ArchiveMarch, 2008

For a while, whenever you saw someone using a cell phone it was most likely a Motorola RAZR. To me, it was a like a sci-fi show where every person in that world had agreed on a single silver jumpsuit to wear and nobody was to wear anything else. But in the real world, consumers would quickly become uninterested with this concept… much like what has happened with the RAZR.

While other manufacturers like Samsung (with the Gleam for Verizon, the M520 for Sprint, the Beat for T-Mobile, and the BlackJack II for AT&T) are keeping the innovation going, Motorola has been providing consumers with rehashes of the RAZR with models like V3i, V3r, V3a, Ve, V3c, V3m, V3xx, and V3t. And while the RAZR2 is slimmer, it is not doing as well as expected given how phenomenally well the first RAZR sold.

Read more…

Gone are the old days of pulling over to the side of the road, pulling out a map from the backseat (as my Dad still does) and routing the best path to your destination. These days, wireless carriers offer a smorgasbord of phones that do exactly what those fancy & relatively expensive GPS-only devices do - if not even more.

Built-in GPS comes readily for you Windows Mobile fans as AT&T offers the Samsung BlackJack II and AT&T Tilt (my personal fav), while Sprint offers the HTC Mogul (but only after a free OS upgrade from HTC) and the Samsung Ace. For the BlackBerry lover in you, you have a slew of options with built-in GPS including the BlackBerry Curve and BlackBerry 8820 from AT&T (and soon T-Mobile), and the BlackBerry 8300 World Edition in either the Alltel or Sprint flavors.

What you get from these phones having very capable GPS antennae built-in already is the ability to take advantage of some well respected free software as well as the accurate positioning from satellites orbiting the Earth. Applications from giant companies such as Microsoft’s Live Search for Mobile and Google’s Google Maps work like a charm on either the Windows Mobile or BlackBerry phones. For BlackBerry users, you already have a handy application installed called BlackBerry Maps. These applications allow for quick access to search for directions, restaurants, shops and even gas prices around your very location using the internal GPS.

Read more…

Cell phones are known by many names. Are you using the proper name? Am I? Here are just some of the variations I’ve run across in my time at Wirefly:

Phone - If you call your cell phone a phone are you old school or just ahead of the curve? Everyone knows wired phones are going away so perhaps there is no need to distinguish and a phone is once again just a phone.

Cellular Phone - Used to sound high tech and cutting edge but lately it sounds more and more old fashioned and clearly not high tech. Plus, GSM carriers don’t like being referred to as “cellular”.

Wireless or Wireless Phone - Probably puts you out ahead of the folks saying “cellular phone,” but not by much and everything is wireless these days so it just does not have much edge to it any more.

The one that shows your age and always make me laugh is Car Phone - it used to make you a player if you could work that into a sentence, or even had one, but now it is truly comical. Don’t even get me started on “Bag Phone.” That was always a silly name.

Read more…

Almost six months after the original announcement, T-Mobile recently completed the acquistion of Suncom Wireless, which enhances its coverage to now include 98 of the top 100 US markets, and expands its nationwide coverage to 259 million Americans, up from 244 million.

Additionally, the acquisition also gives them markets in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. This enhanced coverage puts them squarely in the league of the top three national carriers.

T-Mobile and Suncom announced the acquistion back in September of 2007, but FCC approval was not granted until February 8, 2008, and the acquisition was completed shortly thereafter on February 22, 2008.

Read more…

It seems a new and exciting entry to the wireless space arrives on the scene on an almost daily basis. Apple has pushed RIM’s BlackBerry, who has pushed Palm, who pushes LG, and on and on. As you walk down the street, or through the mall, you cannot help but see more and more people using these new PDAs or smartphones. The features are endless it seems: music, internet access, QWERTY, disk space and more disk space, cameras, games, VCASTing and other methods to view live action content are just a few.

Where has all of this push for more and more on a smaller device come from? For one thing, in the business world, folks are finding it more efficient to ditch the organizer and move to a BlackBerry or Palm Centro or Motorola Q to organize and keep tracking of email. Parents find it easier to track their children through GPS capabilities that can be loaded into the child’s phone through plans such as Sprint’s Everything plan.

But even good old-fashioned courtship has changed - remember the days when you would have to actually talk to the person you were interested in? The New York Times published an interesting piece on how more and more folks are using text messaging to get and keep the fires burning.

Read more…

At Wirefly, we’re always looking for creative ways to boost our sales through partnerships that really work for all parties involved - obviously, we want to move cell phones, but it helps when we find a great company to team up with, and when the offer just makes sense for the customer.

We think we’ve done just that, in our latest promotion with American Express.

If you’re an American Express customer in search of a new cell phone, this new program is worth a look. What we’ve been able to do, together with AmEx and T-Mobile, is offer a selection of popular Motorola phones at a significant discount - and the only thing you need to do is sign up for auto-pay through American Express. We figure, these days, more and more people are moving their bill-paying online anyway… AmEx customers are probably even more likely to do so.

So there’s no extra cost involved for the customer; in fact, if you’re used to paying your bills online, it’s actually a convenience. American Express gets increased business, T-Mobile gains the assurance of regular monthly payments, and we’re able to increase our cell phone sales.

Oh, and you get a free (or steeply discounted) phone. Win-win-win-win.

I’ve been in the wireless business since wireless came to the US. I’ve had unlimited opportunities to see all the different manufacturer’s cell phones and the features they offer. As an executive of a wireless retail company, I have access to cellular service from all the major carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, Nextel and Alltel). Not to mention every handset manufacturer (Motorola, LG, Sanyo, Samsung, Blackberry, Sony Ericsson, etc).

I’ve played with and used many cellphones over the years and it may surprise you to know that my device of choice is the Blackberry Curve 8310. Why? Simple…it’s got it all! The Blackberry Curve is my phone, address book, calendar, camera, mp3 player and I can also access my corporate email and the Internet all on one device. Most people don’t use their Blackberry for music - but they should. I added a 4 GB memory card loaded with all my favorite music. The Curve sounds great with my Oakley Bluetooth stereo sunglasses! I’ve lost weight without going on a diet - my pockets and briefcase are no longer stuffed with a separate phone, PDA, camera, iPod and laptop.

Read more…