Tag Archives: T-Mobile International AG & Co. KG

About 2455 days ago PCs, Laptops, and Notebooks

How to Make Your Cell Battery Last Longer

You’re familiar with the scenario: You’ve been traveling all day, from one airport to another to a conference room here and a car service there. The whole way, you’ve been fielding calls from the home office and sending back requests for data you need on this important client call. But before you know it, you’re out of juice: All that time, you never had a chance to plug in and recharge your cell phone, and now you’re stuck. Here are a few simple tips for extending your cell phone battery over the long haul, so that when you do recharge — it lasts. Tip: Charge Up Less Often It’s a habit, especially for travelers: Get into the hotel room, search for the nearest available outlet and plug up all rechargeable electronics before settling in. Unfortunately, according to a T-Mobile spokesman, this very practice can drain life from your cell phone battery. Cell phones, iPods, and other rechargeable electronics have so-called battery memory. When first bought, your cell phone is prepped to charge fully each time you plug it into an outlet. Repeatedly charging your phone when it has, say, half power actually lowers the capacity of the battery. It gets used to holding only half a charge. Solution: Charge every other day. The average cell phone charge lasts about three days. Unless you’re a risk taker, it’s probably not a good idea to wait until the third day (after all, this isn’t an exact science). A more realistic goal is to plug in your phone every other day. Tip: Monitor Cell Phone Temperature Most people don’t have business in Antarctica or the Sahara, but leaving the phone in a hot summer car or a cold office will hurt battery life, too. “A common mistake made by cellular phone users is to leave their battery pack in their vehicle during the heat of day,” Motorola warns. Solution: If it must be stored, keep it away from sunlight during summer. In winter, keep the phone well-covered in a case or your bag. Tip: Turn Your Phone Off at Night The beauty of cell phones is that, dead zones notwithstanding, we can be reached at any time. We tend to leave them on all day and all night, and complain when they break down from exhaustion. What people don’t realize is that cell phones, like computers and other technological gadgets, need a little rest. Downtime allows your phone to cool down, while turning on the phone anew will refocus its coordinates (which may help you get better reception). Solution: Turn it off. Shut it down periodically, ideally at least once daily. Fives minutes will do. At the very least, when you go to bed at night — let your phone get a little rest, too.

About 2486 days ago Telecom and Wireless

What Kind of Cell Phone Plan Do You Need?

Choosing the right cell phone plan is as important, if not more important, than choosing the right cell phone. Dollar-per-minute overages, a lax assortment of features, and inadequate network coverage can cost your business hundreds of dollars. That cost gets multiplied by the number of phones your staff requires. The 200 million cell phone subscribers in the U.S. last year spent a total of $113 billion on service, according to the Cellular Telephone Industry Association. But the use of wireless services by U.S. businesses — which have expanded to data, e-mail and Web browsing — led to an estimated $15 billion in productivity gains by companies, a 2006 CTIA report says. Since cell phone service can help companies be more productive by allowing traveling employees to make calls — or send e-mail — from the road or from home, it’s vital to select a calling plan that best suits your business needs. In order to figure out what type of service is best for your company, consider some basic questions about your business before signing up: How many phones do we need? All major carriers — including Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint Nextel, etc. — offer business plans geared towards multiple phones, which include three-way talking and other bonus features. Not all of them support unlimited off-peak minutes (traditionally from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.), although they can offer discounts based on the number of phones. If only a few phones are needed, consider doing a (sometimes cheaper) family plan for your business. Family plans simply encompass two or more cell phones. The base plan will cost a few dollars more than a single phone setup, but adding additional phones as your business expands is an easy and inexpensive process. Be aware that some plans require that every member get the same type of phone. Another alternative method is the so-called “circle” option, which allows you to put certain people — maybe your employees or top clients — in your calling circle and call them for little-to-no charge. It requires that they have the same carrier. Will most business be done during the day, night or weekends? This is perhaps the most crucial decision in choosing the right cell phone plan. All carriers give a baseline of minutes per month, sometimes called a “bucket,” that can be used anytime. There are generally two types of plans: anytime plans and anytime plans with bonus minutes.

