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  • How To Get Free Phone Wallpapers

    By David

    So you just got your new phone and you are ready to start personalizing it to make it your own, but where do you begin? One of the easiest ways to customize your phone is by using free phone wallpapers. Here are a few different options for getting your hands on a few of these novel backgrounds.

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    From your phone

    If you are looking to find some free phone wallpapers, you needn’t look any further than your new phone. Each phone will typically come pre-loaded with several different wallpapers that you can choose from to begin customizing your new phone. These will typically include a variety of pictures as well as a smaller number of animated pictures that are more like a 10 frame or less video that repeats. These wallpapers can be a great option for personalizing your phone when you first get it because they provide several different options and don’t cost you a thing.

    From a website

    If you are looking for something a little more diverse than what your phone is offering there are many websites that offer free phone wallpapers. To find them, just do a search using your preferred search engine and starting browsing the different options. There are a few websites that ask you to pay for their wallpapers, but there are many more providing them completely for free. Once you find a site that seems to have the kinds of things you are looking for, browse what they have and find some wallpapers you are interested in. Once you have gotten what you want, download them and load them on your phone using a text message (typically through the site itself), email (if you have an account connected with your phone), wireless network/Bluetooth connection, or a data transfer cable. Once they are on your phone, you can select them as wallpapers for your main screen and other screens or delete them if you decide to go with something else.

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    Create your own

    Believe it or not, you can actually create your own free phone wallpapers on your phone or personal computer. If your phone is capable of taking pictures, you can use its camera to take a picture of anything you think would serve as a decent wallpaper. Once you snap the photo, or even after the fact you can select the image and choose the option “set as wallpaper” and in no time at all that picture will be your new wallpaper. You can also make custom wallpapers on your computer using a simple picture editing software program. These will allow you to work with high-detail pictures and crop them to the appropriate size so they won’t look distorted when applied to your phone as wallpapers. These can then be uploaded to your phone using most of the same methods as the site based wallpapers.

    Now that you know how and where to get your free phone wallpapers, you can start customizing your phone, making it truly a unique reflection of your identity.

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  • How To Get Free Phone Ringtones

    By David

    If you are looking to personalize your cell phone, you have probably considered trying to get some free phone ringtones that are at least pieces of your favorite songs. There are many options for getting started with this and they are all a bit different. Here is a quick guide to help you get a hold of some free phone ringtones:

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    Find a site

    There are so many sites out there offering ringtones that it can be difficult to know where to start. Many ask for you to pay per ringtone downloaded, others want a subscription fee each month and allow you to download as many ringtones as you like so long as you are paid up, while other sites offer ringtones to you for free.  Obviously, those sites are a good place to start your search for free phone ringtones. Just do a search using your favorite search engine and start going through the available options. Many will want some kind of payment, but you can simply exit out of these and move on to the next one until you find a good site that is offering their ringtones for free.

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    Sign-up

    Once you have found a site that looks good to you, you will want to go ahead and register with them in order to start getting your free phone ringtones. Each site is going to have a different application, but at the minimum, they will want to get a valid email address for marketing purposes. This will cause a bit more spam email for you, but your emails provider will likely filter out much of this and you can junk anything that gets through to prevent it from doing so in the future. If the site wants any personal information like name, phone number, or mailing address make sure the site’s address in the address bar is listed as an https rather than an http. This type of address has additional security protocols attached to it in order to keep your information safe. You may also wish to review the site’s privacy policy to see what they intend to use the information for. Be extra careful to avoid scams. There are those sites that use the offer of free ringtones to get your personal information (like social security numbers, complete names, and full date of birth). Do not fall prey to these traps. If the site is asking for too much, you can always try a different one.

    Download

    Once you have your account set up, you can start browsing their selection and begin downloading your free phone ringtones. Typically you can either choose to have these sent straight to your phone by entering your cell phone number, or you can opt to download them to your computer and transfer them to your phone through a data cable or a short-range wireless connection.

    Now that you know what to look for and what to avoid you can get started personalizing your cell phone without paying an arm and a leg to do so.

