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By David

If you have ever had the misfortune of using your cell phone while overseas, then you know just how expensive it can get. Regardless of the carrier you use, international roaming charges are ridiculously high, at times, exceeding $5 a minute. Thankfully, there are a few tricks to help you avoid the fees.

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Do not make calls

The most obvious solution to preventing international roaming charges is to simply not make or accept calls while you are on vacation overseas. This may seem a bit extreme, but when you are talking about $5 a minute or $1 per kilobyte (1 1,000^th of a MB) of data used, it starts to seem like less of an overreaction. For some companies, you will even be charged additional fees if someone calls you, regardless of whether or not you answer. To help you avoid this, you will want to do one of two things. The first option is to put your phone on airplane mode and just never take it off. This prevents your phone from using any wireless signals including those of the network and will prevent all incoming calls but still let you use non-internet apps and tools on your phone. Alternatively you could remove the SIM card from your phone entirely to accomplish the same thing.

Purchase a local SIM card

Assuming you are using a phone that has been unlocked, you can prevent incurring international roaming charges while overseas by purchasing a SIM card that is local to the area. This will allow you to use your phone on the local network and will only cost you what a normal phone plan would, though, depending on where you are making calls to, international calling rates may still apply, but they are far less expensive than the international roaming charges would be. Of course, this does require that you have a phone that is unlocked and preferably one that works with a variety of different cellular signals.

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Use Wi-Fi Hotspots

The simplest and probably the cheapest solution for avoiding international roaming charges, is to utilize your phone’s Wi-Fi calling feature. If you have a phone with this feature, and more companies are making it available every day, you can make calls and use data inside a Wi-Fi area as though you were at home using your own network. Though in some cases you may not be able to find a free internet connection, the charges for using internet provided at a hotel or some other location are going to be far less than those you would otherwise be charged by just accepting the international roaming charges. If need be, you could even bring along your own wireless router to setup a Wi-Fi hotspot in your hotel room. Just make sure you password protect it so others do not leech off your signal.

Now you are somewhat more familiar with international roaming charges and how expensive they can be, but more importantly, you now know a few different ways to avoid them without costing yourself a great deal extra.

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By David

Whether you are new to the world of cellular devices or a seasoned veteran, you have likely heard of mobile roaming charges. These fees get tacked onto your cell phone bill every so often, but many are confused as to why or what they are even for. Below, we will take a look at mobile roaming charges and see if we can illuminate the topic for you.

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What is Roaming?

To truly grasp what is going on with mobile roaming charges, you must first come to understand what roaming is. Every cellular carrier has a network of interconnected towers that provide wireless coverage for their customers. This area is referred to as their native coverage area. Not surprisingly, not all carriers have their networks in the same places. For some carriers, the cost of renting additional towers from other companies is less than the cost of building and maintaining new towers of their own, and thus they rent these extra towers to extend their coverage area without increasing the cost of everyone’s monthly bill. Even though renting is ultimately cheaper, the costs have to be mitigated by charging an additional fee on the bills of those who use these rented towers as they are the only ones truly gaining any advantage from them.

Why does it Cost Extra?

As was mentioned earlier, mobile roaming charges occur as a result of your provider attempting to mitigate the costs of renting additional towers. While the rent for these towers is cheaper than the cost and subsequent maintenance of a new tower, the benefits granted by the rented tower really only extend to those using those towers whereas a new tower would benefit everyone by extending the native coverage area of the network. When new towers are built, their cost is split amongst everyone and as such has a negligible effect on each customer’s monthly bill, however since a rented tower only benefits those using it, they must pay these additional fees on their own, rather than having them spread amongst the whole company’s customer base.

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How to Avoid Roaming

Because mobile roaming charges can stack up quite rapidly, many customers that find themselves frequently being charged roaming fees wonder how they can avoid them. The first step in this process is to identify your networks native coverage area and find out where you are using your phone outside of that area. If you find that you are almost always roaming or that another company has a similar plan for about the same price, but better coverage for you, you may want to consider switching. Still, if you find that you cannot switch carriers for whatever reason, you can also avoid roaming charges by not using your device outside the native coverage area, or by making sure you use it only in a Wi-Fi area when not in the native coverage area.

