Nice Phone, If You Can Find It
You can easily find reviews of the new Sony Ericsson W800i Walkman phone all over the web. And all the reviewers are saying what a great combination of features the Sony Ericsson w800i Walkman phone offers: great sound, a sharp 2 megapixel camera, expandable memory (up to 2 GB). There's one problem. No major US carrier is currently selling the Sony Ericsson w800i Walkman phone. It's nowhere to be seen on the web sites of Verizon, Sprint or Cingular. You can buy one unlocked and try to make it work with your service. Otherwise, you have to wait for the w800i Walkman phone and try to keep from drooling.
Make Your Own Ringtones
Ringtones can be expensive. And it can be hard to find the exact tone you want, especially if you're looking for real MP3 ringtones. There's a new tool out there that lets you create and upload your own ringtones. It's called Xingtone and it works only with Windows Media Player. But for $19.95 you can forget making payments each time you download a ringtone and instead rip them directly from your MP3 or CD connection.
Your Cell Network is Your Content Provider
Thinking of using your video cell phone's high-speed Internet network to connect your laptop to the Web, or perhaps to download videos from your favorite file sharing service? It's not going to happen. The major cell phone companies have done everything they can to cripple your ability to get video content from anyone but them. And if you do find a way to get around their rules, remember they watch anyone with large downloads and regularly throw people off the service for TOS violations.
Paperless Prepaid Liberty Wireless Account
You've probably heard that it's best to manage your accounts online and not get paper statements--identity theft. However, if you're dealing with an unknown company, you may insist on paper statements too. It's worth noting, however, that the big companies have had security breaches.
You can feel comfortable managing your Prepaid Liberty Wireless plans online. You can prepay for the months you want to use, In other words, they are not required to pay for a service until they do decide to use it. You can also automate everything with AutoPay.
While you typically think Internet and unknown companies when guarding against identity theft, you can feel safe taking advantage of automation and checking on your wireless plan online.
Cingular S.O.S. and Roadside Assistance
Before, when you yelled "Help" into your cell phone it was because you lost the signal. Now when you call out for help with Cingular Wireless or another wireless provider, you can get Roadside Assistance with Cingular plans. Cingular Wireless offers users Roadside Assistance for a low monthly fee, say $2.99. The service includes four free service calls per year with a maximum benefit of $50.00 per service request. Assistance includes:
? towing
? battery service/jump start
? flat tire assistance
? fuel delivery (of up to three gallons of gas or diesel)
? lockout assistance
? key replacement
The service goes into effect 72 hours after it has been activated and can be cancelled at any time. These is even a toll free number to call when the services are needed. It's the cellular phone plan equivalent of OnStar, and you can get help as quickly as possible sent to your location.
Note that Cingular has competition from the other major cell phone carriers, which also offer roadside assistance or emergency calls.