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  • How To Get Free Phone Apps

    By David

    If you use a Smartphone, you are probably already familiar with cell phone apps and may even have some already. Many of these applications are actually available for free. To help you get your hands on some of these free applications, here is a simple 3 step guide to find free phone apps:

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    Search

    The first step in finding free phone apps is to search for them on your mobile store. As this requires you to access the internet, you will likely want to follow these steps while within a Wi-Fi area that you are connected to, in order to make sure you are not using up all your data. Once you have opened your mobile app, just do a search for anything that you are interested in and you will typically get a fairly extensive list of applications to choose from, many of which will have their prices listed as free. With free apps, the worry is going to be quality so you will want to spend a bit of time checking out the ones that look most interesting to you and reading reviews on each. This way you can save yourself from the tedious process of downloading several different apps and trying each one until you find one that you like. Still if you prefer to do things that way, they are free to download and use so why not have at it?

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    Download

    Once you have found one of the free phone apps that you think you will like, you will have to download it to your phone. Again, make sure you are in and connected to a Wi-Fi signal area as downloads use a lot of your data. Taking this extra precaution helps you avoid using all your data on these downloads so you can use it for web browsing and other fun things later. To download the app, just select its entry from the list of available apps and click the download link on its product page. This will start the download process which you will probably have to confirm before it begins. If so, click yes and you will see a progress bar pop up and begin getting filled up. Once the download is going you don’t need to remain on the same page or even leave your phone on. The download will continue running in the background allowing you to do other things in the meantime.

    Setup

    Once your app is downloaded you may wish to create a shortcut to it or just browse to it in your phones apps section. Just open up your new application and it will guide you through the setup process so you can start enjoying one of your new free phone apps. Of course if it does not work out for you, it was free so little is lost and you can always try another one.

    Now that you have an idea how to go about finding and getting ahold of some of the many free phone apps that are available, why not take a look and see what they have for you?

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  • How to Compare Mobiles

    By David

    With all the different options available these days in the cell phone market, you may not be sure how to compare mobiles. Each phone has such a range of features so few of which seem to be shared, how do you decide what is important and what is not? Below we have provided you with a simple 3 step guide to help you compare mobiles and find the one that is right for you.

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    Type

    The first thing to look for when you compare mobiles is the type of mobile you want to get. There are two broad categories of mobiles to choose from; cell phones and smartphones. A cell phone is your basic cell phone good for talking, texting, and maybe checking email, but little else. They typically are not designed to run processing heavy applications or hook up to wireless networks. Smartphones on the other hand are good at everything, talk, text, web, and whatever else you can make it do. They run much faster and are designed specifically for a greater level of interconnectivity with web based apps and social networking sites providing a high level of versatility.

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    Features

    Next, you will want to compare mobiles by taking a look at their features. As was mentioned earlier, there are many different types, but the three most important to look for (especially in regard to a smartphone) are processing speed, wireless connection speed, and internal memory storage capacity. Your processing speed is important because of the programs you try to run on your phone. The higher your processor speed, the faster these will run. Wireless connection speed is similar in that it determines speed, but applies to any data or web activities rather than programs. Finally internal memory storage capacity is going to be important because it determines how many apps, pictures, music files, videos, and other similar things will fit on your phone. Some phones allow for additional memory to be added through an external memory card slot, but be aware that items used for your theme and many applications will typically have to be located in internal memory in order for them to work and thus won’t be saved on an external memory card.

    Price

    The final determining factor as you compare mobiles is to look at their prices. By now you should have a short list of phones you want with the features you need. Many will likely have additional features that would be nice to have, but are not vital and will typically cost a little more. It is up to you to decide whether or not the additional features are worth the extra expense, but whatever you go with, you know you will be getting a good phone that meets your requirements.

    Now you have an idea about how to compare mobiles and determine which ones are worth your attention. All you have to do at this point is start searching and narrowing down your options using the guide above to find the perfect phone for your situation.

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  • Cell Phone Bill: How To Save On Your Cell Phone Bill

    By David

    With the state of the economy at present, many people are looking for new ways to save money on their monthly cell phone bills. One way to save quite a bit each month is by taking a look at your cell phone bill, specifically, how to save on your cell phone bill. Take a look with us as we explore 3 different options to accomplish this task.

