Rick Cooper, The PDA Pro

Complimentary Teleseminar - Drive Safe and Talk Safe – Mobile Headset Tips

 

Do you use a mobile phone while driving? How do you stay productive while driving, but avoid the risk of DRIVING DISTRACTED?!?

Join me for a complimentary teleseminar where I will interview Mobile Headset Expert John Waller on tips to use your phone safely (and legally).

Drive Safe and Talk Safe – Mobile Headset Tips
(And Learn about California’s new Hands Free Driving Laws)
(Complimentary Teleseminar)

Thursday, July 3rd
12pm Pacific / 2pm Central / 3pm Eastern

Special Guest: John Waller, Mobile Technology Consultant

Register Now!

Click Here to Register for Complimentary Teleseminar

John Waller

Owner of Mobile Connectivity

John has been involved in technology since 1987. He started out in alpha numeric pagers, cell phones and digital pagers. He has been selling headset for over 13 years. He is a technology consultant and helps people to be more productive with technology and is a sought after speaker and consultant. He is the Founder of the Silicon Valley Palm Users Group and has been hired by Palmsource to train their employees on their devices.  He is currently writing a book on "How to be More Productive in the New Millennium". For more information about Mobile Connectivity, visit http://www.mobileconnectivity.net/

CALIFORNIA HANDS FREE DRIVING LAWS ARE NOW IN EFFECT!

New cellular phone laws went into effect July 1, 2008 in California. The changes are intended to reduce accidents caused by distracted drivers.

VC §23123: Drivers 18 years of age or older are prohibited from driving a motor vehicle while using a wireless telephone unless a hands-free device is used.

SOURCE: California Department Of Motor Vehicles Web Site:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/cellularphonelaws/

 

Nokia E62 New Option for Cingular Customers

Cingular is offering the Nokia E62, a powerful smartphone based on the Symbian operating system. This smartphone has all of the standard PDA functions and a whole lot more. An initial promotion features the device for $99.99. This seems to be a new pricepoint for smartphones.

I haven't had much experience with the Symbian OS. So, be sure you do your research before you commit to getting this device. They appear to have all of the functions you would ever need, so there should be no issue there. Plus, because Symbian devices were originally designed to be smartphones and not just PDAs, sound quality should be excellent.

The good news is that competition is good for consumers.

Additional Information on Breaking your Phone Contract

On December 19th, I mentioned that Cingular is increasing rates on SMS. I quoted Gizmodo in indicating that customers of Cingular will have an opportunity to break their contracts.  I have my doubts that Cingular will actually let people break their contracts. As I indicated, I was unable to find details of the change on Cingular's website. The key question is how Cingular will interpret their policy. And it also depends on how much people scream.

Sprint made a similar change in October 2006. So, you may be able to find some information about how they responded to customer requests to break their contracts.

If you break your contract, I think that naturally implies you will go to another provider and not stick with Cingular. You should also consider whether you can keep your phone number. Phone number portability should allow your number to be transferred to another provider, but you will want to make absolutely sure before you make a change.

The other thing to remember is this change apparently only applies to people who are not already on a data plan that includes SMS text messages. So, be sure to contact Cingular to see if your plan already includes a certain number of text messages and ask whether the change impacts you. Otherwise it’s a moot point.

If you're dissatisfied with your existing phone, contact your carrier about upgrading to a new phone and see what charges would apply in doing so.

Good luck and happy messaging!

Cingular Increases Rate for SMS

According to Jason Chen at Gizmodo, Cingular is increasing its rate on SMS text messages from 10 cents to 15 cents.  Jason writes,

"Starting Jan 21, 2007, you'll have 30 days to give them a call and break your contract, provided you're not currently subscribed to an SMS package. Why the generosity? You can thank Cingular's own policy that allows customers to terminate their service if there's a change in the contract terms. Upgrading fees from 10 to 15 cents per SMS counts as a change. "

For most people, this probably will not make much difference. Most business professionals I talk with are not big users of SMS, but it does offer some advantages. For one, text messages will often get through when email won't when you're in remote areas. The Palm Treo (PDA/smartphone) offers a chat-like interface that uses SMS to send messages and logs the chats with date and time by person. And, it's a quick way to send a message to another person with a mobile phone.

This may be a sign that phone carriers are beginning to evaluate and adjust prices. Keep an eye out for further changes.

I searched the Cingular website but could not find details of the change, but I found the same information on GigaOM. The change does not appear to apply to customers with an SMS plan which bundles a certain number of outgoing text messages for one rate.

UPDATE: See additional information about how this change may affect you. Why it may be tough to actually break your contract.