plan

Cash-strapped wireless subscribers can now get unlimited everything smartphone service for less than $20 a month. So what's the catch? And is it really worth it?

That's the question I help answer for one reader in this edition of Ask Maggie. Indeed, Republic Wireless's $19 a month plan requires customers use Wi-Fi wherever they can. While this may be a good fit for some wireless customers, it's not for others.

The same is true of other prepaid services. While the advertisements may make some prepaid services seem cheaper than services from bigger nationwide rivals, consumers need … Read more

Posting on your own Facebook wall that you're headed to Anchorage, Alaska and need travel tips might not result in answers. Posting direct questions on friends' walls who have been to Anchorage does.

Uptake, an online travel planner, today announced a social travel service that sifts through Facebook to find the friends that can help answer your travel questions.

"Friends don't leave friends hanging," says CEO Yen Lee, who says customers of trip advice companies like TripAdvisor don't get their travel questions personally answered.

"Just because you have the same destination and travel budget … Read more

With the introduction of 3G, and especially 4G, mobile Internet access is no longer considered inferior to home broadband. In fact, in certain locations, it can actually be much faster than many residential DSL plans.

That said, as you roam around, even within one city like the case of the iPhone 4S, you'll experience changes in connection speed and coverage. That's just the nature of any cellular data connection.

Generally, it's best to use a 4G connection. However, since, for now, none of the wireless providers can guarantee the availability of 4G coverage throughout the U.S., … Read more

Those of you paying for multiple data plans per mobile device or per family member may get some relief down the road as shared data plans become more prevalent.

The number of mobile devices sold on shared data plans is projected to grow 89 percent per year over the next few years, hitting almost 187 million in 2015, says a new report from Infonetics Research and published by mobile networking company Tekelec.

Some carriers may be slow to enter this new arena because implementing a shared data plan is more challenging than it sounds. Such plans demand a more "… Read more

There are ton of to-do-list and task management options in the iTunes App Store, but a longtime favorite for Android users was just released today for iOS, and it might be just what you're looking for to help you get things done.

Astrid for iPhone is a to-do-list and task management app that keeps the interface simple, but offers social elements that let you share tasks with friends and family in unique ways. You can add friends to shared tasks, for example, so planning a social event is an ideal use for Astrid. The app is organized with four … Read more

If you aren't fortunate enough to still be on an unlimited data plan, you may be paranoid about how much data you are using on a daily basis. With iCloud and the eventual release of more iCloud-enabled apps, the amount of data being used by your device is inevitably going to go up. … Read more

When you travel abroad, don't forget to pack your international calling and data plan--or face the consequences.

Perhaps you've faced the sticker shock of using your cell phone abroad, where roaming rates can reach as high as several dollars for each minute or few megabytes of data. Multiply that horror by a few thousand and you might begin to be able to empathize with Celina Aarons. The Florida resident recently opened her T-Mobile bill to find a balance due of $201,000.

Unfortunately for Ms. Aarons, the bill was correct.… Read more

SAN DIEGO--How often do you actually talk on your cell phone?

The answer, for a lot of people, is much less than they used to. With apps that power text messages and instant messaging, social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, and Internet-based phone services freely available, there are a lot of alternatives to making a traditional phone call.

At least one carrier is catching on. Last week, T-Mobile and Wal-Mart said they would offer a no-contract plan with unlimited data and text messages--but only the 100 minutes for phone calls. The cost: $30, which is the same amount as … Read more

Apple plans to launch a new platform Wednesday that could put a big dent in wireless carriers' bottom line.

Introduced at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in June, iMessage lets users on iOS devices chat with one another like they would send a text message. Like the BlackBerry Messenger, iMessage allows them to bypass the SMS text-messaging network--along with carriers' texting charges.

Instead of routing the text message over the cellular network using SMS, it sends the message over a wireless Internet data connection. The service itself is not tied to any carriers and is designed to work on the … Read more