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    Switch Companies or Plans

    With the economy being so bad, many companies are offering lower rates on their cell phone bill demonstrating how to save on your cell phone bill in at least one way. Switching companies may not sound ideal, but if you take advantage of a lower rate you could be saving yourself quite a bit in the long run. Of course, you will want to make sure that the company you switch to has all the features and services you need or it may not be as great a deal. Alternatively if you are unwilling to change companies or can’t because of a contract term, see if your company is offering any new plans that offer the same amount of stuff for less. Sometimes, especially if you have had your plan for a while this will be the case. If nothing else, you could always call and ask about discounted rates. They may just toss a little extra savings your way to make sure they retain you as a customer.

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    Cut Features

    Honestly we are all guilty of occasionally signing up for things and then not using them as much as we thought we would. Typically, that is not a big deal, but when talking about your cell phone bill, in particular how to save on your cell phone bill, identifying these things and removing them can save you a good chunk of money. Cell phone companies allow you to track your usage, even on an unlimited everything plan, so you can get an idea what you really need. If you are only using three hundred minutes a month, you could downgrade from an unlimited minutes plan to maybe a 500 minutes plan. If there is nothing to cut, you can always try replacing a service like your texting plan with a free app that will use your data plan to do the same thing or commit to restricting your talking and data use to a Wi-Fi area so you can do those things without using those expensive phone resources allowing you to downgrade them.

    Consolidate

    If you have a family with multiple individual plans or perhaps a group of 3 or more close trusted friends, you may want to consider using a family plan to consolidate and split the cost of features to bring your personal monthly bill down by as much as 37%

    Whatever route you decide to go with you can be sure that these tips will help you save on your cell phone bill so you can better weather the tough economy.

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  • How To Compare The Best Smartphone Features

    By David

    If you are presently in the market for a new high-tech phone, you may be wondering what the best Smartphone features are to help you compare different options. Smartphones these days all have so many features to choose from, making them difficult to compare. The truth is: there are still some excellent baselines for comparison that can help you get started in your search.

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    Processor Speed

    In your quest to find the best Smartphone features for your new phone, you will want to start by comparing processor speeds. Smartphones are essentially like very small computers and as such they have all the same bits, albeit a lot smaller. Because of their size, they won’t have the processing power of a laptop or a desktop anytime soon, but this does not mean their processing power is not important. The faster your Smartphone’s processing power is, the faster it will run the applications you use, meaning less loading time when you first start an application and less wait time as it processes your instructions.

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    Wireless Network Adapter

    Almost all Smartphones worth getting include a wireless network adapter allowing you to connect to your home network or Wi-Fi hotspots where available around town and stream information from the internet through those networks rather than using the typically slower cellular network. This is among the best Smartphone features to look for in your new phone. Be sure to choose one that uses a wireless network adapter built for the latest connection speeds in order to speed up your browsing experience and not leave you waiting forever to download the pages on your favorite sites.

    Internal Storage Capacity

    Though you probably do not think about it much until you find that you do not have enough of it, internal storage capacity is, by far one of the best Smartphone features to compare. As the large majority of Smartphones find most of their functionality and usefulness in their ability to download and utilize applications, it is no surprise that internal storage capacity is so important. Many Smartphones will also include a memory expansion slot for a micro-SD or other type of memory card, but be aware that the large majority of applications are going to require that they be saved on the phone in order to perform their best and sometimes in order to run at all. Additionally a phone will typically require that pictures, music, and videos used as part of your theme (for backgrounds, screen savers, and contact photos) also be stored in your phones internal memory rather than an expansion card. This demand that so much be placed on internal memory rather than available expandable memory will eat up your space quickly and can even become a problem for operating speed if you do not have enough.

    Now that you have been made aware of what the best Smartphone features are, you can make fair comparisons between phones as you seek to purchase your next cellular device.

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  • Worldwide Calling Plans At Incredibly Low Rates

    By Rick

    If you make a lot of long distance calls, you’ll need to compare the various worldwide calling plans to find the best rates. This can be a little confusing as many of these plans are very specific to the company offering them and some of them have hidden costs that may not be apparent when you scan their descriptions. Even though spending time comparing these worldwide calling plans can be tedious, it can save you hundreds of dollars a year on the cost of your long distance calls if you choose the right one.

