            First, I want to discuss Freedom Pop hotspots.  Freedom Pop offers Sprint 4g LTE on wireless hotspots that can connect to all of your wifi enabled devices.  These hotspots (currently on sale) range from forty dollars to one hundred forty dollars.  The three options are the important part of the hotspots. They have 4GB a month for thirty dollars, 2GB for twenty dollars, and 500 MB per month for no charge (yes you read that correctly).  Any addition, any data not used is rolled over for the next month.  Basically, for forty dollars, you can get 500 extra megabytes of data per onto for all of your devices.

           Finally, the part that you have all been waiting for, their cell phone plans.  Freedom Pop currently offers four different phones.  Each phone is certified pre-owned.  The models are the Samsung Victory 4G LTE for $120.  Next, there is the Samsung Galaxy S III, which is currently on sale for $199.  After that, is the Samsung Galaxy S IV, priced at $299.  Last, the iPhone 5, for $399.  While these phones may seem expensive and you might doubt that I am sane, you will change your mind when you hear the plans.  Not surprisingly, Freedom Pop has yet another free plan which includes 200 minutes, 500 texts, and 500 MB data.  Most likely, that will not be enough for you if you  use your phone moderately, or often.  The next plan is a one year contract plan, in which for $6.67 a month, you have unlimited, talk, text, and 500 MB of data.  Remember, you can always add 500 MB more per month if you just spend the $40 on a wireless hotspot.  The plan after this is the same exact thing, but no contract, and costs $11 a month.  The final plan is what I imagine that most people use, which is unlimited everything with data speeds lowered after 1 GB.

           So you have all of the information.  Now, how can you take advantage of it.  If you want the I phone, you can buy it for $400.  Take the 1 year contract plan, and pay $6.67 a month.  You can then buy the $40 hotspot.  You pay $520 a year.  On AT&T, that same plan, phone and all, would cost $780 (And you would have to stick with them for one more year).  Overall, choosing Freedom Pop, which uses Sprint service, can help you to save $260 a year.  Oh, and if by chance you are willing to use an Android, you will save even more.







Friday, September 19, 2014

New Apple Devices and Announcements

In spirit of the arrival of the iPhone 6 and 6 plus, I felt that it was necessary to talk about Apple's most recent developments.  I am not very fond of the iPhone for multiple reasons.  While I acknowledge that it is indeed a good phone, I do not consider making the device thinner and larger with a better display is  serious improvement.  However, I suppose you are entitled to your own belief about Apple's progress since with their phones.  What I believe is more important about Apple's most recent innovations is the announcement of Apple Pay, and the revealing of the Apple Watch.  Apple Pay, is simply the idea that credit cards are now obsolete.  Using your iPhone, you will be capable of storing any credit or debit card and with a single swipe, pay at stores.  Certain chains such as McDonald's and Citi have already adapted to the idea, and will be accepting Apple Pay.  Another platform for Apple Pay is the Apple Watch, in which your Credit Cards will be loaded to your wrist.  While the concept is intriguing, I still wonder if Apple Pay will be accepted in most chains around the country, and if one day in the far future, Credit Cards and cash will no longer be used.  This brings me to my next topic, the Apple Watch.  Because of the iPhone 6 and 6 plus' humongous display of 4.7 and 5.5 inches respectively are not only going to be hard to fit in the pocket, but a pain to get out of your bag.  This is the reason for the potential sales for the Apple Watch.  Similar to Android Wear, the Apple Watch is truly meant for answering emails, texts, and phone calls.  It has certain other interesting features, which include Apple Pay, Maps (GPS), Sending sketches, remote controlling a camera, Siri, playing music on its own, stocks, and of course, telling time.  Just looking at the Apple Watch and its features, I feel at has a very bright future, with their first attempt being aesthetically pleasing and looks to fulfill all of the purposes of a smart watch.  As I stressed earlier, while I am often against Apple, I must admit I that am extremely excited for their upcoming technology releases.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Android Wear

Hey Guys, I apologize for the excruciatingly long wait between my posts.  Obviously, my last post was mentioning the arrival of Android Wear, and I would be a bit of an idiot to not follow up on that.  So far we have seen the arrival of three of these watches, and four more have been announced.  So far, Android Wear's first attempt seems to have been a futile one, with most consumers either buying the Moto 360, or waiting for a better version in the future.  Both the LG G watch and Samsung Galaxy Gear Live were not highly anticipated, and did not receive incredible reviews.  It seems the largest problem with the earliest generation of Android powered smart watches is battery life, because apparently having to charge every day is a problem.  As for future devices, I mostly anticipate the LG G watch R.  It is yet another circular watch, and looks surprisingly more like a watch than the Moto 360.  I strongly advise that you look up a picture of it.  On the other hand, the Asus Zen Watch also interests me.  It has a nice design, but the more important aspect is the price.  It ha been confirmed that the price will be under $199 , which is considerably lower than any other Android Wear device.  It is also important to notice that the price of the LG G watch is lowered to $179.99 from $229.99 temporarily.  The last two watches, the Sony Smart watch 3 and the Samsung Galaxy Gear S seem relatively generic.  While I must admit that both of their designs are extremely elegant, I doubt that I will consider buying them in the future.  Considering that we are on the topic, I also feel that it is important to mention the Sony Smart Band.  In terms of design, it looks similar to the Samsung gear fit. However, it does look thinner and more comfortable.  While this band doesn't have all the features of an Android Wear Watch, it seems good for somebody who would like the basics of a smart watch, which is essentially answering calls and receiving notifications.  I am also intrigued as to if Sony will make it compatible with all Android device or only their own.  If you are interested in the Apple Watch, I will make a post in the near future about it and the new generations of iPhones.  See you all in a bit!