Administrative Sparkle

I’m always looking for the bigger and better deal. I am a huge advocate of any product or service I use that meets my needs in an exceptional way and I tell everyone I know about it. This article being case in point.

Some history on my mobile use. First of all, that is all I use for both personal and business. At this time, I see no reason to have two or three phones, phone services, or lines to do this. There is the home phone line, the business phone line, the fax line, and the mobile phone. My mobile phone is used for everything except for fax. I actually prefer sending and receiving information via PDF rather than by fax and thus far have not found the need for it. When and if I ever do consider a fax line, I will choose to do that online.

I like to keep things simple and keeping all my communication using one phone and online keeps everything in one place. I still need to consolidate my email addresses to select accounts. No matter what you use, the point is using what works for you, with the features that are important to you, meets your needs, and is cost effective.

As you know by now, there are some services that I absolutely rave about. Some being Sony for my electronics, HP for printing, Finesse for my shampoo and conditioner, Verizon for my mobile phone, Google Reader to keep all my RSS feeds organized, you get my point.

Some services have a timeline for renewing or expiring. These are the times when I start researching what new products or services have become available, as technology is always changing and companies need to keep up with the change. When using Verizon, I tried the BlackBerry. Having used the Palm Treo, I was extremely disappointed in the web interface that BlackBerry provided and found using the web on my phone nearly impossible. So I changed my service (which reduced the cost), replaced my phone, and went without web on my mobile. BlackBerry has since changed how you view the web and now the Palm Treo is not even found in the Verizon store as an option. BlackBerry improved on what was already an outstanding product and eliminated the competition from the store.

I knew that my Verizon contract would be completed soon and considered whether to keep them or find an alternative that met my needs sufficiently. The priority for me in my mobile phone is the ability to have service wherever I am. I’ve used various services, AT&T and Metro PCS. When using AT&T years ago, I wasn’t able to get service at a location where someone on Verizon could, and the location was in an area of the office where I worked. So I thought I would switch to Verizon. I even loved it then. When I was looking to cut on my expenses, I switched to Metro PCS. When I moved to Minnesota from California, Metro PCS wasn’t an option. Turns out it was only in California at the time. So I switched back to Verizon.

Fast forward to NOW. My Verizon contract is up and I started researching carriers. I thought about going back to Metro PCS considering cost and the fact that I don’t travel like I used to. The reception and service was a little spotty, but it met my needs in reliable communication. Researching Metro PCS, I discovered that they had expanded their service and gave them a second look. Then a friend suggested a service that I hadn’t yet heard about, Straight Talk, a registered trademark of Tracfone Wireless, being supplied and distributed by Walmart.

I’m a predominately visual, see, and touch person. So off to Walmart I went to talk to a customer service rep to get the details, while comparing all the other service providers. Although the Straight Talk and PCS Metro appear to be comparable in many ways, there are two things that stand out. Dependability of coverage: it appears Straight Talk is ahead of Metro PCS on this one. Phone selection: Straight Talk is still very limited in your selection of phones and Metro PCS has included a BlackBerry in their selection. The cost: They both seem to be pretty much equal.

I did make the switch to Straight Talk, which is a month-to-month provider with no contracts. I have found the dependability in my calling on target and no issues there. The phone I bought was the most expensive, a Samsung with a QWERTY keyboard, has a bit of weight to it, fits nicely into my hand, and slides open with ease. I need to read up on the “lock” feature and use that feature as you will find that because the cover buttons protrude above the faceplate a bit, your phone will be making calls or rotating through the features if placed in your purse or pockets.

So, with a week in, I love my phone and I love my service. Like I said the phone selection is still pretty limited, but wouldn’t be surprised to see it evolve over the next year. The BlackBerry and much talked about Droid phones are a lot more fun, have all the bells and whistles, but if you are looking for something that stands out in giving you the basic necessities of what you need with calling, texting, picture texting, and web capabilities, this will fit the bill.

I do need to make one other note. There appears to be a limitation on the amount of phone numbers you can store in your “Contacts.” There are five Groups to choose from: No Groups, Business, Colleague, Family, Friends. In saving contacts, it appears that I can only store ten contacts in each group. That would allow for a total of 50 if I am correct with that. This generally wouldn’t be a problem for me, but, when using my Verizon, I could save the number without considering how often I really need to access it. Also, if someone calls me from a saved number, their name displays on my phone. So this particular limitation can be a bit annoying. The one perk is I don’t have to remind myself to go through my phone on occasion to clean up my phone directory. Who knows, maybe this is something they will change in the near future.

If you are looking to reduce your cost and are able to live without some fancy bells and whistles, this is a great option to look into. I’m saving $300 a year and access to the Web when I need it.

Would love to hear your input on who your provider is, why you like them, why you don’t, phone and provider features you can’t live without, and any thoughts you may have on this new provider Straight Talk and others.

You almost have to love at the fight going on between AT&T and Verizon!

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