6 Things To Look For When Choosing A Cell Phone Plan

If you don’t really know what you’re looking for, then every cellular provider might seem good. It’s easy to find a cheap provider or one that offers a lot of data, but how do you find a really good provider that gives you everything that you need? You need to know what to look for. It’s not too difficult, but don’t fall in love with the first provider that you see.

Basic Services
Every provider offers three basic services: minutes, data and text messages. While many people still have feature phones that don’t need a data plan, the majority of devices are smartphones that require all three services.

How much are you getting? Are you getting enough for your basic needs, or will you have to upgrade to a premium plan? You should also check the price to ensure that you aren’t getting ripped off. Some providers charge much more for data than others, so shop around.

While these are the basic services, they are very important because you will be mainly using your phone to send messages, browse the Internet and call people. If the provider doesn’t give you enough resources, or if the prices are just too high, then find someone else.

Tethering Charges
Manydevicnoes function as mobile hotspots that can power your laptop and other devices at the expense of your data plan. This can be very beneficial, but you have to consider the price. Some carriers offer tethering for free, but others can charge between $10 and $40 a month without giving you additional data.

Signal Strength
How is the carrier’s signal strength in your area? Most national brands claim to have total coverage, but this is far from the truth. Not only that, but most people will stay in one general area, so it’s best to find a carrier that really supports your area. There’s no reason to buy a mobile phone if you can’t even call people with it.

The majority of providers will show you a map of their coverage area. Make sure that your area is well canvassed before considering the carrier.

Contract
This has recently become a hot topic. Do you want a carrier that forces you to sign a contract? Most carriers offer you a free or discounted device in exchange for a two-year contract. No-contract providers will give you service at a lower rate, but you have to supply the device.

Contract-based providers tend to have somewhat better service, but you’ll be paying more and the level of service isn’t that much better. No-contract providers are typically half the price, but you must buy an unlocked device. This can mean a high initial investment if you want an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy device.

Phone Selection
If you choose a contract-based provider, then check the provider’s phone selection. For example, many providers can’t support iPhone. Android devices are very common, but be sure that they meet your needs. A good carrier will have a number of modern phones to choose from.

Most no-contract providers sell phones, but what’s more important is ensuring that your device is supported. Some providers are still having a hard time getting used to 4G speeds, and certain Android or iOS smartphones may not be supported.

Overages
How are overages handled? Some carriers will cut your service once you go over the limit with data or text messages, but this has become very uncommon. Most will just charge you an extra fee that is much higher than the normal service fee. For example, you might be charged $10 to $20 per GB of extra data.

If you have an unlimited plan, then you still have to worry about overages. Most carriers have soft limits. For example, you’ll get unlimited data, but only the first 2GB will be at 4G speeds. Check the limits to see if the unlimited plan really supports your needs.

Conclusion
Choosing the right provider largely depends on the basic services and coverage area, but you also need to consider other factors such as overages, supported devices and contracts. Just remember that you might be stuck with your decision for the next few years unless you choose a no contract cell phone plan.

Meizu’s elusive founder returns to office, promises to lead team to a new start

As Chinese phone maker Meizu approaches its eleventh anniversary come March 14th, its notoriously reclusive founder Jack Wong made a surprise return — in front of cameras, no less — to his company’s Zhuhai headquarters this weekend. Wong, who is now 40 years old, has apparently avoided setting foot in his office for years — he even used to leave home just once a month to get his haircut, and he only held meetings with just a handful of key employees, according to our sources. During yesterday’s recorded Q&A session, the slightly brash yet charismatic exec confirmed this odd little fact, blaming a series of events several years ago that led to exhaustion. But now he’s ready to go full time again, instead of just occasionally posting on his company’s online forum and designing prototypes at home.

“I plan to lead everyone, lead Meizu, lead the whole team to make a new start, to a more extraordinary, more prosperous 10 years,” Wong said in front of his employees.

Wong’s first objective is to get his one billion yuan (about $165 million) funding, which will eventually help him list his company, as well as attracting more talents and developing more connections in the industry. He confessed that finance was never his strong point back in the day, even when Lei Jun, an investor of Meizu before starting rival company Xiaomi, tried to convince Wong that stock options are beneficial to the company and its employees.

“I recall some years ago, when Lei Jun was still at Kingsoft, he told me that even his driver was already very rich (by buying stock). I didn’t quite believe it then, but today, I really believe it,” Wong said, before taking another puff on his cigarette while his team applauded.

Li Nan (pictured above), VP of Marketing and Sales, said earlier that Meizu’s been operating just fine without funding over the last ten years. The exec claimed his company’s selling around 300,000 to 400,000 units per month these days, covering markets in China, Russia (with three flagship stores), Ukraine, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong. This year, Meizu aims to crack the North and South American markets, with the former already initiated with e-tailers Light In The Box and Amazon, as well as a Best Buy-like chain store. Li added that while there’s a growing demand for unlocked smartphones in the US, his company’s also talking to the carriers there for potential partnership.

Both Wong and Li confirmed that Meizu will continue its one-year product cycle, while offering a refresh model in between. Shortly after CES this year, Meizu posted a few photos of its flagship MX3 phone running on Ubuntu, which suggests we might see an Ubuntu-powered MX4G — as Wong’s been calling it in his forum — this summer. Li couldn’t comment on this matter when we asked him about this, but he did point out that Meizu fans remained loyal despite the shift from Windows CE on the controversial M8 to Android since the M9. We’ll take that as a hint at a somewhat customized version of Ubuntu on the next Meizu phone.

Looking ahead, Wong said the US is still the top place to be for technology companies, and he hopes to set up an R&D center there to stay ahead of the curve. The founder even joked that had he returned to work full time sooner, maybe it would have been Meizu instead of Lenovo buying Motorola. If you want to see the rare footage of the once media-shy Wong in action (and don’t mind a bit of Mandarin Chinese), then head over to the source link below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

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Source: Sina Weibo, Youku

GoPro files for IPO to become publicly traded company

It’s safe to say GoPro’s camera business is quite successful — and there are plenty of things which prove this to be the case. Still, GoPro doesn’t want to stop there, so much so that it has now started the process to take its (adventurous) efforts to the next level. The company, which is based out of San Mateo, California, recently announced it has formally filed for IPO, indicating that it will be maturing into a public company pretty soon. We can expect more details once the SEC finishes reviewing all the confidential paperwork — for now, here’s the official statement from GoPro:

GoPro, Inc. announced today that it plans to conduct a registered initial public offering of its common stock. The offering is expected to commence after the SEC completes the review process initiated by GoPro’s confidential submission on Friday February 7, 2014 of its draft registration statement.

This announcement is being made pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 135 under the Securities Act of 1933. As required by Rule 135, this press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities, and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of that jurisdiction.

Filed under: Cameras, Misc

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Source: GoPro