Potential caveats aside, prepaid and pay-as-you-go cell phone plans make a lot of sense for the right type of users, and not just people who don’t have the credit scores to get onboard with a contract plan. For example: No contract, pay-as-you-go plans make an affordable option for the occasional cell phone user who just needs a mobile lifeline now and then, while unlimited text and voice plans can cut bills for nonstop talkers who keep running over their monthly limits on a contract plan. But with dozens of prepaid and pay-as-you-go cellular carriers populating the U.S., finding the right one can be tough. Here are some of the top-rated prepaid cell phone providers out there, and how they’ve managed to stand out from the pack.
Category: Buying Guides
Which Gadgets Are Selling: For Some Technology, Analysts Say, It’s Buyer Beware
What’s hot? What’s not? And what was the last gadget you actually bought? It’s quite the challenge to keep pace with technology’s latest and greatest trends, especially with disposable income tighter than ever for so many. Which made us wonder: Despite all the flashy ads and splashy headlines, which types of consumer electronics are actually selling? According to the top technology insiders we spoke with, the results may shock. Planning on buying a new PC or iPod this year? Surprise: Here’s why you might just be the odd man out…
Hot Shots: 10 Fashion Friendly Digital Cameras Ready for a Night on the Town
When it comes to digital cameras, there’s a time and place for function, and one for fashion instead. Case in point: The hefty five-pound DSLR cameras you see pros muscling around at press conferences and football games are the tools of the trade for shooting magazine covers and Pulitzer award winners. But when it’s time for a night out on the town? That’s when you leave the big guns and tripods at home. Whether club hopping or twirling around a ballroom, the ideal point-and-shoot digital camera needs to fit the tiniest suit pockets and handbags, fire up at a moment’s notice, and, most of all, look good doing so. Here are a few of our favorite models that fit the bill.
The Best Laptop, Desktop and Tablet PCs Under $500
If your old computer whistles to life like a 19th century steam engine, chugs every time you load a Hulu video, and crashes when you try to run a simple virus scan, it’s time to put the junker out to pasture. Thankfully, like a farmer’s market bursting with wholesome goodness after the fall harvest, the PC market is overflowing with ideal replacements. Better yet, with a flood of next-gen hardware hitting the streets in conjunction with the launch of Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows 7, the budget end of the spectrum is suddenly ripe with value. Unless you need a high-performance machine you can push to the very extreme, you’ll find plenty of amazing systems under $500. Here are a few of our favorites.
Buying Upgrades: When to Save or Spend on HDTVs, PCs, Digital Cameras and More
A pair of white gold cufflinks, a fine Swiss watch, and a set of stainless cutlery will last a century. An HDTV, a laptop, and an iPod will not – which makes knowing when to break out the high-limit American Express and invest in something nice, and when to make a trip to Wal-mart and buy the cheapest box on the shelf, a tricky game.
On one hand, everyone would like to own a Dell Adamo, a Sonos music system, and a 50-inch Pioneer Kuro. But then again, most of us would love mansions and Ferraris, too. So unless you’re reading from a teak deck on your sailboat in the French Riviera, it might be wise to figure out where to spend and where to save.
How to Get Books, CDs, DVDs and Games for Free
Books, CDs, DVDs and video games are already some of the cheapest forms of entertainment around, but we’ve found three services that render them even more affordable – specifically, by making them yours at no cost whatsoever.
OK, there is a catch, but it’s a very small one: You’ll incur shipping fees, but this never amounts to more than a few dollars per item. And most of the services operate on a trading model, which means you’ll need to give up a book, CD, DVD or video game you own in order to get something don’t already have. Likewise, acquiring entertainment this way doesn’t deliver the instant gratification you’ll get from online shopping or visiting a brick-and-mortar store, especially because you can’t be sure that the item you’re looking for will be available, and it can take as long as 10 days to receive an item you’ve ordered. But let’s be honest: You seriously can’t beat the prices.
The Best Time to Buy Computers, HDTVs, iPods, Cell Phones and More
Timing is everything. Whether you’re trying to capture the perfect shot of a motorcycle screaming by at 113 miles an hour at Laguna Seca, or just trying to figure out when to dodge the lunch crowd at your favorite restaurant, the little arms that swirl away on your watch face have a lot more to do with getting it right than your choice of camera, or even which restaurant you end up at.
How to Buy an E-Reader
So you’re sick of paper. Sick of trips to the bookstore. Sick of the weight of a fist-thick textbook in a backpack. Sick of working your laser printer to death for a stack of papers you’ll read once and trash (and sick of the guilty feeling you get when you do it).
It’s time for an e-reader. The once unheard-of category has been exploding recently thanks to the introduction of hot models like Amazon’s Kindle, which turned the market upside and whet consumer appetites for a device most of them didn’t even know existed. But what can you expect from an e-book reader, what should you look for in one? Here’s a primer on the advantages of e-readers, how to buy one, and a few specific models you’ll want to check out.
Windows 7 Upgrade Guide: Everything You Need to Know
The launch of Windows 7 draws near. Discs are being minted, glossy advertisements are filling magazines, and Microsoft is dispensing ludicrous advice on how to plan your own launch party. For existing Windows Vista users, we highly recommend upgrading to Windows 7, but the question remains: which version should you shell out for when it finally shows up on store shelves? Without a one-size-fits-all box, you’ll need to decide which features you need and which you don’t, to avoid shelling out your hard-earned cash for frivolities.