Now you have an idea about what mobile roaming charges are for and how to avoid incurring them on your monthly cell phone bill.

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By David

With the high level of interconnectivity present in modern technology, it is not surprising that you can text someone’s phone from your computer. Online texting is not only possible, but an ever expanding and growing option for cellular and computer users alike. A few different methods are used to accomplish this task which we have outlined for you below.

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Email

The first method used for online texting — and probably the oldest among the methods — is email. While it is not been a long time since the large majority of people starting connecting email accounts to their phone, businesses have been using this method to keep in touch with their higher level executives for years. The process is fairly simple. Just log onto your email account and send an email to the intended contact’s address. Assuming they have their email hooked up to their phone, they will get the email on their mobile device and can send a reply from right there allowing the two of you to communicate via text despite using different devices.

Instant Messenger

Next up as methods for online texting are the instant messenger programs available for download on any computer or cellular device. These programs allow you to text message back and forth with another person in real time, making communication quick and easy. As the programs developed, they added additional features like the ability to include multiple people in the same conversation and eventually even video chat. When cell phones began being able to download and install applications to enhance their functionality, the instant messengers developed mobile versions of their programs to allow the same kind of communication but through phones as well as computers. Now using these instant messenger applications, you can send someone a text message from your computer and they can receive it on their mobile device. The only downside is that you and the person you wish to text will both need to have the application either on your computer or your phone to be able to talk this way.

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VoIP Application

A voice over IP application is the latest and greatest way to accomplish online texting. These applications can be installed on your phone, and they let you to make calls and send text messages through your data plan instead of using your plan minutes and texts, allowing you to save quite a bit of money on your monthly phone bill. These applications also require that you set up an account with them online from which to manage your VoIP services. From this online account, you can not only read your messages, but also send messages to those in your contacts as though you were sending them from your phone. The best part is, it is not required for anyone else to have the application, allowing you to do online texting with anyone whose phone number you have.

Now that you are familiar with the different methods for accomplishing the task of online texting, you can pick your favorite and start today.

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By David

If you are currently using or have used any kind of cell phone, you should already be familiar with the concept of roaming and what it is all about. However, you may not be sure how the roaming system works in regards to a prepaid phone. To help clear up this matter, we’ve assembled a short informative guide to bring you up to speed on prepaid roaming.

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How Roaming Charges Work

For a typical cell phone, roaming charges would be paid at the end of the month with the rest of their bill, a bit like your check at restaurant would be. Prepaid roaming works just a little bit differently. With a prepaid phone, you pay upfront like you would with a cafeteria meal plan and then roaming is paid for out of the balance on that account. As it can be quite shocking to have a conversation cut off in the middle because you are out of money on your account only to find out that you were roaming and did not know it, a couple of solutions have been implemented to address this problem.

User Controlled Solution

The first of the solutions addressing the issue of prepaid roaming is the implementation of a pop-up dialog box on your phone that lets you know when you are entering a roaming area and asks if you would like to begin roaming, or if you would prefer to disallow it, with disallow being the default setting in case you accidently miss the message. This not only informs the user of the situation making them aware of the fact that talking in these areas could cause them to incur additional fees, but also gives them the power to avoid those fees by choosing to disallow roaming in that particular instance. This solution is great for those users that like to decide for themselves on a case by case basis if the additional fees are worth it.

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Carrier Controlled Solution

Some carriers instead opted for a different solution to the prepaid roaming issue by simply disallowing roaming on prepaid phones altogether. There are two ways that they can go about doing this. The first method is to adjust the settings on the phone itself to not accept a signal from a roaming tower. Sometimes these settings are locked in and thus are unchangeable, but sometimes, it is possible to adjust them. This might require some digging through your phone’s settings to find the one that applies to roaming. The other method is for them to simply disallow roaming from their end, which unfortunately is not something that you will be able to change should you want to. This type of solution is best for those that do not want to have to worry about settings and additional fees preferring a simple cellular experience that takes care of those things for them.