About 2486 days ago Mobility Tips and Tricks

Eight Great Cell Phones

As an entrepreneur, your cell phone may be one of the most important tech tools you own. Not only does it enable clients, colleagues, and customers to reach you wherever you are, but many of today’s cell phones have morphed into mini-computers that serve as digital day-timers, address books, note takers, Web surfers, e-mail readers, and digital cameras. If you’re considering an upgrade, the following is a look at eight hot “basic” cell phone models that are ideal for your business: Get Their Number As the first 3.2-Mega pixel camera phone in the U.S., the Samsung a990 ($349.99 on a 2-year service plan with Verizon Wireless; www.samsung.com) captures digital images and video and includes flash, zoom, and editing capabilities. Perhaps more useful for business trips and meetings, this Bluetooth-enabled phone also features a business card scanning feature and expandable postage stamp-sized MicroSD memory to store additional applications and files. All-Locations Phone The Motorola i580 ($279.99 with Sprint Nextel; www.sprint.com) is in good shape for road warriors. Designed to meet military specs for resistance to dust, rain, and shock, this phone also offers location-based services, Bluetooth support and expandable memory via teeny TransFlash cards (sold separately) for extra file storage. Look Good Like the company’s best-selling RAZR phone, the Motorola KRZR K1 (price and carrier is TBD; www.motorola.com) features a sleek design for entrepreneurs with cell phone image concerns. But this phone also comes with useful business tools such as high-speed data access and an enhanced phonebook with fields such as IM, URL, address, and birthday. Also included: music playback, stereo Bluetooth wireless audio, a 2-Mega pixel camera, and expandable memory. Take Them With You The Nokia 6126 (price and carrier TBD; www.nokiausa.com) is a robust phone that allows you to keep most of your contacts close at hand, with storage for up to 1,000 contacts. This Nokia is a lightweight flip-phone with a 1.3 Mega pixel camera, integrated MP3 player an expandable MicroSD memory (up to 2GB). The Nokia 6126 also features hands-free chatting (wireless headset or speakerphone), voice recorder, two color displays and a calendar with reminders. Sync Up While not as svelte as the mega-popular Motorola RAZR flip phone, the stainless steel Nokia 8801 ($549.99 with T-Mobile; www.nokiausa.com) is stylish, but more importantly, it syncs with a PC for calendar appointments, to-do lists and contacts, and supports EDGE wireless service for near broadband download speeds. Perfect for lengthy business trips, this Bluetooth-enabled phone offers eight days of stand-by time. Back to Basics The Nokia 6103 (free with 2-year commitment to T-Mobile; www.nokiausa.com) is a compact GSM world phone with Bluetooth wireless technology, hands-free speakerphone, integrated camera/camcorder, and mobile Web browser. Ideal for businesspersons who rely on messaging with clients or colleagues, the clamshell handset also supports SMS, MMS, email and Nokia Xpress audio messaging which lets users record and send voice messages with the push of a button. Power Up No walls? No wires? No worries. While not a cell phone, it can keep your phone alive: the Motorola Portable Power P790 (price TBD; www.motorola.com) is a pocket-sized battery that plugs into any Motorola cell phone’s mini-USB port for power on the go. It also works to juice up your wireless Bluetooth headset. The fully-charged P790 provides one to two full battery charges for your cell phone or 10 full Bluetooth headset charges. Available in one of six colors.

