planning

Now that you've dumped your gas-guzzling pick-up, maybe it's time to move that old fridge from the garage.

The Department of Energy is sponsoring a $300 million program, funded by the economic stimulus plan, that will let consumers get a rebate on an EnergyStar-rated appliance. It's modeled roughly like the Cash for Clunkers program, which is now ending, although trading in older home equipment isn't required.

The Energy Department has begun awarding funding for individual states. Maryland is getting a $5.4 million slice and will run the program through the Maryland Energy Administration, according to … Read more

On Call runs every two weeks, alternating between answering reader questions and discussing hot topics in the cell phone world.

Q: I was an Alltel customer, but I'm now with Verizon Wireless following the merger. I want to add a fourth line to my family plan, but Verizon informed me that my Alltel phones were not compatible and that I'd need to replace them. Replacing all four phones would cost me about $600. What can I do? - Sarah

A: Since Alltel and Verizon both use CDMA technology, I was surprised to hear that your Alltel phones aren't compatible with Verizon's network. I checked with Verizon and got a quick response. While most Alltel customers won't have to buy new phones, there are exceptions (there always are).… Read more

AT&T customers buying or upgrading to a smartphone must subscribe to a data plan starting September 6, according to reports.

Existing smartphone customers sans a data plan will be grandfathered in.

Boy Genius Report first noted the change Friday, citing internal e-mails. BusinessWeek and Information Week later confirmed the change with AT&T.

According to Information Week, here is AT&T's statement:

Smartphone users tend to consume a higher amount of data services, like advanced e-mail, mobile Web, applications and more. Being able to take full advantage of these features without having to worry about … Read more

Writing a novel can seem like an overwhelming process. All those characters and details to keep track of, not to mention finding the proper structure and pacing. Many would-be novelists just don't know where to begin. MyNovel breaks the novel-writing process into manageable pieces, giving writers a clear idea of how to proceed through each step of the writing process.

The program's interface is attractive and intuitive, with a layout that's similar to Office 2007 products. Although the program's Help file is well-written and thorough, most users should have little reason to visit it. MyNovel guides … Read more

Room Arranger offers to help users by setting up a virtual room or rooms. While the controls require a steep learning curve, many users may feel that the exciting results are worth it.

This program definitely requires users without prior design experience to make a trip to the online Help file. Here, users will get a better idea of what the confusing icons and command buttons, which are scattered throughout, do. Designing a room was surprisingly simple after we got a feel for the program and did a little experimenting. Users choose the dimensions of their room and can even … Read more

OrgScheduler Pro is a calendar and schedule manager that allows users to keep track of their schedules in several ways. Although we like the interface, some of the program's key features are hard to figure out.

The program will look familiar to users of Microsoft Outlook. For the most part, the program's functions are well organized with tabs and large, graphical buttons. The interface has a sleek, professional feel to it that allows it to integrate well with later versions of Windows. We liked the fact that the calendar interface is so customizable; users can view calendars that … Read more

The Department of Energy on Wednesday announced which U.S. companies have been awarded grants to build manufacturing plants for electric vehicle batteries.

The $2.4 billion program, established as part of the stimulus plan, sets aside funds for auto battery manufacturing and related components, such as electric motors. (Click here for a PDF to see the full list and for a map of the awards).

President Obama, appearing in Elkhart, Ind., and Vice President Joe Biden, in Detroit, were scheduled to announce the recipients and specific amounts. Energy Secretary Steven Chu is scheduled to speak Wednesday in Charlotte, N.… Read more

MetroPCS, which has recently expanded its prepaid wireless service offering to several large cities throughout the U.S., has just lowered its unlimited monthly plan to $40 a month for voice, texting and Web access.

The new lowered prices ushers in a new era of competition in the prepaid market, which is heating up as Sprint Nextel announces this week its intent to buy Virgin Mobile USA for $483 million.

Business owners, managers, and planners at all levels will find something to like about this free project management app. Launch sales and marketing campaigns or revive a flagging product line.

RationalPlan Project Viewer launches a plain, but functionally designed, interface with a task category list in its first vertical pane and contextually dynamic items--lists, events, timelines, Gantt charts, and so forth--in the remaining pane. The icons in the menu bar are simple and easy to comprehend, and navigating the app's many tools is a snap. This tool performed very satisfactorily in our tests, responding quickly to our input. We … Read more