Now that you know more about the concept of prepaid roaming and how that is managed from company to company, you can make informed decisions about what companies to use to get what you want.

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By David

If you are brand new to the world of cell phones, you may have only recently become aware of the idea of text messaging. This technology allows a person to send a short message to someone they know instead of calling, allowing them to communicate often times more efficiently and considerably more discreetly. While learning to send a text message isn’t hard, it is helpful to have someone first outline the basics for you.

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Open you messaging service

In order to send a text message, you will need to first activate your phone and head to its main screen. Once there, you will likely see several different icons to choose from all for different services your phone offers. Most have an icon that makes their function fairly obvious and the messaging system is no exception. Look for the icon that looks like an open envelope and select it by scrolling to it with your directional keys and hitting select, or by simply touching it on a touch screen device. If you find that this opens a dialog asking about email information, you have accidently entered the email application instead of the texting application, an easy mistake to make as they both have similar icons. In this case, exit back to the main menu and select the other icon.

Select recipients

Next you will want to select the intended recipient of your message so that your phone knows who to contact when you send a text. This is done through the thin text bar at the top of your screen inside the texting application and can be filled out in a few different ways. You can enter someone’s phone number here in order to text their phone or on some phones you can enter an email address to send your text to their email account. Alternatively if you already have their contact information saved on your phone, you can simply start typing their name and your phone will display a list of options from your contacts matching what you have entered so far. You can select the appropriate entry from this list in the same fashion you selected the text messaging service earlier or merely finish typing the name so that only one option remains available.

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Compose message

Your final task before you send a text message is to actually compose the message. This will be done in the large text box below the box where you entered the recipient’s information. Typing the message will happen in one of two ways depending on the type of phone. Older phones typically use T9 to help you write your message. Each key is typically used to enter 3 letters and its corresponding number, allowing you to cycle through to the correct one and showing options for possible words as you go, much like in the recipient information box. Alternatively, newer phones will have either a physical or digital keyboard that you can use to enter your message.

Once you are done typing, select “submit” to send a text.

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By David

Have you ever wondered if it is even remotely possible to send a text message online? If so, the answer is a definite yes. Still, knowing that it is possible and actually doing it are two different things entirely which is why we’ve put together a short guide to introduce you to the various methods for sending text messages online.

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Email

The first and oldest of the available methods for sending a text message online is through the use of email. As you might already know, most phones these days have the ability to connect to a person’s email accounts, allowing them to receive their email right on their phones and helping them avoid the hassle of having to hop onto their computers, pull up their browsers, and login to their email accounts. Still, if you are already on your computer and logged in to your email, it may seem like an extra effort to send a message through your phone. Instead, you can send your contacts a message through your email account and they can receive it right on their phone allowing you both to communicate effectively in the most convenient way possible.

Instant Messenger

The second method open to cell phone users for sending a text message online is through the use of an instant messenger. These programs were originally developed as a means for people to communicate while on their computers through simple text messages back and forth, eventually evolving into more elaborate programs with broader features. What makes them a viable method for texting from the web is the development of their app counterparts which will attach with your online account allowing you to IM from your computer to a phone and vice versa. So long as you and the person you are trying to contact are both using the same program, you can send a message from your computer and they can receive it on their phone and respond, which you will receive on your computer. The only downside to these programs is that you will both have to be signed up on the same program in order to make this method work effectively.

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VoIP Applications

These days, there are more and more applications coming out to allow your phone to do things in different ways. Most notable among these are the voice and or text over IP apps. These apps will use your data connection, instead of your plan minutes, to make calls and send text messages from your phone. Like the instant messengers, these apps also require that a user have an attached online account from which they can manage everything, but unlike an IM app, they don’t require that both people be using it. Using the online management software, you can read and send messages from your phone and have contacts receive them as text messages on their mobile devices.

Now that you are familiar with a number of the methods for sending a text message online you can pick a favorite and get started today.

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By David

If you have had a cell phone for any length of time, you have likely encountered roaming charges at least once during that time. While we are all familiar with the charges themselves, many people are unsure what they are for and why they have to pay them. Let’s take a look at roaming charges and see if we can shed some light on these mysterious fees.