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    Home Phone Options

    Traditional landline providers were somewhat slow to adopt many of the new technologies that lower the cost of a long distance phone call. In many cases they had been providing phone service to a customer for decades and were not willing to modify these rates as technology improved. With the expansion of high-speed internet connections to many homes, the competition for how phone calls were made increased and forced many of these carries to introduce discounted worldwide calling plans for their existing customers. These plans typically provide for a monthly uplift to your basic phone service and allow you to make a certain number of minutes of calls every month. Some of the carriers charge a smaller monthly fee and then a reduced rate for each minute of talk time as part of their worldwide calling plans. One other option that many carriers offer allow you to target a specific region or country for your long distance calls and provide a reduced rate for all calls going to that area. This can be a big help in lowering your monthly phone bill if you only have family or friends in a specific part of the world that you call regularly.

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    Calling Long Distance on Your Mobile

    Mobile phone carriers were much quicker to offer these worldwide calling plans and today provide some of the best rates available for these calls. All of the major carriers offer packages for an existing contract that allows you to make these long distance calls at a discount. Some of the worldwide calling plans provide a fixed number of minutes for the monthly fee and others simply reduce the cost per minute for these calls. Some plans even have specific plans for selected regions that lower the cost of calls to that area like the landline offerings. Check with your cell phone provider to see what options they provide for their worldwide calling plans to help you reduce your monthly bills.

    Flexible Programs That Are Portable

    If you don’t find any of the worldwide calling plans being offered by the traditional carries or your cell phone provider to your liking, there are other ways of reducing the cost of these calls. Calling cards are a great way to find some of the lowest calling rates for long distance connections and can be used virtually anywhere you can find a dial tone. These Calling cards offer calling plans that include a set number of minutes with each card that are deducted from your balance when you use the card. Even though these cards can be used to call from anywhere, to anywhere, some of them provide the best rates when calling a specific country. If you have relatives in Ireland, finding a calling card that allows you to call that country will give you much lower rates than one you can use to call other parts of Europe. Comparing these calling card rates is the best way of find a plan that is perfect for you.

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  • Best Long Distance Rates

    By Rick

    Searching for the best long distance rates for calling family and friends can take a bit of work. You need to not only compare similar calling plans but also consider other ways of reducing the cost of your calls through the use of applications on the web or calling cards. While lowering the cost of these calls is possible, you may have to employ several different techniques to get the very best long distance rates available.

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    Calling Cards Are a Great Option

    Calling cards are the easiest and most convenient option for most people trying to find the best long distance rates. These cards can be purchased almost anywhere and provide some of the lowest possible calling rates being offered today. You typically buy a calling card with a certain number of minutes available that can be used for all the long distance calls you make. You simply dial the number on the card, enter the card’s pin number as well as the number you want to call. The call is connected and the minutes you talk are deducted from your balance of minutes on the card. The beauty of using a calling card is that you can use it anywhere you like, on any phone, to call any number. This flexibility appeals to people looking for the best long distance rates they can find but want to make these calls from different phones.

    Check with Your Current Provider

    Another option that offers the best long distance rates for many people is expanding the contract they have with their current provider. Most phone companies are happy to offer a package for long distance calling that can be added to your current monthly bill. These rates are typically discounted and allow you to make a certain number of minutes of calls every month for a flat rate. Even the plans that charge you by the minute can still provide a lower cost for these calls as long as you add the option to an existing account. For the absolute best long distance rates with these carriers, you may have to commit to a minimum number of minutes each month. This is an easy step to take for people calling friends on a regular basis.

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    Internet Applications Can Save You Money

    The maturity of the internet has also provided a way to find some of the best long distance calling prices available. There are a number of ways of using the web to make these calls and all of them are typically less expensive than using a traditional phone. The easiest way to take advantage of the internet to help lower your rates is by talking to your internet provider. Many of these companies offer calling rates that are far lower than a traditional phone. These plans may also include a set number of long distance minutes each month as part of the plan. If you aren’t happy with the rates they charge, you can also use one of the many applications like Skype or Google Voice to make these calls. These services provide some of the best long distance rates of any solution and can help you substantially lower the cost of your long distance calls each month.