About 3704 days ago Telecom and Wireless

2003 Tech Buying Guide: Phones Break New Ground

2003 Tech Buying Guide Market Report If you’re an intense phone, e-mail, or instant message “aholic,” for whom a calendar and contact list are secondary considerations, consider the smart communicators offered by various cellular phone services. According to Forrester Research analysts, the mobile phone market is nearing saturation. This means that providers can now only expand their customer base by luring users away from one another with more interesting capabilities. Some of them are welcome (it’s always great to have e-mail access). Some are more debatable (instant messaging is already invasive enough on the desktop). But in any case, more choice in the marketplace means you’re the winner. BLEEDING EDGE If you need constant contact not only by phone but also via e-mail and instant messages, the T-Mobile Sidekick [$250, plus monthly service; tmobile.com] rises to the occasion. Spin out its screen and there’s a roomy keyboard under your digits. The monochrome system offers a full-featured, proprietary PDA. Given its unique form factor and somewhat fragile feel, the 2.5- by 4.5-inch unit isn’t for everyone. But it’s hard to resist its curvaceous appeal. STAY THE COURSE The Motorola i95cl [$500; Nextel, Southern LINC] has a nice heft in the hand, a good assortment of PDA functions under its hood, and Nextel’s “push-to-talk” service for walkie-talkie-like chatting with other Nextel users — great for field or more industrial uses. Those who work or move around in loud environs will like this unit’s very loud ringer. MOVE AHEAD Touting a built-in camera, the sleek Sanyo 5300 [$400; SprintPCS.com] also offers an exceptional screen; expect similar competing units to arrive by late spring. Also: The RIM BlackBerry 6710 [contact T-Mobile, tmobile.com, for pricing, or AT&T Wireless, www.attws.com] combines a phone with BlackBerry’s worldwide e-mail, Net, and messaging services — and the best keyboard among its peers. What to Ask What applications do I need? Am I willing to use a small screen for portability’s sake? Can I forgo a Palm- or Windows-based interface? Can I download data from my PC? Does it have a global reach? Case In Point Lisa Wible Co-founder Oh Fudge THE NEED: Lisa Wible’s phone, which she says is clipped to her when she’s making fudge and has gotten dropped “over and over,” needed not only to stand the heat but also to get out of the kitchen. Wible prefers to deliver her fudge in person — a big job when her 45 client stores are spread over six Western states. THE SOLUTION: Motorola i55sr (Nextel) FEATURES CONSIDERED: Coverage area was crucial. “Our first major project after founding the business was the Olympics. I spent a lot of time in Salt Lake City,” recounts Wible, who hosted an official booth in the Downtown Festival during the Games. “I knew I’d have to be able to conduct business as if I was home in Whittier.” When business takes you across the Mohave Desert and up into the northern Rockies, a map doesn’t tell you everything you need to know about coverage. Wible, a first-time Nextel customer, started asking everybody along the way if their phone cut out. NEXT TIME: Wible isn’t using her push-to-talk features as much as she initially expected. “It’s like a walkie-talkie; you have to wait for the other person to respond. It doesn’t work [for talking] with clients.” Great sound quality is a plus, as is her phone’s rugged chassis: “Not only has it been dropped, it’s been dropped and kicked.” DON’T FORGET TO ASK: Make the most of your minutes, Wible says: “There’s a lot of plan variation, and it’s useful to know if minutes on your plan can be transferred to other times of day or rolled over for later use.” 2003 Tech Buying Guide Laptops Handhelds Hybrids Cell Phones Wi-Fi Networks Digital Cameras Videoconferencing Setups Shopping Tips Log On and Be Counted In recent weeks, visitors to Inc.com have been sharing some of their tech-buying strategies with other readers by taking our buyer’s guide poll. Take the quick survey yourself, then see how others are thinking about the product areas covered in this story. Please E-mail your comments to editors@inc.com.

About 3704 days ago Mobility Tips and Tricks

2003 Tech Buying Guide: Hybrids Put It Together

2003 Tech Buying Guide Market Report Hybrids look like typical handhelds, but tout the added value of a built-in phone. Some have their microphones and earpieces cleverly concealed — just use the on-screen dial pad and hold the unit up to your ear as you would with a regular cell; others use a detachable earbud. Downsides to this seemingly perfect marriage? For one, you may not want to invite your relatively bulky handheld out with you on a Saturday night. Also, your current or preferred phone ser-vice might not offer the unit you’d like. Our advice: Because phone-service quality varies widely depending on region, go with a provider you know is solid and choose your device from there. STAY THE COURSE Those who’ve never taken to Graffiti can follow the lead of our case-study subject, who speaks highly of his Handspring Treo 270 [Cingular, T-Mobile; plan prices vary]. The QWERTY-style keypad on this 4 x 3 x 1-inch unit isn’t as roomy as you’ll find on a BlackBerry or a T-Mobile Sidekick, but it has a good tactile response. 59% of Inc.com poll respondents say they’re interested in buying a combination device.*