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What is Roaming?

To understand roaming charges, you first need to understand what exactly roaming is. Every cellular carrier has a network made up of wireless cell towers that they use to create and maintain their coverage area. Typically, if you are outside this area you cannot get cell service from your company. However, not every company covers the same areas. Rather than build new towers to cover the gaps, many carriers choose to instead rent the services of towers owned by other companies. Whenever your device is receiving service from one of these towers, it is considered to be roaming, or simply put, receiving service from another company’s tower.

Why does it cost extra?

Even with an understanding of exactly what roaming is, many people still find themselves confused about why there are roaming charges. These additional fees on your bill go to cover the cost of renting the additional towers from other companies to provide service in areas not typically covered. You might be wondering why a carrier would charge these fees as renting a tower must be cheaper than maintaining their own. This is typically the case, however, when a company builds a new tower that cost is mitigated by slightly higher monthly bills across their entire customer base because everyone gains a larger network as a result. In the case of roaming, fees are only charged to those who are using the rented towers because they are the only ones gaining an advantage from those towers and as such it would not be fair to place the burden of payment on everyone else.

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How can it be avoided?

Roaming charges can become quite burdensome if incurred frequently, but with a little common sense they can be avoided. First you will want to make sure your carrier’s native coverage extends over your home, your job, and other places you often visit. If it does not, this might explain why you are getting charged a good deal of roaming fees. Once you have identified that you are in a roaming area, check other carriers to see if their native coverage extends over these areas. If prices are not too different, it may be worth switching. If you are unable to switch however, you can still avoid roaming charges by just not using your device outside of native coverage areas unless you are in a Wi-Fi area and can take advantage of Wi-Fi calling as this will also count as native coverage and not roaming.

Now that you are familiar with what roaming charges come from and why they exist in the first place, you can more competently find ways to avoid incurring them in your daily life.

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By David

Cell phones are becoming increasingly popular around the world, and observing how many people seem to be addicted to their mobile devices can get a bit annoying at times. There might even be negative health effects associated with the excessive use of cell phones, as they do transmit radio waves which can be damaging to the human body, especially the brain.

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However, the benefits of using cell phones are far greater than the potential health risks, making it highly unlikely that these devices will go away anytime soon. Matter of fact, if you follow the statistics, the number of mobile devices in the world continues to rapidly increase. In most advanced countries, there are already more cell phones than people. Why? Because cell phones save us time, as they greatly improve our ability to communicate with one another.

If you are one of the few people still resisting the urge to follow the trend and purchase a cell phone, here are three great reasons to own and use a cell phone:

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Directions

Before cell phones, if you ever got lost, you would have to stop and ask for directions and hope someone would know what you were talking about, but now, most folks use a cell phone to save the day when they get lost. With GPS technology now being linked directly to our cell phones, we can just enter the address of the place we are heading to — and within minutes — receive step by step navigational instructions. If you do not have GPS on your phone, it is not a big deal as you can always call the place you are heading towards to ask for directions.

Information

We have all experienced those times when we are trying to remember something, but it is just not coming to us, or we really need to find something out, but do not have a computer available. In these situations, a cell phone can easily save the day. There are many question and answer services available these days, and getting the information you need is as simple as texting one of them and waiting for a response. Alternatively, you could look up the information you need using your phones web browser, or even call someone you know would have the answer. Either way you get the information you need when you need it.

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Reminders and organizers

All of us have forgotten to do something at one point or another, and sometimes, those forgetful moments can have serious consequences. Fortunately, pretty much all cell phones have a calendar feature which you can use to save your schedule and keep yourself organized. So you can even set up verbal alarms to remind you to do those things. In addition, if you have ever realized you forgot to do something important before leaving the house like turn off the stove or lock the door, a cell phone can help with that too. Some newer houses are actually built to interface with your phone, allowing you to control many aspects of it (like door locks and lights) from a distance.

So you see, while cell phones do have some drawbacks, they clearly make our lives a lot better.