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  • Call Cell Phones: Everything You Wanted To Know

    By Rick

    Making a phone call is an easy enough thing for most people to do. When trying to call cell phones, the process gets a little trickier, especially if you’re calling long distance. Cell phones in the same country or region can be called just like a traditional landline phone but dialing a friend abroad is harder. This has to do with the way that phone service has evolved over the years. The process for connecting a traditional phone is different than when you call cell phones, even in the same location. The pricing for these cell phone calls can be more expensive as well since you are typically connecting through at least two carriers that each charges a fee for connecting the call.

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    The Dialing Challenge

    When you call cell phones in other countries, you may have to add a special carrier code for the network the receiving phone uses. These codes are dialed in addition to the exit codes for your country and the country codes needed to make the connection. The confusing part is that these carrier codes are not used in every country. You may be able to call cell phones directly in one foreign country and need the code for a cell carrier in the next country over. The best thing to do is check with the person you’re calling to see if they typically need a carrier code to connect with other callers.

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    The Pricing Challenge

    Calling cell phones abroad can cost more than calling a landline in most countries. Again, this has to do with the multiple carriers involved when you call cell phones that are involved with connecting the call. If you are using a long distance plan with set rates you might notice in the fine print that this discounted rate only applies to standard, landline phones. When you call cell phones in many other countries, the cost will typically be far higher than a standard call and can be an unpleasant surprise to get when your bill arrives. You can normally call a cell phone in your own country for a similar rate to a landline call but will normally see a premium charged for these calls when made long distance.

    Using a VoIP Service

    One way to avoid the higher cost of these international calls and eliminate some of the confusion when you call cell phones abroad is by using a VoIP service that connects over the web. These types of phone services have been available for years and normally provide much lower rates when you call cell phones long distance. There are a number of vendors that offer these VoIP services and all of them have very reasonable rates when compared to local carriers. Another way to avoid these higher rates is by using a calling card or dial-around service. Both of these methods allow you to use any phone you like and provide discounted rates on long distance calling. In some cases this rate is mere pennies a minute and can help you to substantially lower your monthly bill. These discounted plans are easy to use and carry no monthly fee or setup charge. One you get used to using one of these services you’ll almost forget how you used to make calls, until the lower bill arrives every month.

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  • International Dialing Tips That Really Work

    By Rick

    Calling a friend or relative in another country can be a complicated process for most people. Unlike calling within your local region, international dialing requires a series of numbers to be dialed before the number you are calling to make the connection. Knowing what digits to use is important in making sure you avoid an expensive wrong number. This international dialing becomes much easier with time and will become second nature for most people the more they do it.

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    Dialing Your Country’s Exit Codes

    Because every phone exchange is slightly different between countries, you’ll need to make a country-specific connection when starting your call. This is known as an exit code and is unique to the country where you are starting your call. These codes are also referred to as international direct dialing codes (IDD). Before any international dialing, you’ll need to know this exit code and dial this first when making your call. The good news is that this exit code is the same for wherever you are in the country but may vary based on the carrier you are using. Be sure to check this before making your call. All international dialing uses these codes and there are plenty of websites that list them.

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    Knowing the Country Codes for the Region You’re Calling

    In addition to the exit codes for your country, you’ll need to also know the country code for the region you’re calling to complete any international dialing. These country codes are different for every country and are a single code for each. When dialing another country, these country codes are dialed right after the exit codes and before the phone number you are trying to reach. To make international dialing easier, list the exit code on a piece of paper and list the country code below it and then the number you are calling below that. When written together it can be confusing when trying to dial a long string of digits.

    Special International Dialing Cases

    In many ways calling a landline phone is much easier than calling a cell phone. Because a landline phone is always located in a particular country, region and city you can look up the required codes for international dialing and make your call. Since a cell phone is mobile, its exact location will be different every time you call it. It is also on a different network than the landline phones and requires a different dialing sequence. In most cases you will have to know the carrier code for the network the phone is on to complete your call. This is an easy thing to find but does take a little more work. What makes this even more confusing is that this cellular carrier code is not something that every country requires. Some regions route these calls through the same international networks and allow you to dial them just like a standard landline call. To make this easier, many websites provide applications to help you figure out the correct dialing sequence required to complete these calls. You can simply enter the country you’re calling from, the country you want to reach and the application will give you the correct series of digits required to make your call.

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