Wireless Wednesday for 9/3/14: Mobile, Alabama and Tech Ripoffs
Wednesday, September 3, 2014 at 11:14PM Rick is in Mobile, AL this week wrapping up 5 trips in about 3 1/2 weeks
Seeing some new high tech attractions in Mobile, AL.
The new GulfQuest opens in 2015 - First maritime museum to focus on the Gulf of Mexico.
Mobile is the birthplace of more MLB Hall of Famers than any other city.
Hank Aaron, Willie McCovey, Satchel Paige, Ozzie Smith and Billy Williams all grew up playing baseball on the fields of Mobile. Willie Mays born in the area, so was Don Sutton.
Have a listen to both parts:
**Topics** - Tech Ripoffs
1. AOL still has 2.4 million paying subscribers
For most, AOL is is a distant memory: you might have an Instant Messenger account around somewhere, and your favorite aunt uses it for e-mail. Oh, and you think that they might own some sites you visit sometimes, like Joystiq and TechCrunch. However, even as it works hard at becoming a content company, AOL still earns a lot of money from selling Internet service to people, including dialup.
How much money? According to their most recent quarterly earnings statement, which was released this morning, about a third of the company’s revenue still comes from members who pay a monthly AOL subscription bill. The actual figure is $196.1 million. That number doesn’t include people who retain free accounts so they can keep their AOL e-mail addresses. The company takes in an average of $19.41 per paying customer per month, but they’re losing about 9% of their subscribers every year. Their subscriber total is down from 2.54 million after the second quarter last year.
2. Internal Memory Upgrades on Phones/Tablets
If you install a lot of games on your mobile device or take lots of media files with you, you'll want 32GB or 64GB of storage, rather than the paltry 16GB that often comes preloaded on smartphones. Unfortunately, the cost of going from a 16GB to 32GB phone is $100, and that's if there's even a 32GB option available. It's a $200 to jump up to 64GB. By contrast, it costs manufacturers just 50 cents per GB to put that additional storage in your phone. Such companies as Apple, which charges $399 for its 64GB iPhone and $199 for the 16GB model, are hoping you'll pay $200 extra for Flash memory that's only worth $16.
Fortunately, there's an easy way to get the phone storage you need and avoid getting gouged. Buy a phone that comes with a microSD card slot, and purchase a 64GB card for $30 (a 32GB card goes for just $15). This is available on most Android phones.
3. Paying 4G Connection Fees for Tablets, Laptops
You pay enough for mobile broadband on your phone, so there's no reason to spend extra money getting your tablet, laptop or connected camera online. For example, AT&T and Verizon both charge $10 extra a month for each tablet to share the same bucket of data as your phone, while Sprint and T-Mobile would like you to buy dedicated tablet data plans that start at $10 per month, apiece. Turn your phone into a hotspot. Or just make use of free Wi-Fi, which is readily available now.
4. International Roaming
If you think the cost of mobile data plans in the United States is too high, try taking your phone on a trip outside the country. If you don't have an international data plan, on most carriers, you can expect to pay roaming fees as high as $20 for 1MB — the size of just one large Web page. Some carriers offer international data plans, but those aren't a great price either. Verizon, for example, charges $25 per month for 100MB if you're already signed up. T-Mobile provides free, unlimited international data, but at 2G speeds.
If you're traveling abroad, you can usually buy a local SIM card with plenty of data for $10 to $15. Just make sure your phone has a GSM-capable radio and is unlocked for international use. Most carriers will unlock your phone for use abroad, though many phones can take international SIMs right out of the box. You can also rent a Global hotspot with unlimited Internet from Xcom Global for $15 a day.
App of the Week:
PackPoint
Free for iOS
PackPoint really is for the lazy. By asking you a number of questions, it determines what you’ll need to take with you on a trip to ensure you don’t forget anything.
PackPoint will build a packing list for you that takes into account:
- Business or Leisure travel
- Activities you plan on doing
- What you need for an international trip
- Warm weather clothes
- Cold weather clothes
- An umbrella if the forecast calls for rain