About 3704 days ago Wireless Networks

2003 Tech Buying Guide: Wi-Fi Slices the Wires

2003 Tech Buying Guide Market Report A growing number of companies are using wireless local area networks in their office settings. “The 802.11 [wireless LAN] standard is so dirt cheap,” says Keith Waryas, an analyst at International Data Corp. “There’s virtually no installation, no massive servers, no drilling through walls,” he says. Wi-Fi makes particular sense for the small business, which may move its people and equipment around to accommodate growth and thus need a more fluid networking solution. A small law office, for example, can raid the shelves at CompUSA for all the networking products it needs. However, once a company reaches 10 users or more and uses more than one server, it may be time to call in the services of a value-added reseller (VAR) such as IBM or Accenture for tech support, he says. Wi-Fi has expanded its reach well beyond the walls of the office. Hot spots, or wireless on-ramps to the Internet, are popping up in very public places like Starbucks, which partners with T-Mobile to offer a $70 monthly flat-access card. (Individual visits cost $7 to $8.) AT&T, Intel, and IBM recently joined forces to form wireless networks to provide connectivity at more than 20,000 sites — such as hotels, campuses, and other businesses — in 50 major U.S. cities. Even with the push toward public hot spots, those efforts will “go cold” in the next couple of years, says Bob Egan, president and founder of research firm Mobile Competency. “The business plan does not pay out,” he says. He believes the real value of Wi-Fi, once security concerns are resolved, will be in private settings. MOVE AHEAD An expanding office environment looking for a Wi-Fi setup needs the type of network that will grow along with it. The 3Com OfficeConnect 11 Mbps Wireless Cable/DSL Router Starter Kit [$240; www.3com.com] includes a cable/DSL gateway that, with optional cards, can support up to 32 wireless users spread out to a distance of 300 feet. STAY THE COURSE Technophobes will find that the Microsoft Broadband Networking Wireless Base Station MN-500 [$139; www.microsoft.com] requires little downtime or sweat. Its setup wizard gets you sharing your broadband Net connection, files, and printers easily. THE BLEEDING EDGE If your wireless demands include sending full-motion videos and other intensive multimedia fast, Belkin [ www.belkin.com] offers an array of wireless networking products to build super-fast networks. Mix and match gateways ($150), notebook and desktop cards ($75-100), and access points ($175) to build a custom network. What to Ask How much will I spend on access? Does my data require enhanced security? Which PC’s, handhelds, and laptops complement my wireless strategy? Do I send enough image-based data to require high-speed service? Case In Point Dan Bean CEO Music Channels, LLC THE NEED: “I travel all over the country,” says Dan Bean, who runs an Internet- and radio-based entertainment company out of Newcastle, Wash., produces Broadway plays, and handles corporate promotions. Bean looked to Wi-Fi alternatives to support his mobile lifestyle. THE SOLUTION: A Winbook X1 laptop, a Compaq wireless modem, and T-Mobile wireless service. “I’ve used it everywhere, in Chicago, New York, L.A., and Vegas. I’ve had meetings with big shots at Starbucks,” he says. FEATURES CONSIDERED: Wireless coverage of the cities and locations that he most frequents was critical, as was the number of locations that he could “pop into” to work. Luckily, Starbucks had already secured prime real estate. “A guy I was working with had Wi-Fi in his laptop and showed it to me,” says Bean, who admits it was love at first sight. “I set up T-Mobile from my cell phone while I was sitting with him at a Starbucks,” he says. “It took all of 10 minutes.” Only 16% of Inc.com poll respondents feel wireless services are “critical” right now.*